September 8, 2016, 9:12 AM
The Westwood Apartments
San Antonio, TX, USA
Benjamin was very shrewd about how he assigned the units. Tenchi had a one-bedroom unit all to himself. The poor boy was almost agog at the size of the bedroom: fifteen feet wide and twenty feet deep.
Aeka, Sasami, and Noike were relegated to a two-bedroom unit on the immediate right; and Ryoko, Ryo-Ohki, and Mihoshi in the two-bedroom unit to the immediate left. Washu was stuck with her laboratory door on the outside of the Manager's Office.
"What do you think, Jake?" asked Ben as they eyed the laundromat room. "Since everyone will have small laundry machines inside their units, want to make these into double load machines? No wait... We'll need those and a six-load machine. Futons, you know."
"Hmm, sounds good... Do you think we could squeeze in two of the six-load machines? You never know what sort of madness we'll have on our hands in the future."
"It'd be a tight fit, but I think we can manage it. I'll go ahead and look into it."
"Oh, more work for me?" said Washu who had seemingly appeared at the door.
Ben smiled and waved it off. "Nah, this stuff we'll use the budgetary allowance for upgrades. As it is we'll need to get some security fencing into place, ASAP."
Washu frowned thoughtfully at that. "I looked around outside. It's not a whole lot better out there than it was in here. Though really I think this place was the core of the rot."
Ben sighed. "Ugh, no kidding. But I'd be worried about some of those guys trying to come back and push us out or something." He then smiled maliciously. "Think you can do a temporary patch job on the holes, Washu-chan?"
Washu grinned back. "Buddy, I like the cut of your jib. By the way, what are we going to do about food around here? I mean, I can do some stuff, but I'd rather you guys not rely on me for everything."
Ben winced at that. "Yyeeeeaaahhh. Okay, geeeet... Let's seeeee... Get Tenchi, Sasami, and Noike together. I'll take them around town and get the essentials. Jake?"
Jacob shrugged, "Well, the cats do need to get settled in? I could talk with Washu-chan on what would be appropriate for security around here while I do that."
Ben inwardly winced. "Well, not only that, you're gonna have to keep an eye on things while I'm not around. I don't expect you to be able to do much, but keep your cell phone at the ready. You got Belldandy on speed dial, right?"
"Of course I do, I know I'm a bit useless in being able to get them to do anything."
Ben actually winced at that. "Yeah... just, try and be a little more positive. Anyhow-" Ben turned to look for Washu, only to find she'd disappeared. He almost swore he could see a blinking dashed-line of her outline where she had been standing.
"Hoooiiii!" came Sasami's voice from across the parking lot. "Ro-des-san! We're ready to go!" Ben poked his head outside to find the blue haired girl smiling and waving with a grinning Noike, and a mildly embarrassed looking Tenchi.
"Well, that was fast. Jake, I'll be taking the Super Beast."
"Er, is that something you can do yet?"
"Yeah, got in touch with the owner's wife through the proper channels. Turns out the guy was dealing drugs. Police don't want the vehicle - he didn't have any in there. The wife... she's done with the guy and is mailing me the title."
"Eh, whatever works."
"Whatever works hell! This truck is exactly what I wanted."
##
If there was one thing Benjamin had perfected the art of, it was doing things on the fly. So, it didn't take him more than ten minutes to make sure he had insurance coverage for the truck he had taken to calling Super Beast, and then they were rolling.
"Why is this truck so loud?" asked Tenchi from the passenger seat next to Benjamin.
"It's an eight-cylinder turbo-diesel. This bad boy has enough horses under the hood to haul Tokyo Tower off its foundations."
"W-What!?" exclaimed the boy, making Ben laugh a bit.
"Okay, that's an exaggeration. You'll find we tend to do that a lot around here in Texas. But then, we love to paint interesting pictures with our words."
"Where are we going anyhow?" asked Noike.
Ben smiled at that, sensing an opportunity for a story. "Well, thing is that Texas has always been a very multicultural place. Originally there were the Native American peoples that lived here. Then came the Spanish explorers, along with the Catholic Church and their missions. Then the French came in - they were more reasonable, pursuing nothing more than commerce and trade. Revolution came and then this land became Mexico. Mexico needed residents so they opened the boarder to settlers and so came the Americans from the west. More revolution and then Texas became its own nation... for a time. But there was the war debt to pay back to the USA, so eventually a deal was hammered out and Texas became part of the USA."
"But what does that have to do with where we're going?" asked Sasami.
"I'm getting there, Sasami-chan," said Ben with mild patience. "So, anyhow - with all these different peoples in the area, a lot of different staple crops were grown - wheat, beans, and rice most prominently. Wheat and beans we could get to grow easily, but in this climate that is prone to droughts, we were having trouble with the rice. Fortunately, a very smart person knew exactly what country to go to for help."
"You mean you went to Japan for help?" said Tenchi in surprise.
Ben grinned. "I know, right? But it was a very different time - the Meiji Era by your reckoning. At the request of the Texas government and the Japanese consul, a small group of Japanese rice farmers were settled in the gulf coastal regions, and Emperor Meiji himself graciously gifted the state with rice seed. Within the a few short years, the rive harvests here in Texas nearly doubled.
