Nostalic Mirror [Ayu/Estelle]

Estelle was used not having a normal lunch break. In a past life, she would be too busy dealing with multiple patients that were suddenly rushed in or was in a rather inhospitable environment for eating in the first place. So students pouring into the infirmary during lunch hours was not unheard of. The brunette figured that most students would rather stick it out until the end of their current class than to rest or find out what ailing them, and that applied for both illness and injury. After the normal lunch hours for the students passed, Estelle would head to the teacher's lounge to eat her lunch and make some coffee for herself. Usually, the lounge would be empty, save for the few teachers that didn't have classes immediately after lunch. And today there would be little deviation in this schedule. With the cafeteria closed, Estelle had gotten used to cooking the day before and packing it. Even so, she still wasn't used to how light her rucksack was. The teacher's lounge was quiet as expected, and Estelle quickly made a sharp turn and made a beeline towards one of the couches that faced the window, throwing down her rucksack nearby and sitting with a huff, finally taking out her lunch box after a few moments. If there was anyone else in the room, she hadn't noticed quite yet.

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Fate, how mysterious thing it was. Only couple of days ago Ayu had sat by her lonesome in a fairly empty night bus which she believed would be her last trip before finally saying goodbye to the country where she had continued her study for the last few years. The bus was supposed to take her to Fukui, a city located on the western coast of the Honshu, it falls within the so called Yukiguni or Snow Country, a region of Japan where it usually saw heavy and long-lasting snowfalls during the winter months. As she hailed from a tropical country down south directly at the equator where the temperature is, for a lack of better word, kind (it doesn’t drop or rises dramatically all year round). Ayu never really get accustomed to the hot summer nor the cold winter of Japan. Nevertheless, she couldn’t forget how fantastic and dreamlike the view it was as the sun rises and cast its warm light over a vast blanket of white covering much of the countryside landscape. She recalls similar situation from a novel, the eponymous Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata, one of the classics she had read as part of her study of the Japanese language and culture. Unlike Shimamura, the protagonist of the Kawabata’s novel, Ayu didn’t embark on this journey because she wants to escape meaningless urban life nor did she long for the presence of an illegitimate lover, and the destination was definitely not a ryokan with open air onsen either (though the prospect of visiting one certainly enticing). She went on this journey for a ticket, a chance to stay here in Japan.

By God’s willing, as she would like to believe it, Ayu had stumble upon a career prospect where she could teach bunch of lovely (hopefully) female student in an all-girls school focusing on teaching art. Now that’s where Ayu had doubted herself, up until now she had tried to offer herself as a history teacher to number of schools near her university campus in the Kanto region, sadly to no avail. If an ordinary school would turn her down why would this one would be different, she had mused over the prospect of teaching another subject, sure she did learn about Japanese culture in university so she might not be so out of place over there but during her time in university she had only focused on honing her fluency over the language so logically she should be a language teacher instead, but then again a foreigner teaching a language to a native speaker is a rather bad joke although could be an amusing stories to tell the relatives and colleagues back home for sure. In the end she sticks with what she’s confident with.

Now, indeed, as God’s wills it, her departure back to her home country would be postponed, Fukui Academy of Arts has accepted her as one of their teaching staff, aside from teaching Japanese and world history, Ayu had also become a teaching assistant to the art history teachers, the job require her to be able to fill their role in case of their absent. By the help of the faculty staffs Ayu had found her new dwelling near the Fukui campus, a modest apartment just 1 kilometer away from the campus ground across the Asuwa river from which she had been commuting daily for the last couple of days by foot. The academy has also been kind and understanding enough of her special circumstances with her faith, permitting her to donned her headscarf and allowing her to perform the noon and afternoon prayer in the faculty room and the teacher’s lounge, on which she prefers to do it in the latter rather than the former as she doesn’t want to distract while others are working. Though as much as she wanted to perform the prayer immediately on it’s specified time of beginning, there are times when, especially with the noon prayer as it begins around the same time of lunch break, she would occasionally find that the lounge is crowded with peoples. Today she found that at least five members of the male cleaning staff are merrily chatting with one another over a cup of steaming, possibly hot coffee, in there. So Ayu decided to have lunch first as she waits until everyone left the lounge.

