1834/No More Mochi

No More Mochi
Date of Scene:	04 August 2024
Location:	Club Building
Synopsis:	Chiyo calls a meeting with several of her friends to inform them that she's lost her powers. A few misunderstandings later, everyone is properly in the know. Cookie are had, and potential plots are considered.
Cast of Characters:	Chiyo Sakai, Taro Yamada, Wako Agemaki, Usagi Tsukino, Phantom, Koji Silvia

---

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
It's been a few days now since Chiyo had asked a good many to meet her today in one of the unused club rooms. The reason why she as asking wasn't specified so far as just saying she had news to share with them.

Rumors and guesses among her friends were likely already being bandied about. Given they *weren't* meeting in the Shed though, it was likely nothing to do with magical shennanigans. Right? That still left a slew of possibilities for everyone to ponder over before the gathering itself.

Once one steps into the club room the sight certainly doesn't help to explain further what on Earth was going on.

The desks were all tucked away into one side of the room leaving plenty of open space and seats. A folding table was set up with an array of snacks, and goodies, as usually happened when Chiyo ran something. There's bottles of various drinks in a bucket on ice ready to be easily grabbed. Trays of small snack sandwiches, mochi, and little cups with fresh cut fruit if any were feeling healthy-ish. (With a can of spray whip cream next to it for those who were only SORT of healthy-ish.)

There were a few balloons taped up to the walls adding a bit of colorful decoration, and some foil holographic ribbon tying them up for sparkle. In between them all was stretched a banner one could find at the Don Quijote in the party supplies area. It read in big, bold letters:

H A P P Y R E T I R E M E N T

Beneath it all sat Chiyo in a chair with her hands folded over her lap as she waits for her friends to arrive, and seated next to her on a tabletop is the white and orange tabby many know. Bonito sits with his ears splayed back and head drooping as if he'd been caught trying to sneak some cookies.

Taro Yamada has posed:
Taro's got two plates of cookies - one mint chocolate chip, one with strawberry boba cooked in it (half flavored with instant milk tea, half with green tea, and both sets had turned out decent enough) - on paper plates and in ziploc bags that he's carrying into the room. It looks like someone beat him to it - probably Chiyo, given that she stressed cooked as much as he did. Drinks, fruits, mochi, a HAPPY RETIREMENT sign -

Why is she retiring. She'd never retire willingly. Dying had been frightening, but Chiyo was good at fighting to save people - was responsible, wouldn't just drop it on a whim. Which meant there had to be a reason -

No, she hadn't known that Phillip guy that long and the party wouldn't be so public if it was a pregnancy out of wedlock, anyway. He'd heard time and time again that it was a good thing his mother had gotten married just before his father died or his birth would have been really suspicious. Even if people were calmer in this modern era, they weren't THAT calm.

No, this is more like that day when he had been sixteen and still ten all at once and his aunt had brought his mother home from the hospital and had cooked all their favorites as they'd all sat in shock at the news that his mother had been diagnosed with -

His pale face goes even paler. He sidles over to Chiyo, voice lowered. "It's not terminal, is it? I've heard modern chemotherapy is really good these days..."

Wako Agemaki has posed:
Wako's first impulse, on seeing the banner, is to look for Chiyo's grandfather. Who is, of course, not here - and really, if Ojiisan were retiring, they surely wouldn't be having the party in a school club room.

Would they?

Sense sets in shortly thereafter - memory of Chiyo confiding in her in the back garden of Sugata's house. Wearing an only slightly awkward, sympathetic smile, she moves across the room toward her roommate just in time to hear Taro's quiet question, and nearly chokes on a startled laugh. "Let's not jump to conclusions," she suggests, "and hear what Chiyo-chan has to say first. Here, can I help you with those?"

She's not quite bold enough to take the load of cookies out of Taro's hands, but she does hold her own out in offer.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
To say that Usagi had been worried about just what exactly Chiyo needed to gather them all up for is honestly a bit of an understatement. She's got a guess, of course, but that guess starts and ends with Phantom, but surely Chiyo would want to talk about that in the Shed?

But they're not in the Shed, and when she walks into the room, to see snacks and Bonito looking woeful about not being allowed to eat snacks, she's almost sure this is not, in fact, about Chiyo's evil-for-now boyfriend - and then she reads the banner.