"Since then, things have changed. The Second World War..." Benjamin shook his head sadly. "Bad times for everyone. American, Japanese, German... Families burying dead sons, people working themselves to the bone building goods for the war effort, and angry heartbroken people everywhere.
"But, time heals all wounds. People remembered what it means to be neighbors. The Japanese people that had remained here have their own little circles, and the Japanese wives of US Servicemen are pleasantly shocked that they can find a little slice of home in this unlikely seeming place."
All the while, Benjamin had driven the massive truck with authoritative ease, sliding the vehicle through the thick San Antonio traffic on Interstate 410, taking the Fredricksburg Road exit, going left, and then turning right on Calaghan Road after a few blocks. Another right turn just past the power sub-station, and then into a parking spot.
"Welcome to Minnano's Grocery!" said Benjamin cheerfully as he hopped out of the massive truck.
##
After watching Ben and the others drive off, Jacob went over to Ben's little black pickup truck, which was lovingly named Scrappy. After quickly checking how the cats were doing, Jacob opened up the Uhaul trailer and grabbed two litter pans and boxes of cat litter to fill them up.
Lugging the stuff, Jacob sighed as he got to the stairs, making his way up to the second story corner apartment, number 210. He let himself in and quickly set up the litter pans, one in each bedroom, then Jacob went back to the truck.
As he approached the truck he saw that Washu was waiting, looking curiously at the cats inside.
"Hey there," said the little mad genius cheerily as she turned, hearing Jacob's approach. "You guys never mentioned you have cats. Think they'll get along well with Ryo-Ohki?"
Jacob tilted his head to the side, "Luna and Babs may, but even for them it would take time for them to get used to her presence. As for Mira and Renee, I'm not too sure they would react too well. They barely tolerate the kittens as it is."
"So normal for cats, then," said Washu. "I can go ahead and make up a spray with Ryo-Ohki's scent. Just spray it in one spot once a day for the next month. That should help them get accustomed to her scent."
Jacob nodded, then went to the trailer and opened it, "So, I'm assuming that you're going to put in furniture for all of us?"
"Just some bare-bones basics. Couple of beds, a table, and some chairs. There's already storage cabinets, drawers, and closets for your clothes, and I'm assuming you guys got more furniture on the way."
"We'll have to purchase the stuff, but we'll do that later." Jacob looked at the last of the cat stuff in the trailer – a couple of plastic containers of food and a large bin full of toys and a modular perch – and looked back to Washu, "Hey, do you think you could carry one of these containers?"
"Sure, sure," said the scientist as she got ahold of the larger of the two food containers.
Jacob nodded, grabbed the last two containers, and closed up the trailer. As they headed up to the apartment, Jacob glanced at Washu and asked, "So, what do you have in mind for security for the complex?"
"Well, as the old saw goes, good fences make good neighbors. And if this place was as bad as it used to be, that makes me wonder about that apartment complex behind yours. So I'm gonna have to write an advance security algorithm that will prevent things like people throwing stuff over the fence."
Jacob raised an eyebrow and was silent for a minute, "Uh... How, um, visible would this be?"
"Not visible at all!" chirped the genius. "It will simply be a force field that makes it look as though a gust of wind blew the object back to the other side of the fence."
Jacob's eyebrow rose again as he opened the door to his apartment, "That's a bit more reasonable than I expected, but that could raise some suspicions if someone got curious, right?"
"Pft. Curious? First off, you don't really seem to know me. I know I seem kinda crazy and grandiose. And I'll admit, it's an earned thing. I mean, who else has a lab that covers five planets! But if you were just passing me by on the street, what would you see?"
Putting the containers on the table, Jacob's head tilted, "Well, first off? I think it would be an odd kid with some hair as big as herself."
"Odd, but not impossible. And otherwise nothing to get excited about. You see, that's my whole thing. I like being sneaky by downplaying my presence. Take Ryo-Ohki for example. In starship form, she's relatively small. But she was able to effortlessly beat the Chobimaru - a Galaxy Police flagship that is as big as Earth. You see what I'm getting at?"
Jacob sighed, "Yeah, but we are a stones throw away from several military bases and I'm a paranoid bastard. And for future reference, I don't know much about you or the rest of your bunch. All I know is from an interesting fanfic and not much else."
"I know that. That's why I'm telling you about me. There's no real need to get prickly. I mean, we're people too, right? Besides, I know what I'm doing. It'll be just enough to stop someone from being a miscreant. Your military won't even notice a thing unless they happen to point a gravitometer directly at the place, and even then only while it happens to be redirecting something. We'll be just fine."
Jacob sighed again, "Fine. Just make sure the pizza delivery guy won't be bothered."
Washu snorted at that. "What do you take me for? A rank amateur?"
Jacob shrugged, "No, but I like to make sure about that sort of thing."
Washu rolled her eyes, but said nothing else.
After quickly setting up the modular cat perches, Jacob and Washu heard some arguing outside.
Poking their heads out, it was easy to see what was going on. Without Noike around to moderate things, Aeka and Ryoko had gotten into it, arguing over which of them Tenchi was going to help first when he got back. Though it was it was difficult to say what he would be helping them with, one could surmise they'd think of something.
