The moving company's truck arrived quickly, stopping at the yard entrance. Several energetic young men jumped down from the back of the truck.
The manager in charge wore a black suit and a light-blue patterned tie. Holding a logbook, he trailed Aria around the yard, pausing now and then to jot something down.
"Television… mm, these are… got it."
As the team leader, he had to verify the condition of every item before the move, recording each one for the file so no dispute could crop up later.
It also let anyone who needed to check the company's records find each job quickly by year, date, and location.
Sen Getsusa followed Aria from room to room.
Yuno Gasai, in a black dress, hung off Sen Getsusa's slender arm like an exquisite little doll, making the rowdy kids in the yard snicker behind their hands.
"Ooh, they're living together now—Sister Yuesha's amazing! Trust a girl out of the Pink-Scarf Orphanage!"
"Look how she clings to her every second."
"Miko is forever the best!"
Sen Getsusa helped tally the supplies and didn't hear the whispering.
Yuno Gasai, however, caught every broken sentence.
She beamed afterwards.
Such adorable little brats; they're much easier on the eyes now.
Next time she went shopping she could pick up toys they liked.
That didn't stop her staying glued to Sen Getsusa.
Two hours later, with the vans loaded and gone, the orphanage set off for their new home. Knowing how lazy and fuss-averse Sen Getsusa was, Aria wisely suggested anything but the subway.
She took the tiniest tots herself and told Sen Getsusa and Yuno Gasai to split the rest between two taxis.
The remainder she left to Miko and a Boy called Oishi.
Their destination: Jingumae in Shibuya.
"Jingumae? Taking the kids shopping, miss?"
Normally tight-lipped, the driver couldn't help chatting while the lights were red, amused by the youngsters.
"It's our new home! Big sister got it for us!"
The Boy beside Sen Getsusa blurted, one chubby hand shooting up like he was answering in class.
Fresh into grade school, he was already talkative; orphanage kids were independent and never shy—he and the driver had been nattering for ages.
"A house in Jingumae?"
Watching the road, the driver still managed an impressed, half-serious gasp: "That's prime turf. Your big sister must be loaded to rent there."
Land there cost its weight in gold.
As they neared, chic cafés and restaurants multiplied and the street grew livelier.
"Rent?"
The Boys exchanged glances. "Nope, it's big sister's own house. We've got one, two, three, four—"
He ticked the numbers off on his fingers while the driver listened with a grin.
"Hey, you counted wrong!"
"Did not—I put Aria in."
"It's thirteen after that, start over!"
Sen Getsusa rested her temple against the cool glass.
Warm sun slid across her face; stylish pedestrians drifted by, and the children's racket softened her heart.
These were the kids she worried over—her family.
She paid, told them to wait, then opened the rear door and watched the little radishes hop out one by one.
"Math whiz safe! Calling Aria and Miko!"
The miscounter cupped his hands and shouted toward the car behind.
Sen Getsusa pointed at the four-storey detached house.
"Here we are—home sweet home."
The children tilted their heads—
"Whoa! It's huge—way bigger than the orphanage!"
"Told you so, mister! That's our sister's place!"
The driver rolled his window down for a better look.
In Japan a detached house is cheap—unless it sits in the wrong postcode.
Jingumae, Shibuya, Tokyo: one of the city's top shopping strips.
The kids saw only size, but the driver knew what a sliver of land here cost—decades of an office worker's savings, at least.
And this one overlooked up-market Omotesando, a stroll from Meiji Shrine and Yoyogi Park.
"Thanks a lot!"
After waving the cab off, Sen Getsusa waited with the Boys for the movers. Minutes later Aria and Yuno Gasai arrived with the rest.
"Gather round," she called, taking roll as they piled out. "Can't afford to lose anyone now."
"No way—I'm the man who went to Osaka solo!"
The kids bickered.
The self-proclaimed "Osaka Man" had once copied a trashy drama: a rich heir hunting for his dad in Osaka.
The outcome was predictable.
Aria had begged the Police to find him, then cried while spanking him—an unheard-of scene.
The orphan girls teased him ever after, but he still styled himself "Lone Osaka Man."
Short: Osaka Man.
Sen Getsusa hoped he'd still wear the shame—and pride—when he grew up.
"So this is it?"
The moving manager stepped up, opened his logbook, and noted the exact address.
"This is it—thanks for everything."
Sen Getsusa pressed her index finger to the lock; the black plate clicked open.
The manager now spoke far more softly than he had back at the orphanage, his show of respect almost fawning.
He bent slightly so as not to tower over Sen Getsusa, then said with a smile, "No problem. I'll have them start work right away."
Sen Getsusa paid him little notice, gave a nod, and waved her family over.
Like a little tour guide raising a flag.
"Come on, cubs—your new home is here."
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