2025-07-29: Classics
- Log: Classics
- Cast: Myunghon Yeo, Ayame Watanabe
- Where: The Cardboard Dragon, Hirasaka Ward, Sumaru City
- OOC Date: July 29, 2025
- IC Date: June 17, 2012
- Summary: Ayame brings a daughter to visit the Cardboard Dragon! Myunghon has something to try to set up...
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
It's a peaceful Sunday at the cardboard Dragon today. There should be more customers here, but even on a Sunday, it seems that most of Kasu High prefers to be elsewhere -- though there's a few afficionados loitering around, playing their private games on the side. Gumiho is here too, looking like she's busy creating some sort of logo... is that a 'K' on the logo? It might just be-- the Kool Boss logo! Kasu Bosses have logos, right?
Myunghon themself appears to be in a bit of a pickle. There's an opened cardboard box and a large CRT that's currently dominating most of a table, and there's a manual splayed open as they transcend the human idea of 'sitting' on a 'chair', because what they're doing to the folding chair, somehow not destroying their knees or ankles, is... truly something else. Their finger is on their lip as they try to figure this quandry out.
If one looks closer, one of the boxes is a half-opened... GAME CONSOLE! It's the Baestation III Slim, 160 gigabytes. Wow, that's a lot of gigabytes!
"Is a giga bite a free meal," Gumiho asks.
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
Sunday!! It's a good day, and Ayame has been making it a special day so far. But a certain little girl wanted to go Out to the store she'd heard mentioned, and it being her birthday, Ayame was willing to accomodate her. So it is that the two members of the Watanabe family make their way to a store down a nondescript alleyway, where no yakuza are currently fighting... probably.
"Mom," the girl says, "This place is so cool. It looks like it's going to fall apart."
"Don't say that too loudly, dear," Ayame says, leading Koume Watanabe through the place. There is a logo, and--
"Ah?" Ayame recognizes Myunghon, and Myunghon might remember Ayame! But Koume looks more like her dad than her mom. She has long, black hair in twintails, purple eyes, and a bright gaze. "Classic," Koume says as she looks over Myunghon's TV. She's nine years old today. She's dressed in green, with a 'happy * creature' shirt on and a skirt, and is looking over at--
"Oh," she says, "Yeo-san!" Ayame says with a smile. And then she sees--
"...Hmmmm, having trouble?" Ayame wonders, and starts to lead her daughter over.
"Whoaaaa," Koume says. "The new Baestation..."
"It's got 160 gigabytes, Mom. That's a lot of gigabytes!"
"Yes, dear."
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
Koume does have it *correct*. It looks like it's going to fall apart. Wow, that ceiling square looks like it has a bullet hole from forty years ago or something. Myunghon's head turns and their eye goldfishes for a moment, bobble-like stare catching Koume and Ayame both. Oh, Reiko's sister... that was a really alarming, surprising moment. Why was it that alarming? They're not sure, but they felt the sweats rising and the horror escaping through their vertebrae.
Gumiho grins at Koume to go, "Hey, just in time, kid! You wanna set this up with me? Boss decided to splurge for some reason and put one in the store!"
Myunghon rises from their chair, and naturally becomes Tall with their lanky arms and legs and suit jacket. "Welcome, Watanabe-san." Oh, they remembered, huh? "Ah, somewhat. I finally received my order to play that game Reiko-san was so excited about, but I am at a loss as to how to connect this device to the television."
Ayame already INSTANTLY understands the problem.
The PS3 has a proprietary cable that ends in an HDMI cable.
That old TV... only has S video.
"I don't see where to put the yellow and red and white cables in..." Myunghon retrieves the manual again, rifling through it with a sigh.
There's a second underlying problem here.
Drake Adventure III -- Reiko's favourite game -- has not ever been released on the Baestation III.
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
Bobble bobble. That's almost a game!
Gumiho grins and Koume claps. "Totally!" she says, and Ayame laughs. "Of course you do," she says.
"It's good to be nice to people," Koume says innocently, and Ayame points out, "And you think I'll get one if I see it in action, too, I bet."
"Maaaaaaybe."
They did remember!! Ayame is pleased, and smiles. "Oh," she says. "Well, we can help with that," she says, and finishes walking over with Koume. Koume sees the cables immediately, and tilts her head. "Huhhh. A book and card store with video games too..."