She came back around 5 minutes before lunch break over and found the coast is clear. Upon entering she takes no time in purifying herself with ‘clean dust’ which she collects by putting her palms on the lounge walls, then she would rub it on her palms and back of her hands just like she would wash it with water and then she would rub it gently on her face, she did this because it is rather impractical to perform ablution with water here in the academy. After she had purified herself, she donned the white praying robe which cover much of her body revealing only the face. She lays the praying mat in one of the resting enclaves to westward direction facing the holy city and began praying. Minutes pasts and now she’s in the final stages of the prayer, she’s in a sitting position similar to Japanese yokozuwari with her body slightly leaning to the right side, the same direction of where both of her legs are. At this time, she notices that the door to the lounge is opening and she could hear footsteps coming in. She tries to pay no heed to this turns of event and continue focusing on finishing the prayer. In a few seconds she then turns her head gently to the right and softly recite the peace greetings, she repeats this action one more time to the left, and with that the she had finished the noon prayer.

Ayu’s attention now turns to the person who just enters the room, she meekly peeks through the enclaves and found that someone is sitting on the couch, the person is not someone she had met before, she is sure to at least remember the appearance of every faculty staff by now even if she doesn’t yet remember their names. Not wanting to be rude, she stands up and walk slowly toward the couch, not too near, just close enough that she could greet them without raising her voice. Her praying robes makes a soft rustling sound as she walks. Believing that she was already close enough, she breaks the silence and greet the person with a smile. “Konnichiwa.”.

Now this is where Ayu had make a mistake. Imagine a person coming inside a room they thought were empty and now they’re greeted by something fully clad in white from top to bottom. One might think that they’re being subjected to some bad trick but it’s not that time of the year so it’s not that far-fetched for one to come into the conclusion that they are indeed looking at a genuine supernatural being, and depending on who to ask, one with a cute face indeed.

By the time Estelle realized that she was not alone in the lounge she had already eaten her lunch and packed it away. It was admittedly jarring to recognzie both the garb of the person and the prayer mat lying in the corner of her eye. It had been...years? Estelle had stopped counting the years since she arrived in Japan. For her, she had tucked the memories of such sights under a notion of a different life and a different time. Her memories of how the procedure was supposed to go was rather hazy, though one detail did remain. As quietly as possible, she took out her phone and opened up the mapping app. After awkwardly moving her phone to calibrate the the compass, she looked glanced over to the prayer mat to determine what direction she was facing. Not a direct heading, but good enough, as as far as Estelle remembered, it was the earnest effort that counted. Curiosity sated, Estelle set her phone down in time to see the other woman approach her. "Konnichiwa. I hope I did not interrupt," Estelle replied with a soft chuckle, not expecting converstation. Now that she was closer, she got a good look at the other woman's face. While the portraits of the students were memorized as a matter of work, she was not as familiar with the faculty and staff. "Beyond that, how have you been?"

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After living a few years in Japan, Ayu had accustomed herself the use of Japanese gestures in conversation, thus after presented with such  statement, Ayu gives a flustered smile and subconsciously try to wave her right hand in front of her but as she was still covered in the prayer garment the action was barely visible. “Ah, no, not at all!”

“...And I’m good, thank you.” She smiles and nod her head slightly as to give a little bow. At this time Ayu realized that the person she was talking to was not of Japanese descent and had a Caucasian complexity. She had taken an unfocused glimpse of her face while she was turning her head to the side to say the peace greetings to finish the prayer. Although their eyes didn’t meet, Ayu was sure that the woman was indeed looking at her direction. It was not unusual, Ayu already had her fair share of curious onlooker during the past few years she had lived here in Japan. Though most of the time those onlookers are Japanese and Ayu had attributed this to the isolationist nature of Japanese society and their government policies that makes them largely unaffected by the world events of the previous two decades, thus making them more likely to be unfamiliar with the subject. Besides that, she also notices that the woman was also fiddling around with her phone after she had look over to her direction. Perhaps she had a problem with her internet connection, but the movement reminds her of the usual gesture to calibrate one’s GPS location, nevertheless, she intends not to bring up the topic until later when the opportunity arises.

“I don’t think we have met before, I’m Ayu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.” Ayu flusteredly tilted her head slightly to the side before finally bowing.

"Hajimemashite, Ayu-san," the brunette replied, her voice full of amusement. "And I am Estelle, the head nurse. Of course, while I mostly tend to the students, feel free to consult with me if needed." From where she sat, Estelle also bowed her head slightly in greeting. Every year, she got notes on the incoming students, but never the staff. It was quite possible that some of her colleagues could have come and went without her knowing; such was the nature of the campus. Still, the old sailor knew that the staff was a cosmopolitan as the students, and while seeing another foreigner wasn't a surprise, Ayu's attire provoked a sort of amused curiosity. "I must admit. Of all places to see your outfit, I didn't think Japan would be one of them." The brunnette spoke openly of what was on her mind as she gestured to the seat beside her. "If you are not in any rush, would you like to join me for a bit? I am sure you have many stories to tell." Estelle paused, then chuckled once more, looking to the small assortment of water heaters and cups in the corner of the room. "Also, would you like some tea?"

