Day 131

[from Aishiteru! Hikikomori-san]

"Hey! Let's go on date!"

Yuuichi, who was busy playing on his Vii Q, jumped slightly as Ilana suddenly threw her arms around him from behind. "Eh? A date?" he repeated.

"Yes!" said Ilana, who seemed excited by the prospect. "We are married couple. We should do married couple things, like go out on date, feed ducks, drink from same glass."

"I thought "married couple things" were all to do with children and taxes," remarked Yuuichi.

"We have not those things!" replied Ilana cheerfully.

"We still have to pay taxes, you know!" said Yuuichi indignantly.

Ilana shrugged, turning her attention to the TV screen. "What you are playing?" she asked.

"It's called Splashoot," said Yuuichi. "It just came out the other day. I'd been so hyped for it, and I gotta say, it's amazing."

"What it is?" asked Ilana.

"Basically, you play as kids that can transform into squids, and you battle other players to try and paint the most territory. Look, now I'm a kid…" Yuuichi pressed a button and his character dived down into the ink beneath him. "Now I'm a squid!"

Ilana suddenly grabbed the remote control and switched the TV off. "Now you are dead," she said. "Now we go on date."

Yuuichi cried out in shock. "Hey, I was playing that!" he moaned, reaching out for the remote. "Switch it back on!"

Ilana smirked. "You promise we go on date when you finish?"

"Yes, yes, I promise!" said Yuuichi in a panic. "Now please, switch it back on!"

Ilana giggled, and switched the TV back on. "You so cute when am - how you say - fluster," she said, as Yuuichi found that to his relief he had not been killed.

"Please don't do that again," said Yuuichi. "You almost ruined my kill-death ratio!"

"I know not what that is," said Ilana, "but I sorry. I just want do things with you. You are husband, after all. We should go on proper date."

"I know," said Yuuichi. "Tonight, I promise. Once I'm done playing."

Ilana smiled widely. "Thank you, Yuuichi," she said.

Yuuichi suddenly blushed nervously. "You know… I've never really been on a date before," he said.

Ilana seemed surprised by this. "Really?" she repeated. "Not ever?"

"Yeah," said Yuuichi. "Like I told you before, I'd never had a girlfriend or even kissed anyone before you turned up."

"Oh yeah, you said that…" muttered Ilana thoughtfully. "Well, I make sure first date is good one, then. Should we go fancy restaurant, dine like tsars? Or should we do simple thing like go for walk, eat ice cream, watch sunset?"

Yuuichi thought about it for a moment. He didn't really have any clothing appropriate for a fancy restaurant, and he had this feeling in his gut that if the two of them were to visit such an establishment, it would most likely end in disaster. Surely nothing could go wrong from just a simple walk through town. "A walk sounds nice," he said.

"Okay," said Ilana, nodding. "We go for walk, then. You show me all nice things around town."

Yuuichi rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Uhh, Ilana… you do remember I've barely left my apartment in three years or so, right? I don't really know much of the town at all."

"Then we just walk wherever, and see where path takes us," said Ilana. "Might be better. We not know what we about to see, so it make good surprise for us when we see it."

"Okay, sounds good to me," said Yuuichi. "I'm looking forward to it. I never thought I'd be saying this six months ago, but… I guess it'd be good to get out of the house sometime."

Ilana smiled. "You see? " she said. "Do same thing every day is boring. Must try new things. Is important."

Yuuichi nodded. "Yeah. I'm starting to realize that now. And it's all thanks to you, Ilana. That being said…" Yuuichi effortlessly dispatched yet another squid-like enemy, causing them to explode in a shower of ink. "I'm not going to give up video games and anime completely. They're just too good!"

"I not ask you to," said Ilana. "They part of you. Yuuichi without anime is like Russia without vodka. Is not thinkable."

"I see," said Yuuichi. "Okay then."

Ilana suddenly leaned forward, peering curiously at the TV screen. There was an odd piece of graffiti painted on the wall Yuuichi's character was currently standing in front of. "What that say? 'Bush do 9/11'?" repeated Ilana, confused.