"Why not?" Ayame asks. Then she sees the problem. "Oh..."
She realizes the second problem. Oh, dear.
"...Drake Adventure III never released for the Baestation III," Ayame says thoughtfully. "...Well, that aside."
"You need an adapter!" Koume says proudly. "Mom's got a bunch of them lying around because she likes old games because she's old."
Ayame wilts a little. "T-that's..."
"Ahem, she's right. The BS3 wants an HDMI port, and your old TV doesn't have one. You can't plug in the cables as-is."
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
Myunghon's blood freezes when Ayame mentions that the game has never been released for the Baestation III. Wait, then what's in that box right there...? Did they make a mistake? Are there TWO games with the same name, and they acquired the wrong one because they didn't receive anything but verbal confirmation from Reiko Shimizu?
"Now now," Myunghon leans forward with a faint smile to Koume. "I'm sure there's nothing wrong with appreciating the classics. Your mom just has good taste."
Myunghon might not know shit about videogames, but they correctly assume every hobby has something of a *vintage* compared to the *moderns*, and it lets Ayame save a bit of face, anyway. "Ah... an adapter... I see. Why did the connectors change? I suppose this is a terribly old television set, but... mmmm..."
Their head slumps down. "Ah. So I have the expenses of a new television to add to my budget too..."
Gumiho has unearthed the shiny black console at this point. "Hey, where are the giga bites? Are there meal coupons inside or something?"
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
"Yes," Ayame answers, latching onto Myunghon's lifeline. "They're classics!"
"Hmmm. Well, she does like me..." That's what Koume has to say of her mom's taste, anyway. But Myunghon is in TROUBLE. "The technology changed; they use something different inside the TV these days, so the best way to get that signal to the system isn't what it used to be." A beat, "You don't have to get a new TV. With the right adapter you can use your old TV with the new system! Trust me, I do this all the time."
Koume rolls her eyes at Gumiho. "Silly," she says. "Gigabytes means storage! It's e-lec-tron-ic data! 160 GB--that's how you say it for short, ya know--is a lot! It means it can hold a lot of stuff..."
"Very good!" Ayame answers Koume with approval. "It's nice of you to joke around so she can show off," Ayame says conspiratorially to Gumiho.
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
There's a response Myunghon drums up where they say 'that's right, kid, and someday you'll be a classic too', but that seems both too mean to Ayame and would probably sail over Koume's head for a net gain of -2. They wisely tuck it back into the thought cabinet.
"Ah, I see... that would be a lifesaver. But troublingly, I also heard that I might have the... wrong game...?" Myunghon dares venture into that territory. They lean into the box and take out a plastic case with a dramatic scene of Western Adventure Man facing a city of gold. It's not hard for Ayame to recognise this one -- this is a very popular adventure-shooting game released last year, with cinematic cutscenes and high production values.
It reads: DRAQUE'S ADVENTURE III: HONOUR AMONGST THIEVES.
"Reiko-san did say... Drake... Adventure III, did she not?" Myunghon fully understands what it means to be the hapless frog wading into the greater ocean now.
"Ohhhh. Well, we've got a right smart cookie here, don't we? Boss, did you know that? We hold stuff in gigabytes now!" Gumiho is being a good sport about it, which means that it's impossible to understand that she always fully means what she says, nodding back at Ayame.
"So you're a gamer too, then, Watanabe-san?" Gumiho asks, clearly excited about this topic now. "Boss, just think of how much more popular the store'd be if we just had a console people could play!"
"It is true... that was part of my plan, admittedly," Myunghon themself is saving face because now they can write it off as a store asset.
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
Ayame isn't even that classic yet! She's barely past thirty!
"Now, some old TVs still won't display the new stuff well," Ayame cautions. "But mostly you can get away with an adapter for a while." A beat, as Myunghon dares venture and... ah. Ayame looks at it and presses her lips together. She is clearly looking for a polite way to say something. So when Myunghon confirms...
"Yes, but..." A sympathetic look. "A lot of other people had this problem, too--it makes it a lot more difficult to search out info on the older game on the net..." A sigh. "But no, this isn't the right one." A pause. "It is very popular! It might be fun! But... it's not Reiko-chan's favorite, no."
