[Continued]
[TW: MENTIONS OF DEATH]
[Reminder: This story is not based on reality.]
A couple of minutes that had passed by, Tsuki's parents had finally stopped on arguing over such silliest things after they had gotten home and decided to just cook together quietly.
"They finally finished on arguing now, huh? I'm glad." *He said in his thoughts before now laying down onto the couch and to continue on reviewing every memories that they've done through his mind*
".. He's rethinking about her yet again now, huh?" *He said in a teasing tone*
"Come on, weren't you like that before the time that we haven't dated yet?" *She replied with a giggle*
"I-I don't remember saying like that though.." *Akio then blushed in response*
"Yeah, sure..." *Chieko giggled repeatedly*
"H-hey, don't include me now!" *He replied before pouting*
"Okay, okay. Now, why don't you call him now for dinner? The food's now ready." *She said with a smile*
"Alright. Tsuki, it's time for dinner now!" *Akio then immediately prepared the table with the plates and the flatwares for them to eat as he called Tsuki over*
"Okay, coming!" *Tsuki then hopped out from the couch and walked to the dinner table to eat.*
As the food was now served, they prayed to God first before now finally eating until they are finally full.
"Ah, one thing! There's something I wanted to tell you, dear." *He said in a excited tone*
"Oh? What is it?" *
".. In Australia?" *He asked curiously, wondering if he heard it right*
"Yes, in Australia. I've got hired in a large company." *His father replied back to him with a smile*
".. In Australia? That's pretty far from Japan."
".. So... It means that I will not able to see you for 5 years then?" *He frowned sadly as he asked him*
"That's right, son. Although, your mother is always here for you. So, no need to feel sad. Alright?" *He says as he gently patted his head, still smiling warmly at him though*
" *Sighs* .. He really is leaving us."
".. 'Kay..." *He responds with a deep sigh*
".. Ah, right. I forgot to give you something."*His father then slowly stood up to get his bag from the sofa before returning back to the dinner table, searching through the inside till he finally found it and gave it to him; a wrapped gift*
Tsuki then took it from him and slowly began on unwrapping it until the gift was now fully exposed; a large journal notebook with two glass pen and it's bottled ink on top of it.
"Is this?.." *His eyes were widened in happiness after seeing the gift and he immediately gave his father a big but gentle hug as a sign of appreciation* "Thank you, pa! You're the best!" *He smiled happily*
"You're welcome, son." *He then returned the hug back to him with a smile before finally pulling away in order to pack his things now right away* "I'll be going to pack my things now."
After Tsuki's father packed all the things he needed for the business trip, he then gave his son another hug and a soft, passionate kiss to his wife before finally leaving the house.
"It looks like he'll be staying there without us." *His mother says with a frown*
".. Yeah." *He nodded yet again in response*
"... How about we both play something else?" *She asks with a gentle smile, hoping to make him feel better*
"Sure." *He then replied back to her before following her upstairs to his own bedroom to play with his mother.*
*After they both had arrived to his room, his mother then asked him another question* "Are there any kinds of games that you would like to play, Tsu?"
"Tsu is a shortcut version of my name. I'm not talking about the actual Hiragana or the Katakana."
".. I want to try your old made-up games, ma." *He says with an adorable excited expression*
"Hmm.. Well, let's see..." *She thinks deeply as she was trying to remember the games that she had played before with her friends* "How about we play Menko? I'm pretty sure you might like it." *She suggests with a gentle tone*
"Menko is a Japanese Card Flipping Game that was popular around the Edo and early Meiji Period. It is also known to be as Bettan or Patchin, played by two or more players."
"Menko? Never heard of it, but I still wanted to try."
".. How'd you do that?" *He asked in a curious tone*
"Well.. Let me just teach you." *She replied before getting up to look for the cards from her room in order to play Menko with him and returning back to the room to set it up*
"Oh? So that's how it looks like."
"If you might be wondering on how it looks like, it often uses the pictures of the samurai and the ninjas (In Edo & Meiji Period)."
"Before WW2, the popular pictures that had used for the Menko were the images of the military such as fighter planes and battles ships."
"And after the war, the images were now changed into a character known from the anime that they've used up with, including the baseball players as well."
"In late 1980s-90s, Menko cards were decorated with holographs and sparkles."
"Forgot to mention, Menko was originally known as "men'uchi" and were made by putting clay in molds which were then baked."
"First, you must placed down your cards onto the floor. After that, your opponent will then try to flip your card by striking their own card to yours with the wind. If your opponent succeeds to do so, he will take both cards. The person with most cards gets to win, on the other hand, the person who has less cards will lose." *His mother explained in a calming and clear tone*
"I see... So, this is how it goes too. It's very fun actually."
"Okay." *He then replied excitedly, wanting to see on how it goes*
"Alright then, I'll start to place my card." *She immediately then placed her card onto the floor and patiently waits for him to start on striking it*
As his mother finishes on placing her own card down, he then now strikes it with his card hardly, causing it to flip immediately
*Her mother was shocked to see the results but didn't hesitates to compliments her son either way* "Well done, dear. You may take the card now."
Then so on, they continued on playing for an hour till it is now midnight.
His mother then noticed the time and slowly scoops him up like a small baby while walking to his bed, tucking him in
"You should sleep now, darling. It's already midnight, and it's not good for you to stay awake." *She said before leaning into her son's forehead to give it a soft and gentle kiss before now finally leaving him* "Goodnight, Tsu."
".. Goodnight, ma." *He replied softly before now finally slowly shutting his eyes off to sleep*
Tsuki then slept after being tucked in by his mother while she stayed awake in the midnight; particularly not feeling sleepy nor tired yet.
"Hmm.. I don't feel sleepy right now.." *She says in her own thoughts before wondering on what else to do* ".. I wonder what I should do.. Ah, I'll just watch some news."
*She then immediately reaches out for the remote to turn the television on and immediately lowers the volume before changing the channels to news.*
"Much better." *She says happily while silently just watches the news for some couple of minutes before now finally noticing something*
After a couple of minutes passed by, the news channel then reported a crime and revealed it onto the screen, which shows a man in a plane had died after being poisoned by a flight attendant.
Her eyes were widened in shock after she watches it, realising it's her husband who had died.
"No... T-this can't be..." *She says as she has began to tear up silently, feeling her heart being teared up.*
Chieko's eyes were no longer shining, her heart beat suddenly gotten much louder, and her mind were scattered.
[TO BE CONTINUED.]
Tsuki's parents:
Akio Hasegawa (Dead)
Chieko Hasegawa (Tsuki's Widowed Mother)