Half x Half

Kairo did not expect he would stare this long on a girl's room. No. This is actually not an ordinary girl's room. More like an abnormally "dedicated" person's room.

Walls, ceilings, cabinets, all these are bombarded with, if you'll summarize it, the very essence of the Empire of Japan. All its history, castle infrastructure and blueprints, traditions, customs, national symbols, even every ruler's profile are there in photocopy. But what covers the majority of this unusual decoration, is the current Imperial Family, specifically the Prince.

Kairo shook his head in mixed disbelief and astonishment. "Why Erika? Why?"

"What do you mean why?" Erika said nonchalantly. "If I will become the future empress of Japan, I have to know every nook and cranny about the Imperial Government you know. It is mandatory, otherwise I do not deserve being one."

"I mean... These information and the bizarre way of putting this and that is.... Isn't it too much."

"It is not too much! In fact I bet this is even less than what I should learn in being an Empress." Erika said as she started gathering a few of her collections.

"Well yeah, technically it is less." Kairo said as he picked up one stray paper that covers some of Japan's governmental controversies. "I mean, some things here are completely pointless to learn. You should've known that being a knowledgeable ruler doesn't restrict on comprehension on his country alone, but also of the rest of the world."

"You mean I have to make a shrine about other countries too?! But I have no room for that!"

"I cannot match your way of thinking, really Hatsugawa-san. That's why encyclopedias exist. You don't need a shrine and.... some obviously fake articles to know about stuff" He said, still bewildered by this sudden shift in environment. "Your room almost look like a museum, minus the ancient relics. Also, I did not know some people still remember that there was even a prince here in the country."

"The last time he was ever seen in public was when I was seven. It's been so long already to be honest. My destiny, my future husband.... I wonder how he's doing now?"

"Who knows, he might be dead by now." Kairo said casually while scanning some of the photocopied portraits.

"I don't believe that! I just... don't. Unless I witness a body, I would not accept the prince is dead." Erika said in defense and partly in u denial.

"And besides, isn't there an adopted child who might be replacing the aging emperor by now, right? Why do you still want to marry the prince himself? Aside from him being outside the radar, look at all the pictures around you. It's full of a 7-year-old former prince. Is this your fetish? You're not actually a pedophile, are you?" Kairo said with a straight face.

"But these are the only pictures I have! When the prince suddenly got off publicity, I was really miserable. I wanted to witness his growth and maturity. But until now, he's still not showing up. And besides, he is adorable in these pictures. With these shots, I would imagine how he would look like in his adulthood. Look at how over-sized this formal attire is to him." Erika chuckled softly. "So cute."

"So you are a pedophile." Kairo deadpanned.

"I AM NOT! It is normal to feel affection towards cute things, you heartless bastard!"

"Kidding aside, this really is extraordinary in its own way. What exactly is your grade in Japanese History Class?" Kairo said while roaming around the corners of her room.

"Heh~ not to brag but..... My classmates call me the 'The Sage of the Bygone History of Japan'." Her declaration was followed with a hair flip.

"Who thought of that extremely long nickname?"

"Nobody was able to defeat me in ranking 1st in Japanese History. I never lose in my turf."

"At this rate, even I would be surprised if there is someone more knowledgeable than you when it comes to Japanese History. I mean..... look at all this.... knowledge."

"I'm awesome right? This is my number one asset actually."

"A little bit of awesome and a little bit of crazy, actually." He chuckled as he folded one of the prince's photo after him picking it up.

"DO NOT FOLD THAT!" Erika quickly grabbed the photo from him. "I'm trying to save up money to buy a frame for this!"

"I'm sorry, I did not mean to ruin your photo." He said with his hands raised in surprise. "Well, too much of asking about your room. Where do I sleep in here?"

"Wait", Erika said as she suddenly took a random cloth. As Kairo wondered what she would do with it, she saw her hanging the cloth one one nail to another. The guy sweatdropped as he watched Erika actually put a divider in the middle of the room.

"I'll sleep here, you sleep there." That's all she said after casually dividing the room.

"So um.... Do I sleep on Konoe Naruhito's portrait and autobiography?" He said while slightly brushing his fingers on the photocopied paper.

"Hell no! Get a futon from that cabinet and you'll sleep there! How dare you even suggest that?" Erika blurted out all of a sudden.

"Still though, this is a pretty weak divider". Kairo lifts up the cloth casually, seeing Erika on the other half of the room. "See?"

"If you lift that up again, I'm gonna chop of your arm." The expression on her eyes is enough. It is enough.

With that, Kairo swiftly pulled down the cloth and turned around. "Okay okay. Never again. Never again, ma'am."

"Are you okay having those papers on your half of the room?" Erika asked from the other side of the room.

"No... To be honest, not really."

"But how would I fit everything in my part of the half?!" She said in a complaining manner, pouting.

"Then I guess these rulers will be promoted from being a poster to a wallpaper."

------------------

Sachiko called out for dinner while the two were fixing everything in Erika's room.

"Coming!" Erika said as she gently wipes off her sweat. "Let's pause for now to eat."

"I can't believe I would actually consume 5 minutes on a single poster trying to remove it." Kairo said tiredly.

"Of course you need to be careful in removing them! They are my ancestors and they demand respect."

"Fine fine." Kairo said lazily as he goes down ahead of Erika. He's so hungry by now because of all the work they did and he needs to eat as soon as possible or else, his ulcer will recur.

"Mom's rice balls! Yay~!" Akito said excitedly, being the first to sit by the table. Kairo followed and pulled a seat for himself but then he wondered. "Rice balls? Aren't they supposed to be eaten while in motion?"

"Well sorry to disappoint you but every meal prepared here is shared by the table. You are not to roam around while eating." Erika said after arriving at the dinner table.

"It's a form of family bonding, Moriyama-san. After all, food becomes more delicious when being eaten with the people you care for." Sachiko said merrily as she placed plate of rice balls on the table.

"That's rather new to me." Kairo mumbled softly, but he smiled because that custom landed positively on him.

"Welcome to our family." Erika said in response.

"Thank you for the food." Sachiko started.

"Thank you for the food." The children followed. After so, they started sharing the rice ball meal together.

"Come to think of it, Hatsugawa-san, is your father around?" Kairo asked but he was just responded with a desolate smile on Erika's face.