Stranded in the Future

Chapter Fourteen: Briefings

Amazing. How is this possible?

Ichiro stared open-mouthed at the inside of the white cabinet, bathing in its soft yellow glow as he tried to comprehend the abundance and variety of the food before him.

There were fruits and vegetables unlike any he had ever seen, along with canteens of fluids that certainly had not been drunk by the people of his era. However, even more impressive was the fact that everything looked fresh and relatively unspoiled.

As food tended to last longer in the winter, Ichiro could only conclude that this wondrous invention was a means of maintaining such conditions all year round.

Truly ingenious. I ought to meet the person who built this...

"Ahem," Futoshi muttered behind him. "It's been five minutes. How much longer are you going to stay there?"

"Oh." Ichiro turned his head but dared not close the cold white cabinet. "I didn't realize..."

"Well, now you have. Could you step away from my fridge?"

Ichiro glanced back at the bountiful contents. "No. You have to tell me about everything inside. And also, how this magical invention works."

Futoshi crossed his arms while tightening his already thin lips. "Fine, but only because you sound like a stubborn little kid."

"I do?" Ichiro let go of the fridge door in shock and embarrassment. "I'm sorry..."

"It's no big deal," Futoshi reassured him with a shrug. "Just take a seat. The truth will blow your mind."

Ichiro let his gaze fall on the dining table before he shuffled towards it. "There's no need to hide anything. I'm ready."

"Okay." Futoshi cleared his throat. "It all starts with a little thing called electricity."

"Elec... tricity?"

"Yes. Without it, this world would fall into chaos, and we'd be sent back to the feudal era."

Ichiro could not help but frown upon hearing the old man refer to the past with derision. "What are you talking about? That doesn't sound too bad."

"Oh, sorry. I forgot where you came from." Futoshi said after a few seconds of tense silence. "Anyway, about electricity..."

******

"And that is where cold boxes draw their power from," Ichiro finished explaining with pride as he sat across the living room table from Kumiko. "It truly is amazing, isn't it? I could never have imagined that sparks and lightning could be harnessed in such a way..."

Kumiko blinked twice, which he found difficult to discern as a sign of flirtation or surprise.

"It seems like Futoshi has educated you well on this topic. I was half expecting him to tell you something outlandish."

"Pardon?"

"He's a bit of a trickster, so that sort of thing is his specialty."

Ichiro was suddenly reminded of the story Kumiko had made up to explain his resurrection over a week earlier. "As opposed to you, who told me we were in the afterlife and the sun had grown a thousand times larger."

"Oh." Kumiko lowered her gaze in shame. "That wasn't my best moment. Will you forgive me?"

"There's no need. What's done is done," Ichiro willed himself to say out of regret for his rash words and the knowledge that this was the best way to smooth the situation. "I was just pointing out that you have such tendencies as well."