Meanwhile, Mihoshi was simply looking around the complex, oohing and ahhing at all the pretty birds and butterflies that were flitting about the complex - all attracted by the lingering aura of Belldandy. Of course, nobody noticed her...
...That is, until she tripped on her own feet by the manager's office and planted herself face-first into the soda machine next to the door to Washu's lab.
The machine made a horrible screech, and suddenly clunked loudly two times, sending a can a Mountain Dew into Ryoko's head, and a can of Pepsi into Aeka's, both at supersonic speeds, knocking the two out completely.
Jacob facepalmed and mentally muttered a few curses, "Can you handle that? I honestly don't know if I should be near them when they wake up."
Washu sighed, not at all because of Jacob's reticence, but because this was just so utterly typical.
"Sure, sure, I got this," said Washu as she trudged off to take care of things. "Just... stay away from that soada machine until I can get a look at it. I have no idea what she did to it."
"Right, stay away from the machine that just went Mythbusters on them. Anyhow, thanks. If you need me, I'll be getting the cats into the apartment."
##
Tenchi was simply floored. Benjamin hadn't been joking - this had been like a little slice of Japan transplanted into the USA, like an embassy on foreign soil.
Yes, there was a lot of signage in English. But there was even more signage in Japanese. It reminded him of his aunt's grocery when it was a much smaller store - homey, humble, and packed to the gills with all kinds of snacks and wares.
Sasami cheered gleefully at everything that was there - tea sets, dinner sets, pots and pans, rice cookers and even ramune sodas and hi-chew candies.
"I want you guys to get everything you need," he said as he helped himself to several 1000ml bottles of C.C. Lemon and cans of Royal Milk Tea. "Cookware, dinnerware, bento boxes, food. You name it. Don't worry about the money – it’s all on Mr. Phantomhive's dime to help you guys settle in."
"But... how can we repay you for all that?" asked Tenchi, utterly aghast.
"Oi, Tenchi-kun! Washu-chan is already saving us hundreds of thousands of yen in outfitting the apartments with nice appliances. This is a drop in the bucket by comparison."
Suddenly, Noike was behind Tenchi and chiding him gently. "Benjamin is right, Tenchi-kun. We need these wares, and what Washu-chan is doing for him is more than repayment enough."
"Heh, I guess you are right," said Tenchi with a sheepish grin as he rubbed the back of his head.
From there on out, Sasami and Noike made short work of figuring out what they wanted, and loaded several carts with foods and wares.
"I kinda wish they had more fresh food," Sasami said with a sigh as she eyed the frozen stock warily.
Benjamin shrugged and sighed as well. "It can't be helped. Any food that's imported needs to pass through customs. And that usually means a quarantine period. But don't worry - I know a place where we can get good fresh meat and produce."
##
"IT'S HUUUUUUUUGE!!!" exclaimed Sasami in awe and excitement as she pointed at the Wal-Mart Supercenter at West Military Drive. "Are we really gonna get our food there!?"
Ben laughed and patted Sasami's head. "Nah. We're just here to get the housewares you guys couldn't find over at Minano's - they're great for all the little things you can find only in Japan, but for the general stuff, Wal-Mart's usually the one-stop option. Just beware that sometimes the quality is about 100-yen-store levels."
Tenchi looked around in mild trepidation. It wasn't that he wasn't used to crowds - Japan was a pretty crowded place, after all. But it was being around so many Americans. It helped that not everyone stared at him, but it still made Tenchi feel uncomfortable.
Ben was keeping an eye on things, though, and took note of his charge's discomfort.
"Everything alright?" he asked.
"It's... kinda weird," said the young man. "I don't know how to handle people staring at me."
"They're not accustomed to seeing Japanese people. They don't mean much by it. But if you happen to meet someone's gaze with your own, don't stress. Simply nod your head once. Doing that is like acknowledging the other person - a show of respect. Only casual."
"Casual respect?" blurted Tenchi. "How does that work?"
"Well, Americans are pretty relaxed that way. As long as you don't do anything grossly offensive, people here generally mind their own business and let everyone else get on with their day. Although I will admit that people arguing loudly in public annoy the piss out of me and I desire nothing more than to humiliate them."
Tenchi gave Benjamin a startled look at that and remained silent until the got to the expansive housewares section.
Sasami was absolutely gobsmacked. "Whooooaaaaaaahhhh. And I can get whatever we need!?"
"Only as long as you need it," said Ben with a smile. "In other words, keep it reasonable, kiddo."
Ben grinned mischievously as Sasami turned and stuck her tongue out while giving him a red-eye.
"Aren't you worried she might do something to your food if you tease her?" asked Noike in amusement next to him while Sasami got to work filling up the shopping cart.
Benjamin scoffed mildly. "Not particularly. I think the worse she'll do is tease me back. Or maybe sic Mihoshi on me." Benjamin then made a thoughtful look at that. "On second thought that might actually violate the Geneva Conventions."
Noike simply hid her mouth as she laughed quietly. "Very true, that. It is a rare person that I would wish such a fate upon."
The two watched for a brief moment as Sasami showed Tenchi her latest find - a Nutri-Bullet blender.