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"It would be a great pleasure for me," she replied to Estelle's offer in keigo and accompanied it with a slight bow. Although she was aware that she was currently talking to another foreigner, she felt it would be rude not to treat the person before her with the same respect she gives to the other Japanese senpais.

"L-Let me take this off first…" With a flustered smile, Ayu excused herself and went back to the corner where she had performed the prayer. She put both of her hands behind her head and pulled the strap that secured the upper part of the prayer garment to the front, then pulled the whole fabric over her head. As she did so, it revealed her slightly messed beige headscarf (which she didn't have to take off as she didn't perform ablution with water) and a modest white long-sleeved shirt. After she had folded the upper part, Ayu took no time to slide down the bottom part of the prayer garment that wrapped around her waist and covered her brown long skirt.

It didn't take long before Ayu returned. She timidly took a seat on the opposite couch facing Estelle's way. She was conflicted about whether to bring up the topic of her prayer garment since Estelle seemed to recognize it, so she ended up waiting expectantly to let Estelle lead, maybe even let her brew the tea she had offered just a few moments ago.

"Ah, excellent." Estelle's voice had a tinge of amusement in it. Ayu seemed very much the polite type, but the old sailor did wonder if it was just a habit with dealing with someone new or how Ayu was at her core. As Ayu went to take off her prayer garment, Estelle stood up from her cought so that she could prepare the tea for both of them. Though she had no clue what preferences Ayu may have had, she hedged her bets on the midoricha. "You need not be so formal with me," Estelle replied, chuckling as she set up the teapot and started the water heater. "For however much longer I have been here, I try not to pull seniority or rank if it is not needed." The water heater was a quality model that could heat up water quickly, but not instantly. So, Estelle returned back to the couch to wait on it in the meantime. She took a seat leisurely, but not completely casually, sitting up properly and looking to Ayu with a grin. "That said, I am curious about your story. Everyone who I have met has all had the more intriguing tales. But to start - what is it that you teach?"

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Ayu can only smile and cover her mouth as she lets out a small laugh as she hears Estelle say that she shouldn't be too formal with her. Deep down she definitely was rest assured to finally meet another foreigner, and a westerner, no less, as her working colleague, as she believed them to be more open and progressive about things than the locals. This fact alone made her determined to get on Estelle's good side lest there should arise interpersonal problems with the other staff and faculty members.

"I teach Japanese and World History to the girls." She replied straightforwardly to the question.

To cover one's mouth when laughing? That was an intruiging detail. Even though Ayu seemed to take to heart the request to be less formal, a reflex such that that gave Estelle reason to keep watch for other tells. "Japanese and World History..." Estelle echoed with a chuckle. The old sailor had no expectations yet still found herself rather surprised, especially in regards to the Japanese half. "It's been a long while since I've had to take such classes. I must admit a little bit of curiosity as to what the children are learning now." She glanced over briefly to the water heater. The sounds of the coils working could be heard, but the water was yet to boil. So Estelle looked back to Ayu. "If you could pardon my curiosity once more, I would like to know what brought you into such a field. Affinity? Or inspiration?"

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Ayu was about to answer the perhaps rhetorical question given earlier, but as Estelle threw her another question, Ayu believed, and liked to believe, that the new question took precedence over the former.

“The topic of history has always been a fascinating subject for me,” she declares. “It's always interesting to learn about the actions and consequences that our ancestors made that shaped the world we currently live in.” Ayu stopped for a moment and looked right into Estelle's eyes. “Estelle-san, I come from Indonesia. The land on which my country stands today was ruled and exploited by foreigners for hundreds of years. When I look at history, I feel a good chunk of our past was stolen and replaced by bitter humiliation, but it is no use to dwell in the past, for we cannot change it.”

Ayu averted her stare and looked around the spotlessly clean lounge as she continued, “I see Japan as a model nation, not just for us but for the whole world. And as I view Japan that way, I can't help but draw parallels between my country and Japan in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Back then, they were still looking for their ‘Platz an der Sonne,’ a Place under the Sun. They yearned to be recognized and respected on the world stage, just like how we, too, strive for our rightful place in the international community today.”