Bafflement sets in. She flicks through her mind about how old Chiyo is, but Chiyo's a year older than her, which makes her definitely not eighteen, which makes her definitely not Fading, which makes her retiring for - why?

And then Taro suggests terminal and Usagi's definitely-not-calm cracks like glass.

"TERMINAL!?" There is a blur of motion that resolves itself into Usagi throwing herself at Chiyo with such force that it's a good thing Bonito is not actually a cat, because he's getting squished in a hug, and then Chiyo is getting patted down as if Usagi can magically feel cancer.

"Chiyo-chan, are you okay? I don't know if magic can treat cancer but I will make it treat cancer -"

Wako-chan is trying to calm the situation down, and Usagi whips around on her and doesn't quite wail but does make a noise of verbal keysmash. "Wako-chan, do you know what's going on?!"

Phantom has posed:
Chiyo had sent Philip an invite via text. Why? What? Is this some shenanigans she has planned?

Probably shenanigans.

Having finished the things he he was working on, he arrives just as Usagi goes 'TERMINAL?!'

Philip almost, almost becomes Phantom right then and there.

"Who is this Cancer and why did they attack you, Chiyo!?" he asks the pretty girl that has his heart. "I shall mount an offensive and destroy them and not let you falter this... ah..." A pause. Who are all these people? "...time...."

"...I was talking about a game we were playing. Yes."

Koji Silvia has posed:
The long-suffering sigh from behind Usagi is not only expected, but familiar, as Koji walks in just a few steps after the Princess of the Moon and Being Spastic and Jumping to Conclusions... just leaning on the doorframe for a moment to take everything in as he adjusts his glasses.

He's in a dress shirt, slacks, no tie, and sneakers instead of nice shoes, looking like he's either coming from or going to a job... on a Sunday. And instead of mobbing Chiyo like everyone else has, he walks over and unloads a bit of Churu from his Device's ability to Store things. Hidden in his pocket, since there's at least two more people here he doesn't know... or don't know who HE is outside of school at least... he approaches Bonito instead.

Kneeling down, he takes out the little salmon treat, cracks it with his teeth, and then squeezes some out for the fat spirit-cat, while reaching with his other hand to give him a pet down the back of the head, "Been a while, big guy... here... you know I've always got something for you..."

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Terminal? It only takes Chiyo a few moments to process the conclusion that Taro has leapt to. Her eyes widen with a mixture of shock, guilt at making her friends jump to *that* conclusion, and then she starts to laugh--

Starts, and stops, as Usagi leaps forward to catch her in a bear hug which leads to a few coughs as the air is squeezed out of her. "W-wait no it's not--"

Bonito lets out a sad yowl as he's squished, legs flailing to wiggle his way loose. He does manage to leap out of the sandwiched embrace skidding to a halt by Wako's feet. At least until he sniffs the Churu that Koji has brought. "Let her explain," he intones in his deep voice while trying to keep his composure. And. Sneaking. Over to Koji. Where he promptly sits down and laplaplaps at the Churu stick with a rumbling purrRRRrrrrr.

Chiyo's just managed to catch her breath when Philip comes in earning a quick shake of her head. One hand pats at Usagi's back, and the other reaches out to pat Taro's shoulder as well if he's still within reaching distance.

"Okay, okay calm down and I'll explain," she starts out with an awkward clearing of her throat. "I'm *not* dying in any way." Well. Maybe Daifuku was. Not her.

"I just don't have my magic anymore."

She actually manages to sound fine until that last word where her voice tightens a bit. If she were a guy her voice might have cracked.

Taro Yamada has posed:
As Wako, Usagi and Phillip fly past, Taro gets spun like someone yanked his obi, the cookies going flying as he tries and fails to steady himself. He manages to catch the mint chocolate chip cookies, but the boba cookies are effortly snatched out of the air by Wako as effortlessly as a dog catches a frisbee.

But then he's stable, ish, as he gets the good news (no cancer no dying definitely not pregnant) and the bad news (no magic.)

"Thank goodness," he breathes,and then. Wait. Hold on. Bad thing to say!! "Thank goodness that you aren't sick or dying," he clarifies. "That would be very bad. Losing your powers is also bad. Do you need us to kill anyone for you by proxy? I think Usagi-chan and Phillip-kun can help. No one will ever find the body, they can pay for taking your magic."

He can fix this! All of them can!

"Also, um, I brought cookies?"

