Yuzuko's bedroom was an indoor garden. Red and white roses on the walls. Tropical flowers from exotic shops dangling on the ceiling. Orchids bloomed by gothic windows. Next to the walk-in wardrobe was a cherry blossom tree.
Her alarm clock, shaped like an ice-cream cone rested between the branches. Her clock unleashed a chirpy tune. Koichi threw his fish toys out of his cot and laughed. Rubbing her head, Yuzuko rolled out of bed and stuck her hand in the wooden bars. "How long have you been awake for?"
Koichi giggled, unable to say anything but gargles.
"I can't believe you're one next month."
"Good morning, Yuzuko!" Yuzuko turned around to see her husband, Hiroki. He stood by the mirror, scraping a generous serving of gel in his hair. Everyone called him sonic the Hedgehog for his blue mohawk. Few have seen Hiroki's long hair the way Yuzuko liked it. He looked like the cover boy from a classic romance novel; a Mr Darcy for the new age.
"Good morning." Yuzuko yawned. After stretching, she picked up the trash bin full of empty hair gel cans.
"Do you need to use so much hair gel?"
Hiroki nodded. "I only use what I need to get my hair looking great. I need a lot of gel to keep my hair in shape."
"But your hair already looked good..."As he squinted in the mirror he asked, "Are you saying my hairstyle sucks?"
Yuzuko shook her head. "No. I'm saying that I like it without the hair gel too." Visions of running her fingers through his luscious blue hair made her envious. It was twice the length of her wavy black hair. Best of all, it was straight.
"Since you put it like that..." Hiroki paused, rubbing his chin. "I like you without make-up too."
Fuzzy sensations pounded her when she heard that. Without make-up, she felt naked. She had watched thousands of online tutorials and makeup classes. One make-up vlogger she loved, in particular, was Lavender Unicorn. Quick make-up tutorials with no drama attached was a breath of fresh air. Lavender's videos made her feel beautiful. Her gut instinct told her it was best to keep her female crushes to herself.
"You still watching those awful videos?" Hiroki asked, laughing his head off.
"They're not awful. At least they're not tentacle porn!"
"Porn is like coffee; they're so many types of it that there's bound to be something for everyone."
"Hiroki..." Yuzuko said, frowning as she picked Koichi up. "You had to make that comparison in front of our son? What would your parents think if they caught you talking about porn." It had been so long since Yuzuko saw her in-laws, she'd forgotten what they looked like.
"Talking about porn isn't bad."
"You watch that show. You know how much we hate that show."
"What show?" Hiroki asked. "I watch lots of shows on my phone."
"You know which show I'm on about. The worst show in the world!"
"The remake of Game of Thrones by Disney?" Hiroki shrugged his shoulders.
"The one Grandpa's been protesting about," Yuzuko whispered. "G...O...M...D..."
"Oh!" Her husband's lips quivered. "Yeah, best not to mention that show around your grandfather."She nodded; it was the most sensible thing that her husband had ever said. They made their way downstairs for breakfast.
Yuzuko's homelife could never be dull. Her grandfather was Professor Takeshi Denki, a pioneering figure for robotic welfare. As a table tennis champion in his youth, his stiff dancing made him an internet legend. Over the years, his hair became thin and grey. Her grandmother, Takako was different. She made the neighbours jealous with her black curls. Kyoto Neighbourhood's Most Glamorous Grandma Award always went to Takako.
Her grandparents proved the opposites attract theory. Professor Denki would always wear a lab coat (even in the house). Takako would dress up every day like she was going to a comic convention or a fancy-dress party.
Her Aunt Kiki was a little white robot with heart-shaped eyes. Her brothers, Punchy and Stinky had wet noses, whiskers, and furry white paws. Harumi Denki, Kiki's older and of course human sister was a book blogger. As for her father... what father? Any mentions or hints about him made Harumi glare with her slit eyes as her pigtails slapped against her book.