"You want to ask about something," said Noike suddenly, just loud enough for Ben to hear.
Ben sighed. "Of course you'd notice, adoptive daughter of Seto and all."
"Indeed. Normally, though, I wouldn't pry, but you already know so much about us. What more is there to know?"
"Well, they say that a picture is worth a thousand words. But what about video? Twenty-one episodes of OVA's? You can cram a lot in there. But there's still a lot of unknowns. What was Mihoshi really like before her accident? Does Tenchi have a favorite game? Why does Aeka get jealous over Tenchi all the time - she knows she's inevitably going to be sharing him with someone eventually.
"In short, Noike, I want to get to know all of you as people and friends. Yes, there's going to be times I'll need to push somebody's buttons and manipulate them into helping me, but the honest truth is I'd really rather not. I've had so few friends in my life that every chance I get is a precious thing. My brother, Jacob, may be content to shut himself in. But not me. I'm an introvert, yes... but I have to have someone in my life. Solitude is over rated."
Noike then placed a hand on my shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. "Don't worry about it, Benjamin. I know Sasami already considers you to be a friend. And I feel comfortable in doing the same as well. If you'll pardon me, though, I think I need to rescue poor Tenchi-kun from Sasami-chan."
Ben could only chuckle at that – it was a rare thing to see Sasami worked up like this, and poor Tenchi was simply out of his depths.
##
Before they left, Ben made sure they stopped to pick up a few things from the electronics section - a trio of inexpensive LED TVs, an XBox One, a PS4, a Nintendo Wii-U, and a selection of games for everyone's pallets.
Naturally, Tenchi boggled. "But... Benjamin... Really..."
"Tenchi, relax," replied Ben as he rolled his eyes. "I want you guys to have fun here. And believe it or not, Texas has some seriously rainy days. On average, San Antonio gets more rain per year than London does. And when that rain does come you do not want to be outside for it. You'll think that a typhoon was here."
That almost shut Tenchi up, except that he was a bit curious. "Why would you people build a city that has such wild weather!?"
Ben smiled and looked over at Tenchi. "When we get the chance to, I'll show you guys why. Let's get this stuff paid for. We still need to buy fresh food."
##
"Last stop!" Called out Ben. "Welcome to Herbert E. Butz Grocery Store... or just HEB as we all call it."
"Wow!" said Sasami. "This place is almost as big as that Wal-Mart! And they only have GROCERIES here!?"
Ben shrugged. "Mostly. There's a few other little things, like soap, cleaning supplies, medicine... You'll see when we get in there."
As they went inside, Ben noted that Tenchi was a bit more at ease with the crowd, but he still looked around in wide-eyed wonder as the scope of the store opened up before them.
It was huge, just like the Wal-Mart. But where Wal-Mart had a little bit of everything in general, HEB simply had FOOD! For sure, there were some toys, some seasonal items (Halloween costumes and decorations abound), school supplies, a florist and greeting card section, and even a well-appointed section for toddlers and infants...
...Mostly, HEB was completely about the consumables of daily life. Food, medicine, soaps, but mostly just FOOD.
The first stop was the butcher's shop, with its famous claim of cutting meat five times a day.
"They really cut meat five times a day here?" said Sasami in surprise.
"Yep," replied Ben. "There's a lot of people who work odd hours here in San Antonio, so even though the shop does 'close' each night, that's mainly just so they can give the place a proper cleaning for sanitary reasons. Otherwise, the meat here is probably the best value for cut and freshness you're going to find in the city. So go ahead and go nuts."
Sasami made a puzzled look at that. "But... even with everyone here that would be too much meat."
"What? We need to get enough to last us... ohhh. I get it. You're used to shopping daily for your fresh food, right?"
Sasami nodded, still a bit perplexed.
"Okay, we can do it your way. At least this store is not far from the complex."
That said, Ben let Sasami approach the counter so she could place an order. Minutes later, she was grinning hugely at the five-pound slab of USDA Prime marbled beef.
"I'm just surprised that I got such a nice cut of meat for so little," said the little girl whose head stood out like a cornflower in a field of grain.
Ben just smiled and shrugged. "That's living in Texas for you. And it helps that this chain of stores always has the best price for the quality. So, we got meat, let's hit produce real quick, and then make a quick stop over in the baking aisle for seasonings and stuff."
It took about a half hour, with Sasami sifting through the produce with a jaundiced eye (which she found to be satisfactory), and then just as carefully raiding the spices in the baking aisle as well as stocking up on essentials like sugar, vinegar, flour, and other kitchen necessities.
After they got through checkout, Ben stopped at the HEB Gas Station to top off the massive truck's fuel tanks with diesel, and then it was off to home once more.
##
When Benjamin arrived with the others, Washu had already fitted out their apartments with basic furnishings - beds, chairs, and tables. There was already ample storage for clothes, which Washu had also seen fit to stock with a couple of changes of very basic items.
"I had a feeling you might have forgotten about soap," chirped the scientist as she exited her lab carrying several bundles of basic hygien products. "Really, I just don't get why everyone forgets this stuff! How can you forget toilet paper for crying out loud!"
Benjamin, Tenchi, Sasami, and Noike could only look at ech other sheepishly. "Whoops."
