Yoron Island Hostess Diary (16): Pipe and Madame
Since Pipe is a classmate, he knows a lot about Mama. Apparently, she was incredibly beautiful in her youth and was once Miss Hibiscus of the neighboring island. She married a high school teacher early on and traveled all over Kagoshima. Not long after they married, she developed a gynecological illness that changed her physique, but the teacher treated his wife with the same kindness as before. If anyone had ever tried to tease her, the teacher would never have forgiven them. He was the advisor for the boxing club and was apparently a flyweight boxer himself back in the day. So, why is Madame running Rafflesia all by herself?
"It's a sad story, really," Pipe says. "When she was around 40, the teacher got sick, and they moved back to Yoron, the place he loved most. He pushed himself to keep running the boxing club, and Tura was one of the delinquents who caused him trouble back then." "Poseidon?" "Yeah, that's the one. That's why he can't look Mama in the eye."
I see. And I thought she had started the shop alone after the teacher passed away... but according to Pipe, the teacher had arranged everything. He wanted to make sure that Madame, who loves entertaining people, wouldn't be lonely, so he took care of everything from the interior design and cost accounting to arranging the staff. He reached out to his boxing buddies and friends not just on the island, but from Kagoshima all the way to Okinawa, leaving them with the words, "Please look after her," before he died. "He was the model of a man, wasn't he?" Pipe says, but I don't really get it. To be left with a shop so suddenly... Sure, it might keep her busy and take her mind off things, but still.
"Ah!!" "What is it, Sato-chan?!" Suddenly, an 'aha!' moment hit me. Last night, Madame kept insisting to Kuma-chan, "Yoko-san is truly strong, you know," and "Even you, Kuma-chan, are no match for Yoko-san." I wondered who this Yoko could be—a woman that even Kuma-chan couldn't beat—but wait... "Yoko Gushiken!?" "Whoa! What is it, what's wrong?!" "Is Madame an acquaintance of Gushiken?" "Oh, it seems they drank together through the teacher's connections." It finally clicked. It would be terrifying if there were a woman stronger than Kuma-chan. I'm glad it was just 'chochune'.
Pipe and the others headed back to Okinoerabu, so I wandered through the town of Chabana on my way to the dormitory. From behind me, I heard a sound like something being dragged: *zuzazaza~*. I stepped to the side of the road to wait, and a squid... a squid hanging off the back of a light truck was carried past. That was... could it have been a giant squid!?
"Calm down," Manu said on the other end of the line. "What you saw was a diamondback squid. You rarely ever catch a giant squid. Even I've never seen one." "Ehh~, but it was hanging off the back of a light truck~." "Diamondback squids are over a meter long on average, so maybe you just saw a particularly big one. More importantly, you're going to be late." I was startled. Oh no, it's almost 7:00. It stays bright forever on this island, so I lose track of time. I threw on my clothes and slapped on some makeup, then dashed off. I ran up the stairs and made it just at 7:00. "Yes!" I shouted in triumph, but for some reason, everyone's stares were painful. I made it on time, didn't I? Did I do something?
(To be continued)
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