Gumiho calls her smart and Koume beams happily. "Yeah!" she says. "Remember that, Boss!"
Ayame lifts an eyebrow at Koume, and looks secretly apologetic at Myunghon. She does add, "That is a nice idea. You already have these kids playing other games in the area over there..."
Hmm.
"Does that mean you're thinking of branching out into video games?" she wonders. Then, to Gumiho with a smile, "Guilty. I actually have some older systems I've kept in good shape. And I've passed it on a bit to Koume-chan here."
"Yeah! Though i like handhelds 'cause you can climb on stuff and play them there."
"...We've talked about climbing on things when I'm not there..."
"Um!"
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
Ayame is a parent, so they're probably no stranger to politely letting someone down, but the wet cat energy Myunghon inherits upon being told that, no, they do not have the correct game that is Reiko's favourite is, somehow, both incredibly intense and maybe just a little endearing.
"I-- I see. I suppose it would not be the first time. I know I have confused one product for another when ordering for the store," Myunghon does admit. Though usually merchants list things out by their SKUs, so they have another reference point... ooh, this really is the only time they've had to try to find something based on a name alone. They should've done more research!
But Ayame does console them, saying it might -- still be fun! But there's that gap of PROMISE UNFULFILLED that still lingers in their heart.
They really didn't want to let Reiko down, huh?
"M-mm... there are already two other video game stores, one in Kameya Alley, the other in Smile Mall," Myunghon ponders, since this isn't the first time they've thought about it. "And I would not have the funds at present to up-front purchase a selection. No, I suppose since there is a social element to the store already, as you said, Watanabe-san, perhaps it would be better to have it be an attraction... perhaps we could run events instead. Shinobu-ssi said she liked fighting games."
A pause. "Shinobu-san. Sorry." Why're they getting so self-conscious about that now?
Gumiho's starry-eyed as they look to Koume. "Whoa! Your mom passes down games to you? Lu-cky! So what games are you really into, Koume?"
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
This is true. ...And it's also true that it's terribly endearing. Ayame could easily end up fishing Myunghon out of a river, at this rate. "Oh," she says, and her heart is tugged a bit. "It happens to everyone," Ayame says sympathetically. "I've done it, too."
But they really didn't want to let Reiko down. Hmm...
That's nice.
"I see," Ayame answers as to game stores. "An attraction! Yes, that might be nice. A store like this, you seem to have a good business model if people stick around, buy a few more things."
"Oh, yes, she does," Ayame confirms, and then shakes her head. "You don't have to be sorry," she says. "You're friends as well as her sometimes employer, aren't you?"
But Gumiho is starry eyed. "Hidden Creatures!" Koume says happily. "I'm the champion in my class," she says. "...I said I wanted to look at cards for my birthday, but..."
She looks one way, looks the other, and leans in to Gumiho, hoping her mom won't hear, "I really heard they had nice old books here, and I wanted to get Dad something..."
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
Maybe they could just ask Ayame about the real Drake Adventure III. The correct one. ... it doesn't change that they're still currently fifty thousand yen in the red from this, however. And however much an adapter will cost. Now they're just stupidly curious about this other Draque's Adventure just for the sake of it. Maybe it'll be a funny story, five years later, nonetheless.
It's true, though. They do kind of have an interest in making this store homely. They think of Tsubasa for a moment. There's good things to be had in making this space attractive for people who might not have many other places comfortable to them. "Ah-- yes, we've known each other for quite a while. To be honest, it still came as a complete surprise to me..." and there is a nod in turn. "Shinobu-ssi has been a lifesaver."
They feel bad, in a way, that a lot of the jobs Shinobu's involved with involve a lot of danger, but... they're up to the task. They're tougher than they are.
"Whoa! No way... I've challenged a few of the Bosses on that too, but, bam, pow, they always beat me! You're gonna have to teach me some tricks to being strong, Koume-chan," Gumiho is just a natural at this. But then Koume has... a Secret Plan!
"Oho? Ooh. Well, just leave it to me. Your mom'll be so surprised and proud of you," Gumiho conspiratorially says.
Problem:
Gumiho has NO IDEA what any of these books are about. But... Myunghon is pretty sharp and alert, and is aware of the plan brewing around them.