The Westwood Apartments
San Antonio, TX, USA
Benjamin was very shrewd about how he assigned the units. Tenchi had a one-bedroom unit all to himself. The poor boy was almost agog at the size of the bedroom: fifteen feet wide and twenty feet deep.
Aeka, Sasami, and Noike were relegated to a two-bedroom unit on the immediate right; and Ryoko, Ryo-Ohki, and Mihoshi in the two-bedroom unit to the immediate left. Washu was stuck with her laboratory door on the outside of the Manager's Office.
"What do you think, Jake?" asked Ben as they eyed the laundromat room. "Since everyone will have small laundry machines inside their units, want to make these into double load machines? No wait... We'll need those and a six-load machine. Futons, you know."
"Hmm, sounds good... Do you think we could squeeze in two of the six-load machines? You never know what sort of madness we'll have on our hands in the future."
"It'd be a tight fit, but I think we can manage it. I'll go ahead and look into it."
"Oh, more work for me?" said Washu who had seemingly appeared at the door.
Ben smiled and waved it off. "Nah, this stuff we'll use the budgetary allowance for upgrades. As it is we'll need to get some security fencing into place, ASAP."
Washu frowned thoughtfully at that. "I looked around outside. It's not a whole lot better out there than it was in here. Though really I think this place was the core of the rot."
Ben sighed. "Ugh, no kidding. But I'd be worried about some of those guys trying to come back and push us out or something." He then smiled maliciously. "Think you can do a temporary patch job on the holes, Washu-chan?"
Washu grinned back. "Buddy, I like the cut of your jib. By the way, what are we going to do about food around here? I mean, I can do some stuff, but I'd rather you guys not rely on me for everything."
Ben winced at that. "Yyeeeeaaahhh. Okay, geeeet... Let's seeeee... Get Tenchi, Sasami, and Noike together. I'll take them around town and get the essentials. Jake?"
Jacob shrugged, "Well, the cats do need to get settled in? I could talk with Washu-chan on what would be appropriate for security around here while I do that."
Ben inwardly winced. "Well, not only that, you're gonna have to keep an eye on things while I'm not around. I don't expect you to be able to do much, but keep your cell phone at the ready. You got Belldandy on speed dial, right?"
"Of course I do, I know I'm a bit useless in being able to get them to do anything."
Ben actually winced at that. "Yeah... just, try and be a little more positive. Anyhow-" Ben turned to look for Washu, only to find she'd disappeared. He almost swore he could see a blinking dashed-line of her outline where she had been standing.
"Hoooiiii!" came Sasami's voice from across the parking lot. "Ro-des-san! We're ready to go!" Ben poked his head outside to find the blue haired girl smiling and waving with a grinning Noike, and a mildly embarrassed looking Tenchi.
"Well, that was fast. Jake, I'll be taking the Super Beast."
"Er, is that something you can do yet?"
"Yeah, got in touch with the owner's wife through the proper channels. Turns out the guy was dealing drugs. Police don't want the vehicle - he didn't have any in there. The wife... she's done with the guy and is mailing me the title."
"Eh, whatever works."
"Whatever works hell! This truck is exactly what I wanted."
##
If there was one thing Benjamin had perfected the art of, it was doing things on the fly. So, it didn't take him more than ten minutes to make sure he had insurance coverage for the truck he had taken to calling Super Beast, and then they were rolling.
"Why is this truck so loud?" asked Tenchi from the passenger seat next to Benjamin.
"It's an eight-cylinder turbo-diesel. This bad boy has enough horses under the hood to haul Tokyo Tower off its foundations."
"W-What!?" exclaimed the boy, making Ben laugh a bit.
"Okay, that's an exaggeration. You'll find we tend to do that a lot around here in Texas. But then, we love to paint interesting pictures with our words."
"Where are we going anyhow?" asked Noike.
Ben smiled at that, sensing an opportunity for a story. "Well, thing is that Texas has always been a very multicultural place. Originally there were the Native American peoples that lived here. Then came the Spanish explorers, along with the Catholic Church and their missions. Then the French came in - they were more reasonable, pursuing nothing more than commerce and trade. Revolution came and then this land became Mexico. Mexico needed residents so they opened the boarder to settlers and so came the Americans from the west. More revolution and then Texas became its own nation... for a time. But there was the war debt to pay back to the USA, so eventually a deal was hammered out and Texas became part of the USA."
"But what does that have to do with where we're going?" asked Sasami.
"I'm getting there, Sasami-chan," said Ben with mild patience. "So, anyhow - with all these different peoples in the area, a lot of different staple crops were grown - wheat, beans, and rice most prominently. Wheat and beans we could get to grow easily, but in this climate that is prone to droughts, we were having trouble with the rice. Fortunately, a very smart person knew exactly what country to go to for help."
"You mean you went to Japan for help?" said Tenchi in surprise.
Ben grinned. "I know, right? But it was a very different time - the Meiji Era by your reckoning. At the request of the Texas government and the Japanese consul, a small group of Japanese rice farmers were settled in the gulf coastal regions, and Emperor Meiji himself graciously gifted the state with rice seed. Within the a few short years, the rive harvests here in Texas nearly doubled.
