Buraindo?

chapter 2: Learning.

Japanese is hard...

Specially blind, but tou-chan has been vigorous with his teaching.  Tou-chan came back the day after the argument with kaa-chan, but he had a new mentality. He wanted me to be like any other child even if that meant they had to get creative teaching me. So a month on, I can say some words, and I think it’s way too soon to be able to speak. But when you can’t read, draw, or people watch you get a bit obsessive in something you can try to do. So at night and to my parent’s ears that sound like baby babbling, I practice my vowels to get my tongue and mouth moving and it’s helped a lot.

The first words tou-chan was adamant for me to learn was names. So holding my hands and putting them to his face he repeated ‘tou-chan’ then moved my hands to my face and repeated ‘Mizuki-chan.’ We did this a few times before he went silent but still used my hands to pat him. It took a good hour before I could say it. It first came out as ‘ou-an’ my tongue just refused to make ‘t’s and ‘ch’s sounds. So we took about ten minutes practicing those sounds. And then I said it.

Tou-chan was ecstatic he cheered laughed and clapped. Picking me up, spinning us around shouting ‘Mizuki-chan!’ so ecstatic we sprinted outside. Where are we going? A few minutes running we come to a building that’s quite loud and I can smell food.

“Asami-chan” my tou-chan cheered. The place went silent.

“Tsukiya?” I hear kaa-chan question.

“kore o mite!” he announced bringing me around to sit on a table? “nee Mizuki-chan, Kōen kaa-chan?” Oh, he wants to show me off. Okay!

“Tou-chan!” I cheer with all the might of 3 month old can. 

“Mizuki-chan” kaa-ch squealed.
I notice that the place is still quite with some mummers. As kaa-chan gushes over me I hear someone to my left start to walk over to tou-chan and start talking, I hear ‘ nenrei, tensai and shinobu.’ Tou-chan starts to sound angry and short with the man. The man keep pushing ‘shinobu' and ‘mura no tame no.’

“Kanojo wa mōmoku!” tou-chan shouts, I can feel the anger rolling of him. It has me frozen in fear.

“Tsuchi-san” a firm voice calls out. “Anata wa ochitsuku hitsuyō ga arimasu. Anata wa anata no kazoku o kowagara seta.” Whatever he said instantly calmed down my tou-chan and I unfroze straight away, but the feeling had been too much that my small body couldn’t take it that I started to cry. 

“Nara-sama, arigatōgozaimasu” my kaa-chan bows with me cuddled in tightly to her chest.

“Sama wa hitsuyō arimasen, anata was watashi o nanidoshi mo shitte imasu.” He replies, sounding quite bored. “Inoichi” he calls to the man that has angered my tou-chan but then quietly talks to him.

“Asmai-san” another voice calls out. He has a soft calming voice “Īdesu ka?”

“Mochiron Chōza-san,” she said with a warmness in her tone. Shifting me about she passes me over into some giant arms.  He smells nice. A lot like food and he just feels so calm, but buzz that comes of him is like a soft lullaby hum. Each person has a buzz. Even though kaa-chan is barely there, she still quietly buzzes. But this guy. He has such a profound present even though he keeps his buzz pulled in, it still hums clearly. 

“Kanojo wa utsukushī” he mummers “kanojo no me?”  he questions, I can feel the shift in the breeze of him turning his head towards my kaa-chan. “Karera wa utsukushīdesu” he declares strongly passing me back over.

“Arigatōgozaimasu” kaa-chan say so softly, but with so much love in her voice as I feel her hum so proudly.

They talk for a little bit longer something about ‘pureidēto' where the other two men interject and sound like they like the idea. Tou-chan still sounds a but short with them and a bit reluctant to agree but kaa- chan says something that makes him agree. As they leave. The man who calmed tou-chan down says something.