The car finally made it onto the road.
Harumi drove like someone trying to tame a wild horse.
The car rattled.
Her mom was already nervous, praying under her breath.
Her dad was trying to breathe under two suitcases.
Izumi had officially become a human sandwich between her father and the door.
Mei had fallen asleep sitting up.
And Takeru stared out the window, quietly accepting his fate.
Five minutes of silence.
And then—of course—Harumi spoke.
— Mom…
— What now?
— I need to tell you something.
Her dad sighed so deeply even the luggage shifted.
Her mom looked genuinely afraid.
Harumi gripped the steering wheel tighter.
— I… kind of… scheduled…
— What? — her mom's pulse rising.
— A…
— A???
— A thing.
— HARUMI, JUST SAY IT.
— A banquet.
The entire car froze.
Her dad blinked.
Izumi raised an eyebrow.
Her mom turned slowly. Very slowly. Like a robot about to malfunction.
— …a banquet?
— Yep!
— Harumi… for who?
— The city.
— WHICH PART OF THE CITY?
— All of it! They helped me, so now I want to give back with a BIG banquet!!
Her mom clutched her chest.
— You did WHAT?
— I invited the whole city!!
— Harumi…
— Moooom, it'll be fun!
— DO YOU HAVE FOOD FOR THAT??
— That's… a minor detail…
— WHAT?
— None.
— NONE???
— Yep!!
Her mom collapsed back into her seat in horror.
— Makoto, did you hear that??
— Regina, you would've done the same. — her dad said, accepting his fate.
— HEY!! — both of them shouted.
Mei woke up from the yelling, looking around, confused.
— Are we there yet?
— No… — Takeru muttered, half-asleep.
Izumi finally spoke, mixing Portuguese and Japanese:
— Harumi… you invited the entire city to eat what, air?
— MY BEST, I'LL IMPROVISE!!
— You can't even improvise breakfast, genius!!
Takeru crossed his arms, catching only part of the conversation.
— We have instant rice.
— THAT IS NOT ENOUGH FOR A BANQUET, TAKERU! — the mom snapped.
Harumi took a deep breath, suddenly serious.
— Mom… TRUST ME!!
— No, you can't. — her mom replied instantly, with brutal Brazilian honesty. — First, you don't know how to cook. Second, you don't have ingredients. Third, you're my daughter and I know you.
Harumi pouted.
— …wow.
Her mom pulled out her phone.
— STOP AT A MARKET.
— But Mom—
— HARUMI.
— …yes ma'am.
Parking lot.
The car stops.
Her dad opens the door—two suitcases nearly fall out—and he finally breathes again.
Her mom jumps out.
— EVERYONE OUT!
— Mom—
— I don't want to hear it! We're going shopping!!
— But the car—
— We'll deal with the car later!!
— No, Mom—
— LET'S. GO.
Inside the store: Chaos 2.0
Her mom moved through the aisles like she was on a timed game show.
— We need beans!
— Mom, they don't have beans like that—
— THEN WE MAKE IT WITH WHAT WE HAVE!
— Mom—
— Rice, meat, fish, vegetables, flour, sugar, oil, sauce—
— MOM, THIS WON'T FIT IN THE CAR.
She stopped.
Turned slowly.
— Harumi.
— Yes.
— You invited the entire city.
— Yes…
— HOW did you expect to feed everyone?
— With… a lot… of effort? Hehe…
— AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!
She went back to filling the cart.
Izumi was laughing with her hand over her mouth like she was watching live comedy.
Takeru carried a full basket, completely resigned to his fate.
Mei hugged a loaf of bread, happily swaying side to side.
The dad…
…had emotionally left this world.
Back outside.
Harumi looked at the groceries.
Then the trunk.
Then the sky.
Then God.
— Mom… it won't fit.
— Then we make it fit!
— It REALLY won't fit!
Her mom stared at her.
— Are we Brazilian or not?
— YES, THAT'S RIGHT MOM!!
— THEN LET'S GO!!
And somehow—
They did it.
No one knows how.
Not science.
Not logic.
Not humanity.
But:
The groceries fit.
The people fit.
The luggage fit.
The laws of physics cried.
They arrived.
Her mom stepped out of the car.
Looked at the house.
And went completely silent.
For five full seconds.
— …Harumi.
— Yes.
— This is your house?
— Yep!!
She slowly turned to her husband.
— Makoto.
— Yes.
— You knew about this?
— She said she was moving and… no. I did not know.
— MAKOTO!!
Izumi burst out laughing.
Mei stared in awe.
Takeru was already mentally calculating post-banquet cleanup.
Harumi opened her arms proudly.
— Mom, welcome to my house!!!
Her mom crossed her arms.
Sighed.
— Okay.
— Okay…?
— Okay.
— Mom…?
— Let's go to the kitchen.
And she walked in—
ready to save the banquet,her daughter,and possibly all of Japan if necessary.
And thus began:
The true war — ORGANIZING THE BANQUET.