"Since then, things have changed. The Second World War..." Benjamin shook his head sadly. "Bad times for everyone. American, Japanese, German... Families burying dead sons, people working themselves to the bone building goods for the war effort, and angry heartbroken people everywhere.
"But, time heals all wounds. People remembered what it means to be neighbors. The Japanese people that had remained here have their own little circles, and the Japanese wives of US Servicemen are pleasantly shocked that they can find a little slice of home in this unlikely seeming place."
All the while, Benjamin had driven the massive truck with authoritative ease, sliding the vehicle through the thick San Antonio traffic on Interstate 410, taking the Fredricksburg Road exit, going left, and then turning right on Calaghan Road after a few blocks. Another right turn just past the power sub-station, and then into a parking spot.
"Welcome to Minnano's Grocery!" said Benjamin cheerfully as he hopped out of the massive truck.
##
After watching Ben and the others drive off, Jacob went over to Ben's little black pickup truck, which was lovingly named Scrappy. After quickly checking how the cats were doing, Jacob opened up the Uhaul trailer and grabbed two litter pans and boxes of cat litter to fill them up.
Lugging the stuff, Jacob sighed as he got to the stairs, making his way up to the second story corner apartment, number 210. He let himself in and quickly set up the litter pans, one in each bedroom, then Jacob went back to the truck.
As he approached the truck he saw that Washu was waiting, looking curiously at the cats inside.
"Hey there," said the little mad genius cheerily as she turned, hearing Jacob's approach. "You guys never mentioned you have cats. Think they'll get along well with Ryo-Ohki?"
Jacob tilted his head to the side, "Luna and Babs may, but even for them it would take time for them to get used to her presence. As for Mira and Renee, I'm not too sure they would react too well. They barely tolerate the kittens as it is."
"So normal for cats, then," said Washu. "I can go ahead and make up a spray with Ryo-Ohki's scent. Just spray it in one spot once a day for the next month. That should help them get accustomed to her scent."
Jacob nodded, then went to the trailer and opened it, "So, I'm assuming that you're going to put in furniture for all of us?"
"Just some bare-bones basics. Couple of beds, a table, and some chairs. There's already storage cabinets, drawers, and closets for your clothes, and I'm assuming you guys got more furniture on the way."
"We'll have to purchase the stuff, but we'll do that later." Jacob looked at the last of the cat stuff in the trailer – a couple of plastic containers of food and a large bin full of toys and a modular perch – and looked back to Washu, "Hey, do you think you could carry one of these containers?"
"Sure, sure," said the scientist as she got ahold of the larger of the two food containers.
Jacob nodded, grabbed the last two containers, and closed up the trailer. As they headed up to the apartment, Jacob glanced at Washu and asked, "So, what do you have in mind for security for the complex?"
"Well, as the old saw goes, good fences make good neighbors. And if this place was as bad as it used to be, that makes me wonder about that apartment complex behind yours. So I'm gonna have to write an advance security algorithm that will prevent things like people throwing stuff over the fence."
Jacob raised an eyebrow and was silent for a minute, "Uh... How, um, visible would this be?"
"Not visible at all!" chirped the genius. "It will simply be a force field that makes it look as though a gust of wind blew the object back to the other side of the fence."
Jacob's eyebrow rose again as he opened the door to his apartment, "That's a bit more reasonable than I expected, but that could raise some suspicions if someone got curious, right?"
"Pft. Curious? First off, you don't really seem to know me. I know I seem kinda crazy and grandiose. And I'll admit, it's an earned thing. I mean, who else has a lab that covers five planets! But if you were just passing me by on the street, what would you see?"
Putting the containers on the table, Jacob's head tilted, "Well, first off? I think it would be an odd kid with some hair as big as herself."
"Odd, but not impossible. And otherwise nothing to get excited about. You see, that's my whole thing. I like being sneaky by downplaying my presence. Take Ryo-Ohki for example. In starship form, she's relatively small. But she was able to effortlessly beat the Chobimaru - a Galaxy Police flagship that is as big as Earth. You see what I'm getting at?"
Jacob sighed, "Yeah, but we are a stones throw away from several military bases and I'm a paranoid bastard. And for future reference, I don't know much about you or the rest of your bunch. All I know is from an interesting fanfic and not much else."
"I know that. That's why I'm telling you about me. There's no real need to get prickly. I mean, we're people too, right? Besides, I know what I'm doing. It'll be just enough to stop someone from being a miscreant. Your military won't even notice a thing unless they happen to point a gravitometer directly at the place, and even then only while it happens to be redirecting something. We'll be just fine."
Jacob sighed again, "Fine. Just make sure the pizza delivery guy won't be bothered."
Washu snorted at that. "What do you take me for? A rank amateur?"
Jacob shrugged, "No, but I like to make sure about that sort of thing."
Washu rolled her eyes, but said nothing else.
After quickly setting up the modular cat perches, Jacob and Washu heard some arguing outside.
Poking their heads out, it was easy to see what was going on. Without Noike around to moderate things, Aeka and Ryoko had gotten into it, arguing over which of them Tenchi was going to help first when he got back. Though it was it was difficult to say what he would be helping them with, one could surmise they'd think of something.
