Chapter Text
Scene 1: Plum Blossoms
It was another Friday afternoon for Veludo Way, and Director Izumi Tachibana was returning from the duty of picking up dry cleaning after their latest show at MANKAI Company. A particularly intricate set of costumes needed to be hauled back, so she had recruited two of the only available hands on deck during this time of the week: Tasuku and Tsumugi.
She couldn’t help but find it nice to hang out with two of the men her age, anyway.
“Thanks again for agreeing to help me out, guys! Yuki would have given me such a hard time if I’d dropped any of these,” Izumi said. She shuffled the two garments in her arms to assure their security. The slippery plastic of dry cleaning cannot be underestimated.
Tasuku sighed. “I’m sure Sakyo would have our asses as well based on the expenses of sending whatever fell right back to the dry cleaners’...” He made holding the two bulky garments in his arms look easy.
Smiling with an awkward chuckle, Tsumugi agreed. “Yeah, true… but it’s kind of nice being with people just our age for a little bit…!”
Izumi brightened at the thought. “Oh, true! Nothing against those middle and high schoolers, but sometimes they make me feel so old…”
“Isn’t Winter Troupe all adults though? Tsumugi, you and I are the youngest of that group,” Tasuku reminded them.
Tsumugi laughed lightly, “Well, Hisoka and Homare can be deceiving in their personalities. I’m still surprised Hisoka is a year older than us.”
This made Izumi laugh, too. “Haha, honestly! And Itaru, only a year younger, feels like he’s simultaneously older and younger sometimes.”
Tasuku shook his head, but couldn’t suppress a grin. “It’s our quirky ‘family’, after all. If things were too normal, I’d be worried.”
Tsumugi smiled his big, soft smile that made his eyes squint just a bit, the one that put everyone at the company at ease- especially the two beside him. “Mmhm, I wouldn’t have it any other-”
His feet stopped moving on the concrete sidewalk of Veludo way, just past the florist shop. His smile faded into a look of surprise. Izumi and Tasuku halted and turned to see what the matter was.
“Umeko…?”
Izumi and Tasuku blinked in surprise and looked at each other.
“Umeko?”
A light chime sounded and a young woman emerged from the florist’s. Wearing what Yuki would describe as a “Mori Girl” outfit, she could have stepped out of a cute forest fairy tale. (Banri might refer to it as grandma fashion.) The long, pastel green dress with soft lace and a light plum blossom pattern she wore fell to her shins. Over it was a light brown oversized cardigan with a matching brown beret, tote bag, and boots. To top it off, a delicate silver plum blossom hung around her neck. Her short, fluffy black hair bobbed as she walked, and her large green glasses framed her dark brown eyes- eyes that shined softly as they locked on Tsumugi.
“Tsumucchi...! Long thyme no see. I was waiting for you.” Her sweet voice was surely what a flower would sound like if it could speak.
Tasuku and Izumi could only stare in silence as this played out. Also… was that a plant pun?
Tsumugi was similarly befuddled. “Waiting for me? Did you come all the way here to see me…?”
She shook her head. “No, but I... oh dear, are those your friends? Garden me for being so rude.” She gave a light bow in greeting.
...That was definitely a plant pun. Tasuku and Izumi were utterly dumbfounded.
Finally realizing the situation, Tsumugi quickly got to introductions.
“Ah, um…! Umeko, these are my company members at MANKAI: Tasuku Takoto and Izumi Tachibana. Tasuku is my childhood friend I alway spoke of.”
Umeko smiled. “It’s berry nice to meet you.”
“Tasuku, Izumi, this is Umeko Inaba, my ex-girlfriend.”
Their jaws dropped.
“Your what ?” Izumi nearly spluttered. None of the company members managed to have any sort of romantic life, including herself, so this was a first. More than that- berry ? You wouldn’t think someone her age- let alone a voice so soft- would lay something dorky on so thick!
“So this is her…” Tasuku muttered, shooting a glance and a quirked eyebrow at Tsumugi.
Umeko giggled shyly. “Ah, yes… that’s been a while now, huh…?”
