-Sex, Solo Mission and Shock Therapy-
-From the perspective of Mayu Ryomen-
After what felt like an eternity – in truth, it had only been just under two hours – the world of sleep had released me from its embrace. Overall rating for this long power nap? Ten out of ten. Exactly what I needed.
Through the large window to my right, soft orange sunbeams fell in, bathing my spacious room in a warm golden glow and warming my skin. So, it was already quite late, which had messed up the evening. I would have loved to already have dinner served on the table and eaten together with the boys.
Leisurely, I headed for my desk—more precisely, the chair with my clothes on it.
I threw my dirty uniform over my shoulder, which had been resting on the back of the chair, and slipped into my cozy slippers.
I glanced at my phone, which I had left on the desk earlier. No messages.
But I had one to send. To Hitomi. My former coworker and friend from Shimoda, whom I checked in with from time to time—usually ending in a long phone call. I still absolutely had to let her know that I'd be back in town soon.
***Mayu: A very good evening to you, my dearest darling ← Yes, you know this tone ;D! Just wanted to let you know I'll be in Shimoda again the weekend after next. I'll stop by work to visit you all – shall we go out to eat after? I miss you!***
Her reply didn't take long, and before I knew it, the chocolate-brown-haired woman had called me.
"Yeah, tell me, I thought the earth had swallowed you up, Mayu," she greeted me joyfully with her melodious voice, colored by the dialect of her German grandpa, "weren't you supposed to be back already? Because of the arrangement with your H-parents?!"
H-parents. An inside joke she had coined after their first meeting. Hell-parents.
"Oh, you wouldn't believe how they gave me hell this morning when I told them about my delayed mandatory visit?! This time I called Yuna, not Akira, but with those Siamese twins, it really doesn't matter. I explained to her that I had completely forgotten the six months were up due to the move, and her? Ah... What can I say, Tomi? Complaining again and acting like they're the holiest beings who must never be kept waiting."
I heard her sympathetically exhale and smile through the phone.
"Awful... They really have zero understanding. I don't even want to imagine how they'll be once you're actually there. Want me to come with you? Stay with you, pretty girl?"
I smiled. More than one visit to my parents would've gone off the rails without Hitomi. It had only been a few times she'd joined me, but they'd meant the world to me.
"You're my heart, but this time I already have someone who's coming with me."
"Ohoo, who?" she asked, suddenly alert.
"Well, I bet you'll never guess," I teased.
Even though things had been hectic lately, I still managed to tell her plenty about my new life in Tokyo during those hours-long calls.