Meanwhile, Mihoshi was simply looking around the complex, oohing and ahhing at all the pretty birds and butterflies that were flitting about the complex - all attracted by the lingering aura of Belldandy. Of course, nobody noticed her...
...That is, until she tripped on her own feet by the manager's office and planted herself face-first into the soda machine next to the door to Washu's lab.
The machine made a horrible screech, and suddenly clunked loudly two times, sending a can a Mountain Dew into Ryoko's head, and a can of Pepsi into Aeka's, both at supersonic speeds, knocking the two out completely.
Jacob facepalmed and mentally muttered a few curses, "Can you handle that? I honestly don't know if I should be near them when they wake up."
Washu sighed, not at all because of Jacob's reticence, but because this was just so utterly typical.
"Sure, sure, I got this," said Washu as she trudged off to take care of things. "Just... stay away from that soada machine until I can get a look at it. I have no idea what she did to it."
"Right, stay away from the machine that just went Mythbusters on them. Anyhow, thanks. If you need me, I'll be getting the cats into the apartment."
##
Tenchi was simply floored. Benjamin hadn't been joking - this had been like a little slice of Japan transplanted into the USA, like an embassy on foreign soil.
Yes, there was a lot of signage in English. But there was even more signage in Japanese. It reminded him of his aunt's grocery when it was a much smaller store - homey, humble, and packed to the gills with all kinds of snacks and wares.
Sasami cheered gleefully at everything that was there - tea sets, dinner sets, pots and pans, rice cookers and even ramune sodas and hi-chew candies.
"I want you guys to get everything you need," he said as he helped himself to several 1000ml bottles of C.C. Lemon and cans of Royal Milk Tea. "Cookware, dinnerware, bento boxes, food. You name it. Don't worry about the money – it’s all on Mr. Phantomhive's dime to help you guys settle in."
"But... how can we repay you for all that?" asked Tenchi, utterly aghast.
"Oi, Tenchi-kun! Washu-chan is already saving us hundreds of thousands of yen in outfitting the apartments with nice appliances. This is a drop in the bucket by comparison."
Suddenly, Noike was behind Tenchi and chiding him gently. "Benjamin is right, Tenchi-kun. We need these wares, and what Washu-chan is doing for him is more than repayment enough."
"Heh, I guess you are right," said Tenchi with a sheepish grin as he rubbed the back of his head.
From there on out, Sasami and Noike made short work of figuring out what they wanted, and loaded several carts with foods and wares.
"I kinda wish they had more fresh food," Sasami said with a sigh as she eyed the frozen stock warily.
Benjamin shrugged and sighed as well. "It can't be helped. Any food that's imported needs to pass through customs. And that usually means a quarantine period. But don't worry - I know a place where we can get good fresh meat and produce."
##
"IT'S HUUUUUUUUGE!!!" exclaimed Sasami in awe and excitement as she pointed at the Wal-Mart Supercenter at West Military Drive. "Are we really gonna get our food there!?"
Ben laughed and patted Sasami's head. "Nah. We're just here to get the housewares you guys couldn't find over at Minano's - they're great for all the little things you can find only in Japan, but for the general stuff, Wal-Mart's usually the one-stop option. Just beware that sometimes the quality is about 100-yen-store levels."
Tenchi looked around in mild trepidation. It wasn't that he wasn't used to crowds - Japan was a pretty crowded place, after all. But it was being around so many Americans. It helped that not everyone stared at him, but it still made Tenchi feel uncomfortable.
Ben was keeping an eye on things, though, and took note of his charge's discomfort.
"Everything alright?" he asked.
"It's... kinda weird," said the young man. "I don't know how to handle people staring at me."
"They're not accustomed to seeing Japanese people. They don't mean much by it. But if you happen to meet someone's gaze with your own, don't stress. Simply nod your head once. Doing that is like acknowledging the other person - a show of respect. Only casual."
"Casual respect?" blurted Tenchi. "How does that work?"
"Well, Americans are pretty relaxed that way. As long as you don't do anything grossly offensive, people here generally mind their own business and let everyone else get on with their day. Although I will admit that people arguing loudly in public annoy the piss out of me and I desire nothing more than to humiliate them."
Tenchi gave Benjamin a startled look at that and remained silent until the got to the expansive housewares section.
Sasami was absolutely gobsmacked. "Whooooaaaaaaahhhh. And I can get whatever we need!?"
"Only as long as you need it," said Ben with a smile. "In other words, keep it reasonable, kiddo."
Ben grinned mischievously as Sasami turned and stuck her tongue out while giving him a red-eye.
"Aren't you worried she might do something to your food if you tease her?" asked Noike in amusement next to him while Sasami got to work filling up the shopping cart.
Benjamin scoffed mildly. "Not particularly. I think the worse she'll do is tease me back. Or maybe sic Mihoshi on me." Benjamin then made a thoughtful look at that. "On second thought that might actually violate the Geneva Conventions."
Noike simply hid her mouth as she laughed quietly. "Very true, that. It is a rare person that I would wish such a fate upon."
The two watched for a brief moment as Sasami showed Tenchi her latest find - a Nutri-Bullet blender.