"So, what kinda books does dad like?"
While Gumiho and Koume are busy planning, Myunghon does wonder: "Do you also live around the area, Watanabe-san? I wasn't sure if Shinobu-ssi moved out on her own."
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
They could! And indeed, Ayame may offer to lend them a copy, if it comes to that. ...But that isn't quite where they are yet. Instead, she listenss to them talking. "Really?" she wonders. "I'm not surprised it was a surprise," Ayame comments. "Shino-chan is very insistent on her independence." A smile. "She's very reliable. ...I'm glad she's been of help to you. It feels like I already know you a little already, if you're such good friends!"
She doesn't know about the danger. Would it make a difference?
Koume nods. "The secret... is that type matchups aren't enough on their own. You gotta have the right moves. And then there's IV levels..."
A beat, "Yay!" Gumiho's conspiracy is set. And Koume answers, "Um, he likes big books," she says. "Sometimes in other languages. So i don't know. Like the other day i overheard him talking about Dost... Dosto... Dust Of Eggs..."
"I dunno," she says. "I can't read his books. But he's a teacher!"
"I live in Aoba," Ayame answers meanwhile. "I offered a place for her... But as I said, she values her independence. Though we've been moving around, too. We only moved back to Sumaru last year..."
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
Independence... "I could easily see that," Myunghon chuckles, barely having to strain to imagine a younger Shinobu wanting to break way to be more independent. They gesture towards the couch, so Ayame can be more comfortable. See, they've already got a couch and all -- it really wouldn't take much to transform this into a communal living space.
"Now that you mention it... if I put a television there," Myunghon gestures at the empty space. "Yes, I could see it. A lot of the children that come here have siblings that have no interest in card games, and they're stuck with nothing to do." Even if they just play on their phones, it gets the energy swirling around.
"Aoba? That's a nice place," Myunghon nods, not even employing Practiced Tactful Courtesy -- Aoba *is* a nice place. But Ayame mentions only moving *back* to Sumaru. "I see. Did you live further away? I've always been a Sumaru child myself, though business does sometimes take me further away. I'm a Sevens alumni."
Gumiho looks a bit confused. "Whoa. I just... you know, I go, 'that's my guy, that's my Creature,' and that's the most I think about it. IVs... IVs... oh! Yeah, that's the stuff they stick in your arm when you're at the hospital, right??"
The skill of Losing All Your Fights makes you very familiar with IVs, Gumiho!
But Koume speaks of a book she's thinking of. Dosto... Dosto... Dust of Eggs?
"Oh, Gumiho, I nearly forgot, could you check the box on the third shelf?" Myunghon calls out randomly. It is random, but as Gumiho moves closer to that shelf... Koume can see it! Dostoevsky! It's a whole shelf of sad Russian authors!!
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
A couch! Ayame sees it. It would be nice. "Hmmm, yes. You want to entertain the ones who aren't already served..." She nods, thoughtfully. "Do you already sell snacks?" she wonders, looking around. It would be a good idea.
But Aoba! "Yes," Ayame agrees. "I quite like it." A beat, before she shakes her head. "We did," she confirms. "I only moved to Sumaru for university--but Sevens! That's where my husband teaches now!" She smiles.
Gumiho explains, and Koume is thoughtful. "That's why you lose," she reflects. "But it's OK. The games say you're supposed to love your Creatures too. So you've got the moral victory." Pause. "But if you want real victory I'll show you the way!"
Dostoyevsky! Koume sees it and goes, "Woooow, it's the weird letters on some of the books on his shelf!"
"These!! Um, how much are one of these...?"
Ayame continues, "It's a lovely school. Mine was Shujin Academy."
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
"Mostly bottled beverages," Myunghon gestures towards a minifridge with a glass door behind the counter. "Most of the players here don't want their cards smudged with the fats or powders from snacks, so they don't tend to eat while they play. But it would be a good idea for the people who aren't interested in cards..."
There is a raised, pale eyebrow, however. "Oh, your husband teaches there? I wasn't aware. There's been some commotion there as I recall, so I hope he's doing all right." The principal being murdered, the Joker killings...