Ayu gazes down as she comes to the somber conclusion, “Radicalism plagues my country as it did with Japan of old, and that enemy from within dragged Imperial Japan to its fiery grave, but from the ashes of war emerges the new Japan that I admired today.” Ayu then gazes outside to the tree branches beyond the window that had been stripped of its green leaves by the winter. “It is funny that one of the reasons why we learn history is to not repeat our mistakes in the past, but perhaps the only way we can grow is by making mistakes?"

Realizing that she probably had either bored or scared Estelle with her potentially dangerous political views, Ayu snaps out of it and smiles nervously at Estelle as she put her hand behind her head in embarrassment, “S-Sorry, I always get caught up with the flow when talking about these things, please forget everything I just said.”

That Ayu came from Indonesia did track, at least as far as Estelle knew in regards to the cultures of Asia. However, she found herself at a loss for words regarding how she should feel about the rundown of history she was just given. All the talk about countries ruled and exploited by another. Was 'irony' the correct term? As an American, she was rather well aware of the exploits and warring that built her own home nation, even more so by the military history her family was steeped in. Perhaps more poignant was her past deployments in the Middle East, where she was hated, where she was loved. And that was putting aside what Estelle thought was a rosy but undeserved image of Japan. But she kept all of that behind the mask of a sly smile. "There is nothing to be ashamed of. You are a teacher with a passion for your field. Let us hope it rubs off on your students too," Estelle replied, chuckling softly. She stood up to walk over to the water boiler, which had finished its duty, and began to steep the tea for both of them. "And thank you for indulging me. I am glad to know that the students are in good hands." Estelle felt no need to volunteer her background. But neither would she hide it if asked. There were quite a few rumours about her of varying truth, though none of them painted both a correct and complete image. And for now, she liked it that way; it seemed to grant a useful level of itimidation. Soon, the tea was ready. The nurse poured out a cup for each of them, carrying Ayu's cup for her first before settling down with her own. "Cheers."

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Ayu could only gaze down, and she fidgeted shyly as she listened to what she believed to be a compliment coming from her senior. She tried to volunteer to help Estelle prepare the tea, but as she was still recovering from the embarrassing rhetoric she had given earlier, she found that Estelle had quickly finished preparing them before she could offer her assistance. From her seat, Ayu happily thanked Estelle and offered a bow as Estelle poured the tea into her cup. As Estelle pour the tea into her own and toast it to Ayu, she gleefully nods, raised her own cup slightly as well and said, "Cheers."

While Ayu had encountered the word rather early in her Japanese language learning journey, she rarely had the opportunity to use it until now. During her time in Japan, Ayu had received multiple invitations to drinking parties from some uninformed fellow students at her college. Ayu, of course, had to explain that she cannot drink alcohol and then they would start profusely apologizing for inviting her in the first place. Theoretically, Ayu could still attend and limit herself to non-alcoholic beverages, but she decided that doing so would paint a rather improper image to her fellow sisters in faith, so she never went.

After having been questioned and providing perhaps more information about herself than needed, Ayu felt it was appropriate to learn a bit about her companion as well. Curiosity flowed both ways; Estelle, a fellow foreigner, likely had her own interesting stories to share. "If you don't mind my asking, Estelle-san, how long have you been working as the nurse?"

Estelle chuckled as she took a sip from her tea. "A nurse, in the truest sense of the word? Or the one in charge of the medicial facilities in Fukui?" Her eyebrows fluttered in amusement before putting her cup down. "I recieved my qualifications as a nurse, roughly eight years ago?" Estelle paused for a bit. Time certainly went fast. She eventually nodded once she was sure of the timeline. "At my previous job, I knew at one time it would be best for me to leave. Thankfully, at the time I was trained well as a paramedical, and my work had stationed me in a place where I could do some part-time training to fill in the gaps. Once I got my qualifications, I started looking for work for when I would retire." Estelle momentarily wonder if Ayu was aware of whatever rumours were said about her. She picked up her tea again and took a sip before leaning back into the seat again. "It took about two more years before I got accepted here in Fukui," Estelle said with a chuckle. "Sure, I did not serve as a true nurse prior to this, simply qualified, but I strongely suspect that it was for my managerial skills from my old job." With a grin, Estelle looked to Ayu. "Of course, it's a bit of a change but, not one I regret. I've been here long enough to watch a child first enter, nervous and anxious, and see her walk through the gates a more skilled and confident...young adult, I suppose. It's hard sometimes, even when they get older, to not treat them like children."

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