Wako Agemaki has posed:
Wako gets a split second to go wide-eyed in surprise and faint alarm before Taro is spun around and the cookies go flying. The most immediate priority is suddenly to keep the snacks from hitting the ground. Taro, luckily, catches the mint chocolate chip - Wako puts all her admittedly limited sports day skills to work grabbing the package of boba cookies out of the air.

She can hear Takuto in the back of her head: it's a SAVE!

Blowing out a relieved breath, she turns to Usagi. "I have an idea, but..."

Mercifully, Chiyo puts any further wild speculation to rest, confirming Wako's suspicions. Her mouth twists in sympathy, but she nods; this is about what she was guessing it might be.

"What about we all calm down and have a cookie?" she suggests, beginning to unwrap the plate of boba cookies.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
The panic and worry is a balloon in Usagi's throat as she hangs onto Chiyo, looking up at her cousin with endelss amounts of worry.

And then Chiyo drops the first part of the truth - that she is not sick or dying or harmed in any way.

"Oh thank fuck, because I really don't think I can cure cancer," Usagi says all in one long breath, releasing Chiyo as she goes to wipe at her brow in relief.

Then part two drops and she chokes. No magic. No magic? Her eyes fly to Bonito, who looks perfectly alive and well and can still talk, so he's still got his magic, and she works her jaw, and she -

"What happened?"

It's a good thing Taro caught the mint chocolate chip cookies, because she has already reached out to tear the plastic and eat one.

"I would really like not to kill someone for you, but, also, did someone - do this?"

Phantom has posed:
"I know what happened."

It hit Philip like a bolt from the blue, and he looks apologetically at Chiyo as he comes to stand at her side and offers her his hand. "This isn't the place to discuss it though." he points out as he considers the situation, and what can be done about it. He knows he cannot sense the magic on Chiyo. At all. "Magic doesn't just disappear. It has to go somewhere. We just need to find out /where/." he says in his proper British lit.

But again. Not here. And he's going nowhere near Bonito.

That cat does NOT like him, at all.

"If you want to discuss it later, we can do so at Chiyo's shop or someplace more private." Because he has no idea about the Shed.

Koji Silvia has posed:
All the questions are being asked, and everyone is still right there near Chiyo, so Koji remains his couple of steps away, and even goes to sit down to give Bonito a comforting lap to settle into as he continues to feed out the Churu until the packet is empty. He folds it up and pushes it into a pocket to get rid of later.

With his slacks getting shed on, because it doesn't matter if they're a spirit, an alien, a demon, or just a standard-issue cat... they will SHED, the long-haired young man just says softly to him, "Just so you know, big guy... this doesn't change that you're still a friend too. You are welcome to be around as long as you want or need. Is that clear?"

But then he speaks up over the rest of the crowd to say, "Maybe we all... instead of assuming violence and committing ourselves to acts that might get us put in jail... or worse... expelled from school... we let Chiyo talk. She asked us here, and she has a right to tell us what she wants right now."

Wako Agemaki has posed:
"You know, Philip-kun?" Wako was in the act of lifting a boba cookie to her mouth, but the unexpected statement from Philip stops her short. Eyebrows lifting, she glances to him, and then questioningly toward Chiyo. "This was something that started a while ago... wasn't it?"

Only after she's asked does it occur to her that maybe she shouldn't have just said that in front of everyone. Abruptly Wako makes a very apologetic face and stuffs the cookie into her mouth before she can say anything else ill-advised.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
"It's my fault."

The deep voice that intones such a dreaded remark cuts through the teenager chatter. From. From Bonito. The Churu that Koji had been feeding him is abandoned as he hangs his head again with ears drooping much as they can for a cat. Guilty. He looks SO guilty.

Chiyo reaches out to take Philip's hand in her own giving it a tight squeeze as he speaks up saying he knows what happened. A small smile is offered, and her head shakes. "Oh no, it's probably not that," she assures quietly. Only to clear her throat, eyebrow *LIFTING* to shoot her cat a *look*. "I only learned of this myself after the fact. Bonito ought to explain.