Gumiho's shoulders slump as Koume bluntly points out that's why she loses. "H-hmm.... yeah, I don't want a *fake* victory. Morals aren't enough if you're not the Boss!" Uh oh, this conversation's getting worrisome?! But fortunately, Dostoevsky is here to teach them about acting properly by being authentic to themselves and rationality and irrationality and how much inauthenticity torments us and--
"Oh yeah! It's like a, foreign language?" Gumiho's comprehension capability is nowhere near enough for this. "Umm, let's see, is there a sticker on this... nope..." A pause. "You know what, I think the boss'd say, 1,000 yen."
"Oh, Shujin? That's a--" Myunghon can feel pain in their spine all of a sudden as she stammers, "--hurg-- pretty prestigious school, as I recall. I've never been able to get used to the thick of living in Tokyo... was it quite busy?"
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
"Hmmm. I see!" That makes perfect sense; they don't want their cards smudged. "Yes. For the people who won't be playing with cards anyway..."
But a raised eyebrow! They recognizee the trouble!! Ayame nods, and she indeed looks troubled. "He's fine," she's quick to assure, "But... the difficulties without the Principal mean he works even longer hours than before," she admits.
Luckily, Koume doesn't hear that part. She does however nod firmly. "Victory is important. ...But winning in a moral way is also important! If you neglect the path of justice, you'll never be a true leader." Koume nods firmly.
And then--foreign language! "Ooooh. I think I have that much! I don't even have to ask Mom!"
Maybe Ayame will stop this. Maybe.
"It is," Ayame says. "Our parents... Well. They wanted us to go to prestigious schools."
A pause. "It really was," Ayame says. "Aoba is much nicer that way. Not so dull as it might be out in the country, but not so frenetic as Shinjuku."
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
"Ah. That's an unfortunate situation..." Myunghon does wonder if Sevens will become another hotbed of supernatural activity. So far, so good, but given how much Gekkoukan became the centre... what's to say another school won't get embroiled somehow? "Teaching is already a job that can demand a lot from you even in better times. I imagine you've already cautioned him to not overdo it, though."
Ayame just seems the type.
Gumiho pumps her hands and says, "Whoa! That sounds like something a Boss would say!" Gumiho, this child is running circles around you. "Are you sure you're not a Boss yourself?" But Myunghon's precious leather-bound 100-year old copy of Dostoevsky's Notes from the Underground is going to go off for a mere 1,000 yen!
... well.
It's your fault for putting it on the shelf, as something someone may be able to buy, Myunghon. You didn't even put a price label on it.
"I... can relate to that," Myunghon does admit, on the topic of parents that demand much. Maybe that's part of why Shinobu resisted, too. "I had a direct route mapped for me from Sevens to Toudai." Tokyo University. "My father even pulled strings to have me graduate a year early."
There's a faint chuckle, then they realise they don't like that topic too much. "You all ended up on pretty different paths myself. I would say I never experienced that, but... I recently just found out I had a sister too."
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
"I have," Ayame answers. "...But I'm not sure I've gotten it through to him," she admits. "He's a very good teacher, though. His students seem to learn so much!"
She might be biased. She definitely has done that, though.
Gumiho pumps her hands, and Koume nods, her eyes burning with determination. "Huh? Well, I always say to my sister 'You're not the Boss of me!' so maybe I'm the boss of me? I'm not sure that counts..."
Ayame will probably not allow her child to underpay that much. ...But it might be a while before she notices to correct the problem...
"Ahhh," Ayame says. "I understand," she says. And to a large extent she does.
"We did! Well... My path was... different, from what they wanted for me. But I wouldn't change it." She smiles, and looks around, to see--
Koume!
"Oh?" she wonders. Books. But, while she's at it, "Oh, unexpected family... That must be a big adjustment."
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
"It can be quite difficult to know how to ease up... what subjects does he teach?" Myunghon is rather curious now, though with how they're linking Dostoevsky, they're thinking either English or History. But the answer still may very well surprise them.
Gumiho looks puzzled at this as well. "Wow... Koume, you've hit on something real important. You can't be the Boss of other people if you're not the Boss of yourself." At least, it sounds profound to her. She has no idea what that means, though.