"You want to ask about something," said Noike suddenly, just loud enough for Ben to hear.
Ben sighed. "Of course you'd notice, adoptive daughter of Seto and all."
"Indeed. Normally, though, I wouldn't pry, but you already know so much about us. What more is there to know?"
"Well, they say that a picture is worth a thousand words. But what about video? Twenty-one episodes of OVA's? You can cram a lot in there. But there's still a lot of unknowns. What was Mihoshi really like before her accident? Does Tenchi have a favorite game? Why does Aeka get jealous over Tenchi all the time - she knows she's inevitably going to be sharing him with someone eventually.
"In short, Noike, I want to get to know all of you as people and friends. Yes, there's going to be times I'll need to push somebody's buttons and manipulate them into helping me, but the honest truth is I'd really rather not. I've had so few friends in my life that every chance I get is a precious thing. My brother, Jacob, may be content to shut himself in. But not me. I'm an introvert, yes... but I have to have someone in my life. Solitude is over rated."
Noike then placed a hand on my shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. "Don't worry about it, Benjamin. I know Sasami already considers you to be a friend. And I feel comfortable in doing the same as well. If you'll pardon me, though, I think I need to rescue poor Tenchi-kun from Sasami-chan."
Ben could only chuckle at that – it was a rare thing to see Sasami worked up like this, and poor Tenchi was simply out of his depths.
##
Before they left, Ben made sure they stopped to pick up a few things from the electronics section - a trio of inexpensive LED TVs, an XBox One, a PS4, a Nintendo Wii-U, and a selection of games for everyone's pallets.
Naturally, Tenchi boggled. "But... Benjamin... Really..."
"Tenchi, relax," replied Ben as he rolled his eyes. "I want you guys to have fun here. And believe it or not, Texas has some seriously rainy days. On average, San Antonio gets more rain per year than London does. And when that rain does come you do not want to be outside for it. You'll think that a typhoon was here."
That almost shut Tenchi up, except that he was a bit curious. "Why would you people build a city that has such wild weather!?"
Ben smiled and looked over at Tenchi. "When we get the chance to, I'll show you guys why. Let's get this stuff paid for. We still need to buy fresh food."
##
"Last stop!" Called out Ben. "Welcome to Herbert E. Butz Grocery Store... or just HEB as we all call it."
"Wow!" said Sasami. "This place is almost as big as that Wal-Mart! And they only have GROCERIES here!?"
Ben shrugged. "Mostly. There's a few other little things, like soap, cleaning supplies, medicine... You'll see when we get in there."
As they went inside, Ben noted that Tenchi was a bit more at ease with the crowd, but he still looked around in wide-eyed wonder as the scope of the store opened up before them.
It was huge, just like the Wal-Mart. But where Wal-Mart had a little bit of everything in general, HEB simply had FOOD! For sure, there were some toys, some seasonal items (Halloween costumes and decorations abound), school supplies, a florist and greeting card section, and even a well-appointed section for toddlers and infants...
...Mostly, HEB was completely about the consumables of daily life. Food, medicine, soaps, but mostly just FOOD.
The first stop was the butcher's shop, with its famous claim of cutting meat five times a day.
"They really cut meat five times a day here?" said Sasami in surprise.
"Yep," replied Ben. "There's a lot of people who work odd hours here in San Antonio, so even though the shop does 'close' each night, that's mainly just so they can give the place a proper cleaning for sanitary reasons. Otherwise, the meat here is probably the best value for cut and freshness you're going to find in the city. So go ahead and go nuts."
Sasami made a puzzled look at that. "But... even with everyone here that would be too much meat."
"What? We need to get enough to last us... ohhh. I get it. You're used to shopping daily for your fresh food, right?"
Sasami nodded, still a bit perplexed.
"Okay, we can do it your way. At least this store is not far from the complex."
That said, Ben let Sasami approach the counter so she could place an order. Minutes later, she was grinning hugely at the five-pound slab of USDA Prime marbled beef.
"I'm just surprised that I got such a nice cut of meat for so little," said the little girl whose head stood out like a cornflower in a field of grain.
Ben just smiled and shrugged. "That's living in Texas for you. And it helps that this chain of stores always has the best price for the quality. So, we got meat, let's hit produce real quick, and then make a quick stop over in the baking aisle for seasonings and stuff."
It took about a half hour, with Sasami sifting through the produce with a jaundiced eye (which she found to be satisfactory), and then just as carefully raiding the spices in the baking aisle as well as stocking up on essentials like sugar, vinegar, flour, and other kitchen necessities.
After they got through checkout, Ben stopped at the HEB Gas Station to top off the massive truck's fuel tanks with diesel, and then it was off to home once more.
##
When Benjamin arrived with the others, Washu had already fitted out their apartments with basic furnishings - beds, chairs, and tables. There was already ample storage for clothes, which Washu had also seen fit to stock with a couple of changes of very basic items.
"I had a feeling you might have forgotten about soap," chirped the scientist as she exited her lab carrying several bundles of basic hygien products. "Really, I just don't get why everyone forgets this stuff! How can you forget toilet paper for crying out loud!"
Benjamin, Tenchi, Sasami, and Noike could only look at ech other sheepishly. "Whoops."