Bonito gives a great aproximation of a nod. When Koji sits he claims his lap, turns to face everyone, and plonks his chonks down to sit. His head rises to glance around at everyone here with those golden glowing eyes of his (they did indeed seem to GLOW after all, somehow.) "It was... A mistake I made, awhile ago. When Chiyo was the only Culinary Guardian and we couldn't find the rest." His tail swishes a single time and he forlornely looks at the Churu that he had finished off as if he felt guilty he'd accepted such a treat. "I, and some of the other spirits, tried to create our own Irori Senbei. It's what activates a Culinary Guardian's power." Again the tail swish--Sorry Koji's shirt, the hair shall cover all. "The only proper, working example we had at the time to work off of was Chiyo. It didn't work right and pulled off of her access to Sanbo-Kojin's power. It weakened her connection to it." A pause, "Then when she died, it severed it fully." Bonito at least has no real idea about the graveyard. He DOES look warily at Philip holding onto Chiyo's hand that way though. Sulking.

Chiyo nods faintly at Wako only to remark, "I thought maybe it was because I was too far away from Bonito when I was brought back by Princess Serenity, but then he told me about what he'd done."

"I still know about magic. Bonito was assigned to me, but he's free to go if or when he needs... Just." A deep breath is drawn, and Philip's hand is squeezed as she flashes a brave smile. "I'll be like Naru-chan, right?" She asks with a chuckle as she brings up Usagi's friend. "I'm still here. I just. I can't help the way I was before. I still have some of my healing candies left over but I haven't tested them to see if they still work." They probably did.

Taro Yamada has posed:
Taro listens to them all. To Usagi, to Phillip, to the girl who was a cute singer, to that guy with the cat, and especially to Chiyo.

He's yoinking some of the boba cookies and giving them to Usagi and Chiyo (and he presumes Wako will just go nuts on her own as the holder of the cookies), "Eat these first, they're going to go bad in a day because boba balls dry out fast."

...and Koji and Phillip can have some too, as a treat, he supposes. Eat your strawberry boba cookie. Or else.

"Neko-san was trying to commit to his responsibilitiy as a hero, providing power to those who would protect the weak. It sucks, but it came out of a desire from both Chiyo and Neko-san to protect others."

As a villain, or maybe a former villain now?, he can respect that - to try and live up to your ideals despite what would be most pragmatic. It was a fine line to walk, between victory and the truth of your soul.

"I'm glad you still know about magic. I think that even if you can't heal anyone anymore, the fact that you can remember and know people is important. Being a hero or a villain requires strength, but sometimes that strength is not that of the soldier at war, but of the worker in the factory or the nurse in the hospital. Power isn't just magic. Isnt the water powerful because it nourishes a thousand plants? Isn't the sun powerful because life turns to it? You're still strong."

Wako Agemaki has posed:
"He's right," Wako agrees, after swallowing her mouthful of cookie. "You're still Chiyo-chan, you're still my roommate, and you're still our friend. We won't treat you any differently just because you don't have magic right now. And who knows what could happen in the future?"

There are already some wheels spinning in her mind, but Wako doesn't voice any of those thoughts just yet. She'll need to talk to Takuto and Sugata first, for starters.

"Also," she adds after a moment, looking towards Taro, "these are really good." She's already going for another cookie. It might not be a great idea to let her keep holding the plate.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"You're still Chiyo-chan," Usagi echoes with the others, and she looks at Bonito, looking so guilty after his confession, and she leans down to pet him where he sits in Koji's lap. "And you were trying to help. Chiyo-chan didn't have any of her teammates, and being the only one like you is... stressful," she'd been stressed as all hell, before she'd found Rei-chan, and then later Ami-chan, and then everything else started falling into place.

"But... if you still remember magic, and it's just your connection to Sanbo-Kojin that's severed, maybe you can still use other kinds of magic?"

It doesn't matter if Chiyo can use magic, of course. Naru had been without magic for the majority of a year and it hadn't made Usagi respect her any less. But Chiyo was and is one of the first allies she'd ever made, and the thought of losing that, of Chiyo having to take to the sidelines, aches at something in her chest.

It would probably be tasteless to suggest seeing if they could find a second magic sword on the Moon and to swear her in another knight, so she doesn't.

"But even if you don't, you're still here and our friend and we love you."

She is not looking too hard at Philip. She knows the truth about him, and considering the Graveyard and the lack of mirroring because of the power drain - she can probably guess why he thought this was his fault.

Two of Taro's boba cookies are sadly devoured.