Once more Yuuichi nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Ehhh… there's some weird people on Wintendo Direct…"

***

As Yuuichi and Ilana strolled peacefully along the riverbank, the sun was starting to sink low in the horizon, a cool late-afternoon breeze rustling through the grass. Ilana's hand slid gracefully along the iron railings separating them from the waters below, her hair glowing a fiery scarlet in the evening light. Yuuichi found the whole scene remarkably tranquil and relaxing. For the first time in a very long time, he felt glad to be out of his apartment.

"Hey, something's just occurred to me," he said. "If you were a mail-order bride, then there must have been some reason you wanted to leave Russia, right? What was it?"

Ilana sighed, as though she had hoped they wouldn't had to have had this conversation. "I not have good life in Russia," she said. "Growing up, family was always poor, weather was always cold. No money for fun things. Was hard life, but was only life I know, so I endure it. Best friend at school was a girl named Katarina. She was, uhh, how you say… she like girls like you like girls."

"She was a lesbian?" asked Yuuichi.

"Yes, that is word," said Ilana. "She was lesbian. And we were good friends. Not lovers. I was not her type. Also am not lesbian. Anyway, Putin not like lesbians. He say, "You lesbian, you go to jail". So Katarina go to jail. And then I realize: Russia is not good country. I talk to family, and they agree: Russia is not good country. So I decide to leave, make good life elsewhere. However, I not have money to buy house in other country, and I not have skills to get work in other country. Only have enough money for plane ticket. So I decide to marry foreign man, move in with him, and start new life that way. Was only choice."

"So that's why you became a mail-order bride," said Yuuichi. "That's actually rather sad."

Ilana nodded. "I hope Katarina is okay in jail," said Ilana. "I never tell her I leave the country. When she get out, she will look for me but not find me…"

"I'm sure someone will tell her where you went," said Yuuichi.

"I know," said Ilana. "I just regret not saying goodbye. She was best friend, after all."

"And then after all that, you come over here, and find that the guy who "bought" you knew nothing about it, and was just a lazy otaku with no job," said Yuuichi. "Damn, now I feel even worse."

Ilana stopped and leaned back against the railings, smiling at Yuuichi. "I tell you many time, Yuuichi," she said. "You are good man. You are honest man. You willing to change, and you are changing. I lucky to have been bought by you. When I signed up to be mail-order bride, I was… nervous, I think is word. Yes, nervous. I heard bad things. Mail-order brides trying to leave bad life behind, and finding even worse life waiting for them when they step off plane. But I lucky. I have very good life now, in very good country, with very good man. I am happy."

Yuuichi smiled back at her. "I'm glad you feel that way," he said. "Japan certainly is a great country, isn't it?"

Ilana nodded. "Yes. When your friend bought me, I look up information on Japan. The technology, the nature, the culture, the riches… I loved it all. I thought, "Japan is good country to live in". And I was right. Is good country. Am glad to be here with you."

Yuuichi glanced up at the golden sky, as the sun continued to sink lower and lower. "Thanks, Ilana," he said. "I… I like having you around as well."

Ilana giggled, moving away from the railings and hugging Yuuichi from behind. "Of course you do," she said. "I am pretty wife who cooks and cleans for you. Of course you like me."

Yuuichi blushed but did not resist as Ilana hugged him close to her, her breasts pressing against his back. He nodded. "Yeah. I think… I think we make a good couple."

Ilana nodded, nestling her head against Yuuichi's shoulder. "I think so too," she said. The pair of them stood this way for some time, silently enjoying each other's warmth, until the sun had finally disappeared completely below the horizon and the sky faded into the blue-black of twilight. As the first stars appeared, the pair looked up at them, watching them twinkle beautifully.

"You know," said Ilana, "there is saying in West that if you wish on first star you see at night, your wish will come true."

"Really?" said Yuuichi. "Then, I wish for-"

Before he could complete his wish, Ilana placed a finger over his lips to silence him, causing him to blush harder. "Is also saying that if you say wish out loud, it not come true," said Ilana. "So say it not."

Yuuichi nodded, and the pair silently made their wishes. "So, uhh… should we head back to the apartment now?" asked Yuuichi. "It's getting dark."

"We should, yes," said Ilana. "Was good first date, yes?"

Yuuichi nodded. "Yeah, it was," he said. Then, he paused and looked around. "Uhh… which way exactly is the apartment?"