Myunghon can sense that the 'path they wanted' for Ayame might be a touchy subject, so they don't press her on it. But the way they look towards Koume does draw connections for them. There's any number of disagreements between parent and child. A parent wants them to be a superstar, or a corporate masterpiece, and they start a family instead... It's also not lost on Myunghon that Koume and Ayame's age isn't as large as other families' might be expected.
But this is rude to bring up, so they file it away quietly instead, and answer: "Yes. A young woman named So-young came into my life a few days ago, and it turns out that we share a mother -- but she'd been raised in South Korea all this time, until two years ago. I do wonder why mother suddenly wanted to have us meet... I am still not quite sure how to make of all of it."
Other than the BITTER DISAPPOINTMENT of finding out you're the EVIL TWIN.
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
"He's a math teacher," Ayame says brightly. "But he has an interest in a lot of subjects. He's very widely-read." A beat, "We met in university..."
Gumiho seems to have come to a realization, and Koume nods thoughtfully. "That sounds cool..."
It is definitely a touchy subject. As for age, well; Ayame can't be much past thirty, if that. Koume's age is around nine, to look at her. And she has siblings!
"Oh!" Ayame says, and looks indeed surprised. "Wow... That's quite a secret to keep from you," she imagines. "I can't imagine what I'd do in your shoes."
"Well, I hope you can make a good relationship. I really treasure my sisters."
A pause. "Koume-chan, did you find something you wanted?"
"Yes Mom!!"
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
"I see... that honestly is not a bad time to meet someone."
That sounds nice, honestly, to meet your future partner at university. University was such a mad blur of academic grinding and glory-hunting that they can't remember a single face, because even their teachers were only people to be figured out with what answers tickle their fancy most to get them the highest GPA. ... to not put it in such pleasant terms, they don't think they were being human then.
But the twenty-something age in which Ayame would've had Koume would've made university the right time too. So Myunghon can imagine... "Did you two stay together after university, decide to settle? Sorry, if I'm being nosy, just tell me -- but my own university days were a blur, so it's a bit nice to hear about someone else's experiences."
At this point, Gumiho's brought the book back to the till to register it. "Heh heh. This'll be a gift to remember, I tell you! You wanna wrap it yourself, Koume-chan?"
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
"It was a good time! ...It was my first time away from my parents," she explains. Then, a lopsided smile. "I don't mind. We did stay together. My oldest, ah--Well. Let's say... we didn't precisely plan to have a family right then. I actually didn't finish..." University, that is. It's a little embarrassing, but Myunghon is pretty endearing. "We're still looking for a place to settle, but I'm hopeful that Sumaru might be it."
Koume follows along, and says, "Ooh, can I do that here???" Unless Gumiho meant wrap it herself at home in which case she will be disappointed.
But Ayame continues, "We did stay together though! Koume-chan here is our middle child, and you met my son before. It's Koume-chan's birthday! That's why we dropped in..."
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
Oh, Gumiho's not gonna disappoint. There's even different kinds of gift wrap paper under the counter. "Here, here, Koume-chan, you can pick." Then, they perk up. "Woaouw! It's your birthday? And you're getting something for your dad! That's a real Boss move, Koume-chan!"
Myunghon watches the two of them, wondering for a moment what having a child would be like... but then they get distasteful about it, and then they let it pass. They listen in on Ayame instead. So Koume's not the eldest one... and Ayame didn't finish university.
"If I'm honest with you, I don't think I'm applying anything I learnt at university in my current life," Myunghon chuckles, a little ruefully. It's something like a connection, perhaps, to make Ayame feel a bit more comforted about her embarrassment. "Hmm... to be honest, I am biased, but I do like Sumaru. And your children are already at the age where it'd be hard for them if you moved again, if they had to make friends all over again. So I think you made a good choice."
On the topic of birthdays, though... "I think there's some leftover cake in the mini-fridge too, if you'd like. We could call it a little celebration, if you'd like, Watanabe-san."
Why the hell does Myunghon have cake in the fridge? This will be an unanswered question.
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
"Oh!!" Koume does pick!! She picks... a sensible blue stripe pattern. "Dad likes boring stuff," she says conspiratorially. But she beams at Gumiho again. "Yeah!!" Pause. "...But I'm gonna let Mom get me some Hidden Creatures cards too," she adds, just because Gumiho is her friend now.