Phantom has posed:
As Bonito explains the situation from his perspective, Philip nods soberly. His fingers splay to lace with Chiyo's to provide her further support, and when the cat's done talking, the young Brit considers and clears his throat a little. "So... Chiyo and I saw a movie once."

"In this movie, a teenage girl was a super hero. She had these magnificent powers. Super strong, flight, the usual. She could throw these punches like hammers. Like some type of supergirl. Anyway, the villian in the movie stole her powers and she went into a coma. Instead of leaving her in the street, her boyfriend, who could open a door to a pocket dimension, brought her there to stay. He was named after a country. Brazil or something."

"When the villain was defeated by her friends, her powers were released. But without able to find her body on this plane of existence, they ended up going to someone else. Or something. I'm really iffy on the plot. Really formulatic. It was called 'Young Revengers', if you want to check it out."

"Anyway, I think her powers are out there- somewhere. Either with someone else, or whereever Chiyo was right before she revived."

Usagi knows this already. So he's gonna eat a cookie and hold his girlfriend's hand as long as she wants.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
That was more information than Chiyo had known before. As Philip explains this movie they saw together it clicks into place. It wasn't just the weakened connection and her death, but being so far away. In the graveyard. A perfect storm of circumstances that led to her losing her powers and leaving her chest feeling empty, and aching.

She'd fought for a long time though. She'd *died* fighting. If anything, she'd had a good run, right?

A slow breath is exhaled. The boba cookies being offered are accepted with a nod, and a quick bite to take the edge off the moment. Sugar always helped. They're chewed because, well, they were chewy, but then she has to nod in agreement. "They are good. Thanks, Taro-kun."

"For right now then, I don't have my powers. Maybe I'm still aware because they are still out there, somehow?" All she can do is shrug some. Then grin, as she adds, "I'm still strong though. I got that from working mochi at the shop every day. I guess we'll see what happens from here."

Looking at the 'retirement' banner she chuckles quietly, "I was trying to not make this depressing. Thank you for all coming and listening. I really appreciate it and love you all."

Koji Silvia has posed:
There is a lot of scritching under Bonito's chin after his little speech, which of course means that Koji has to blow on his nails several times to get the hair that stubbornly clings to them before he can reach up for a boba-cookie. With a small nip taken, he continues his quest to get a purr out of the huge chonker ginger he swallows and then says, "Okay, so..."

It's Koji who adjusts his glasses again, and takes another bite from the cookie, chews, and swallows, "Everyone. I know what you're all thinking... not because I have some freaky mind powers or anything cool. I can just tell. Please stop."

Looking up towards Chiyo, he smiles gently, and then goes on, "Whatever you want to do, whatever you need... we're your friends. You went to Paris, and I'm still not fully sure everything that went down. Mamoru only gave me the broad strokes as his roommate. But I think it's important for you to know that... you can have this be enough. From what I've seen of the magical world? It's rough. It's painful. It's also very hard for it to let you go. You're outside... better, you're on the other side..."

His eyes glance around and then he gets a slightly uncomfortable look, "For those not in the know here, my mother is a former magical girl. She... has memory problems, because it was such a big part of her life at such an important part of her life. She hates she can't help me, knowing what I know so many people in the same calling. She forgets things that happen with me because it's around other people who have magic. I went camping with some friends, and because one of them had something magic with them... she had to ask me a week after where we drove to."

Looking back down at Bonito, the poor spirit cat is just HUGGED hard, "I'm just telling you why I'm saying... don't force choice. Life will happen the way it wanrts."

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai feels a bit of tension release from her shoulders as everyone expresses their concern, and even the confidence in her still being who she is. "Thanks," she manages to get out feeling her throat a bit tight with her own emotions.

Her glance steals over to Philip though catching his glance. The look of concern and more there that causes her to smile as she leans in toward him to give his cheek a quick peck of a kiss. And she lingers, breifly murmering something quietly to him before withdrawing with another reassuring squeeze to his hand.

When she looks back she seems as if she's standing guard herself now, suddenly. But her remark is simply, "At least for now, this is how things are. We should eat all these wonderful snacks."

Taro Yamada has posed:
"You're welcome."

He'd sweated a lot over those cookies. He had not poured his blood sweat and tears in them because that was not hygenic, frankly, but he had worried over them. He's glad that, if nothing else he can nourish everyone while they worry over this. A loss of power. A loss of grace.