Tsumugi looked a bit embarrassed suddenly with both Tasuku and Izumi staring at him. “There must be much to catch up on. Would it be possible to pop into a cafe for a short chat? There’s one just around the corner with a great atmosphere.”
Izumi tugged on Tasuku and muttered harshly under her breath.
“We have to go! The curiosity is killing me! ”
Which Tasuku had already planned on, especially after his discussions on romance in the past with his childhood friend.
Tsumugi could feel that the two were determined to tag along as their curiosity bore into him like two dogs watching a butcher handle fresh meat.
“...all four of us, of course.” He consented, thankful that these two were at least two of his most trusted confidants. If any two had to be here during this, he would choose them.
So with the dry cleaning in tow, the four adults found themselves getting settled in the nearby cafe.
It didn’t take long after receiving their orders for Tasuku and Izumi to settle into an observational silence while Umeko happily spoke with Tsugumi about life. He supplied his friends with context as much as possible.
“So what brought you to Veludo Way?” Tsumugi asked. He seemed absolutely in his element in the cozy cafe. Umeko wasn’t much different, her soft aesthetic thriving in the atmosphere. The two even had ordered matching cappuccinos without planning it.
She adjusted her glasses with a grin. “Ah, yes! Wood you be-leaf it if I told you there’s a Gardening Convention just tree bus stops away from here?”
Tasuku’s eye twitched. Was she going to lay the puns on thick this whole damned time…?
“Eh, really? That’s wonderful- ah, right! Umeko works at a plant nursery, if you didn’t already pick that up from her...” Tsumugi’s role as a troupe leader never stops even out of the company.
She nodded, finally dropping the terrible plant puns to explain. “Mmhm. It’s just this weekend, but I thought I’d come in a bit early to catch one of your shows. Though… the man who answered the door didn’t seem to know what I was asking… His words were very pretty. And then a yakuza appeared behind him and told me you were out and to come back another time.”
The MANKAI trio shared a glance. Homare and Sakyo…
“Ah, I’m only starring in shows during the winter season… so you can’t really see me perform anytime soon, unless you want to observe me as an extra or stand-in nearby,” Tsumugi explained.
Umeko realized her mistake with a little gasp. “Oh, I’m so sorry…! I didn’t know that’s how it worked.”
Tsugumi waved his hands to assure her it was fine. “No, really, it’s okay! I’m grateful to see you at all. That’s so like you, though, Umeko.” He smiled, ending with his light bell-like laugh.
Umeko giggled in almost the same timbre. “Hehe, is that a bad thing…?”
“Not at all!”
Across the table, Izumi looked between the two ex-lovers in awe as she sipped her caffe mocha. She leaned over to Tasuku to whisper.
“They’re a pair of angels…! ”
Tasuku frowned at her comment, but held his tongue with a glance in Tsumugi’s direction. His childhood friend seemed at ease. All the same, it felt like he was holding back a bit…
Umeko was about to say something, then realized that both Izumi and Tasuku were staring.
“Oh, are we boring you two…? I’m so sorry. It was rude of me to intrude like this.” She turned to Tsugumi, “Do you have time to catch up over dinner tomorrow night?”
He blinked with a look at Izumi. “Well, we have a general rehearsal tomorrow during the day, but I should be free in the evening after our weekly troupe leader meeting. Is there any other business tomorrow you’ll need me for, Director?”
“Oh, uh, no! We should be good!” Izumi confirmed with a little salute. Tsugumi smiled and turned back to Umeko.
“How does Tiny Italy at 6pm work for you? I know you prefer dinner early.”
The young bespectacled woman clapped her hands together happily.
“Sounds wonderful! I will call you for further details later! It was nice to seed you today!” She grinned softly.
The whole arrangement was so smoothly done that Izumi and Tasuku were walking home with Tsumugi and the dry cleaning before they’d fully comprehended it all.
At the same second walking down the sidewalk, the two stiffened in unison, shooting each other shocked glances.
“Didn’t they just plan a date?! ”