Ayame sure didn't. But Myunghon gives her rueful statement and Ayame laughs back softly. "I don't, but I was majoring in theoretical mathematics, so..." A beat, "I like Sumaru, too. And you're right, it would. If we could have a little more stability instead of transferring to new school districts every few years... It would be nice."
Cake!! But, "Oh, I couldn't take your cake from you!" Ayame is quick to say, because that's polite. "But I'd be happy if when you ate it you thought of Koume-chan."
Koume, meanwhile, is presumably busy with wrapping.
"But thank you. That's very sweet."
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
"Heh heh... but that's one of the nice things about dads, right? They can be a bit boring," Gumiho says, though it doesn't sound like they know much about dads. Dads are definitely one of the mysteries. "You'll have to come back sometime and teach me about Hidden Creatures!"
Myunghon hums in thought. So, they were both math students? That's one way to end up running into each other a lot. ... they scarce remember their classmates. They were just... blurs, in hindsight. It's no way to live. Perhaps this is more akin to living than they ever did.
"Yeah... it can be really harsh, having to relocate a lot when you're growing up," Myunghon agrees. "Still, I think you've done a really good job." It's not like they're an expert on kids, but Koume seems to be doing just fine with Gumiho, who, in perhaps more ways than they'd like to admit, is a *little* like a child to them. Even if the circumstances are Weird.
"Are you sure?" Myunghon asks on the topic of cake. "Well, I won't push, then. I don't tend to have cake around here frequently, so it's something of a rare occurrence..."
It's mostly Koalas. You can still see some boxes.
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
"That's true," Koume says to Gumiho. Then she beams. "I will!"
It's certainly a way of life. But moving around, "Thank you," Ayame answers of a good job. "I'm doing my best for them. ...That's all you can do, right?"
But is she sure? She must say no again! "It's fine, it's fine," she says. "Especially if you don't have it often."
Koalas...
"Koume-chan," Ayame says, "Did you find any cards you wanted?"
"Not yet, Mom!" she says, "But I got this!!!"
"...?"
"It's a book for Dad!"
"Oh!" Wrapped and everything, even. Goodbye to Myunghon's treasured text...
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
You have to make some sacrifices as a store owner sometimes. They can only hope dad will appreciate the fancy Dostoevsky book, at the very least. ... that wasn't one of the books where they left their hidden notes, did they? Hopefully not. It's probably fine. And a hook for the future if not. Ho ho!
"Yeah," Myunghon seems especially soft as they agree with that. "A lot of people don't even have time to take their children to a hobby store on a Sunday." There's something of a wistful little smile at that.
It's a Sunday, and little Myorei, age 7, really wanted someone to take them out somewhere fun... but there was always only an empty hallway, money on the countertop, and a note by it.
Gumiho looks really proud. "Heh heh! Koume-chan really picked out a good one, so I'm sure it'll be a good present!"
Myunghon looks aside to Ayame, nodding her approval for it.
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
If he finds hidden notes, that'll be an adventure!! ...Ayame will be the wiser eventually and will ask how exactly Koume got that book...
But it will be appreciated.
That wistful smile gets one out of Ayame, too. "...Sometimes, our parents show us what not to do, as well as what to do," she offers.
"Mom! Mom!" Koume says. "I could pay for it out of my allowance too!"
"You..." Pause. "Really? A book out of..."
Hm.
"Well, bargain hunting starts early!" she laughs. "Thank you both," she says to Gumiho and Myunghon, and bows.
"...I'll also take a couple of packs of those cards, if you would..."
It is a nice Sunday.
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
It's probably not... incredibly incriminating hidden notes... Myunghon doesn't leave that many crimes.txt files in their books. Not that many. It'll be fun.
Myunghon looks a little surprised at Ayame, but does -- nod. That they did. Even if it cost them their body to wrest away from what they wanted. Their case is an extreme, but the same story did play out -- for Ayame, perhaps for Shinobu too. And they wonder what it was like for Reiko. Did they want their youngest daughter to be a detective?
There's a chuckle as they rise up to the counter, taking the book and a few of the cards to officially make the sale. It looks like they've cottoned on to which book it is just from the weight, but it'd be a real bummer to say 'no' at this point.
"Well! Here you are, and here's your change -- thank you for visiting the Cardboard Dragon this fine Sunday!"