He didn't think it was possible, to lose magic. It's been decades since he was transformed. It's not so much a thing to be thankful for as a fact of life. He will live; people will forget him; he is unable to die, no matter how foolishly he behaves.

"I'm a little magic, but just enough that talking about what I see means most people will forget me really fast. The idea of becoming like Glasses-kun's mother is kind of terrifying." Perhamps not even kind of but completely, utterly. His deepest fear. Forgetting most of his life. Forgetting what the source of terror without forgetting the terror. He can't let go of any of it. He won't.

"All I got to offer is my food and my strength. If there's more, I'll offer it when I get it. But...." He huffs out, his fists curling in his hoodie. "...my ma woulda been really happy to have a daughter."

And you, Chiyo -

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi's not sure if Koji would want a big hug in public after admitting something very vulnerable, so rather than offer one, she offers a cookie (the Usagi seal of love, offering up food instead of eating it).

"Yeah," Usagi says, softly, and then louder - "Yeah! We have all these amazing snacks, that Chiyo-chan and Taro-kun brought, and we're all here, as friends, and even if things are changing, nothing's over 'til it's over. We're all still classmates and friends and still here, in the world!"

She's offering a little boisterous energy, to help carry the happiness. Because this might be sad, but it's happy too. Chiyo-chan is still here. She's still with them. She lost her powers, but just her powers, instead of her life with them.

Phantom has posed:
As Chiyo and Philip exchange whispers, the Brit finally nods. Now is not the time, they should be celebrating Chiyo, not lamenting. He draws in a breath of a thought and releases Chiyo's hand so she can eat. "I need to handle some things, Chiyo. I'll see you soon."

To the rest, he offers a polite dip of his head. "It was nice to meet Chiyo's friends. Hopefully next time it will be under better conditions." And with that, he's heading towards the door.

Koji Silvia has posed:
In a completely feline-like maneuver... Koji leans up and nips the cookie right out of Usagi's hand, and begins to chew the half in his maw.

He has a choice... either the cookie in his mouth, or the cookie in his hand... so he waits for the convenient excuse of everyone watching Phillip depart to sneak the boba-cookie to Bonito as he mumbles out an approximate goodbye, or at least a jumble of half-syllables close to it, before he's able to nomph the rest down and says in a rather stark change of topic the MOMENT that Philip is out the door, "SO... boyfriend? If so.. he's nice... awkward, but nice..."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"You don't know the half of it," Usagi says with a little sigh as Phillip leaves. "But Chiyo-chan really likes him, so of course we all like him too."

There was an edge of warning in her voice, but only an edge; of course she trusts her friends.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Bonito definitely enjoys the pettings and reassurances. He had tried. He had! And he'd screwed up but he tried and he got pettings and Churu. He could live with this (and the guilt.)

Chiyo for her point smiles at Philip as he goes... and then turns to step toward Taro giving him a quick, perhaps unexpected, hug. "Thank you," she murmers quietly at the praise and she squeezes him tight.

Stepping away she moves to hug Usagi as well with a dry laugh. "It'll be okay I'm sure. We'll work things out." Did she mean Philip or her own powers? Even Koji gets a hand on his shoulder, and Wako a quick hug as well. "Okay. Yes. Big secret is out... I'm still here, alive and well and not dying," she adds with a twist of her lips in a near grin glancing over to Taro.

"Oh! And Taro-kun is going to be apprenticing under Ojiisan at the shop, too, so I won't be there *all* the time."

Koji Silvia has posed:
Koji finally moves to stand up, having to wrangle Bonito as he finishes off the cookie he was allowed to have, and then goes over to set him down by Chiyo once more.

Covered in cat hair, he gives Chiyo a hug now, and then as he steps back, having sufficiently cat-haired her from the offers he's got on himself, he says, "I think I'm going to be interested to see where this Chiyo goes from here, you know? Now... I've got a couple things to take care of today, but you've got my number, and all you need to do is call and we can get together."

Treating this announcement more like a life-change than something major, he adds to Taro, "Good luck. Ojii-san is a harsh but fair taskmaster. I had to fight with him to get the stores new payment and inventory system set up."

Lastly he looks over at Usagi and Wako, and then grins at them, "I'll leave these cookies in your tender care, ladies. Just remember to save one for each of yours, okay? They should try these goodies."

He follows on Phillip's heels then, little wisps of hair trailing this way and that as natural movement carries some of it off.