Ride on Time

Chapter 7

"Sh... Shri?" Misao said in surprise.
"Eh, Misao!" Shri smirked when he recognised her red kanzashi with pink dangling petals.
"No, call me Sakura, that's what I go by at work," Misao said in a low voice. Then she gave them a sweet smile. "Well, good to see the two of you here. How did you even get in? This place is really private, doesn't allow new customers and things."
"My father booked here the other day, remember?" Shri smirked. "He had his company meeting here with... Hitohira Tech, I think."
"Ah, I see," Misao nodded. "Hitohira Tech is one of our regulars, always having their private meetings here."
"My father has some business with them, that's why we all came."
Misao chuckled. "Enough about business, now it's time for you guys to relax with an authentic Japanese meal. What would you guys like?"
The siblings looked at the menu.
"You know what these are?" Shruti asked.
"I can't read, but I think I recognise the stuff," Shri frowned. He looked at Misao. "This is Anmitsu, right?"
"Yes, we serve it for dessert," Misao nodded. "Would you guys like to order that?"
"Yeah, and for main course..." Shri trailed off. He lit up when he saw something. "You have Kare Raisu?"
"Yes, we do," Misao nodded. "What about you, Shruti-san?"
"The only thing I know is sushi and that don-don stuff that Shri made me eat that day," Shruti shrugged. "Shri, what shall I order?"
He showed her the menu and started explaining everything one by one. Misao was impressed at how he knew almost every single one of it, though this was his first time in Japan.
"I think I'll take curry rice also lah," Shruti finally said. "And that Mitsu thing you said just now. I don't know any desserts."
"Would you like to try Higashi?" Misao chimed in.
"Higashi as in Higashiyama?" Shri said in surprise. "Or Joe Higashi?"
"Yes, but Higashi is actually a type of sweet, a type of Wagashi."
"Oh I know Wagashi. It's like mochi, right?"
"Yes, it's sometimes made of mochi," Misao nodded. "Wagashi means sweets but Higashi is the dry kind, basically hard candy. Anmitsu is a type of Wagashi too."
Shri turned to his sister. "So what you want? Higashi or some other Wagashi?"
Shruti just blinked at him, not knowing what he was talking about at all. "What's a Wagashi?"
"It's like kuih," her brother explained. "So what you want?"
"I don't know..."
Shri sighed but Misao patiently explained again. In the end, Shruti decided to take Sakura mochi.
"What about drinks?" Misao asked next. "Sake? Shōchū? Awamori? Chuhāi?"
"Uh..." the siblings just looked at each other.
"I only know Sake, but no thanks," Shri said at last. "We don't drink."
"You don't?" Misao asked, mildly surprised.
"No." The siblings said together, shaking their heads.
"Oh... then what about mugicha?" Misao suggested. "That's barley tea, and we also have green tea and matcha."
As much as they liked green tea, they also wanted to try something new.
"I think I'll take mugicha," Shri said before turning to his sister. "What about you?"
"I think I'll take that too," Shruti smiled.
Misao nodded and left to get their order prepared.
"What's Sakura Mochi ah?" Shruti asked as soon as Misao left. "Sakura, I know lah. Flower. Mochi you said the jelly-jelly sweet thing, right? Sakura mochi means how?"
Misao soon returned and started entertaining them with her tsuzumi.
"I really like the sound of that drum," Shri told his sister in a low voice. "The pung pung sound is very interesting. What do you think?"
Shruti shrugged. "Well, it sounds less scarier than uduku. Always get goosebumps one."
"True..." Shri agreed. "Especially when they play in the temple and stuff."
"You got see, meh?"
"No, but in movie itself enough what. Imagine in real life."
"You and your imagination lah."
Shri made a face at her and turned to Misao who had been playing alone all this while as she sang. Their food soon came, served by a waitress clad in traditional clothes.
Misao then started dancing. A slow traditional Japanese dance as she sang, just as slowly. Shruti held back a yawn and Shri didn't really look as if he liked it either.
Well, they had their food.
But Shruti got a little curious.
"Sakura, can I ask you something?"
"What is it, Shuruti?" Misao said politely.
"Is there any significance behind the strained singing style?"
"Shruti!" Shri hissed in a low voice.
"Sorry, I couldn't resist..." Shruti apologised sheepishly. "Is there? I'm just really curious, sorry."
Misao chuckled and went on to explain the history behind it. They both listened attentively, munching on their food.
"It all starts from the Edo period, doesn't it..." Shri smirked.
"Yes, because of the two hundred and fifty years of peace during that period," Misao explained. "That's when Japanese culture started building up."
"Interesting..." Shri said, nodding slowly.
They continued eating and finished their main course, moving on to dessert. Shruti was wondering what she should do with the pickled Sakura leaf around her mochi.
"You can eat that," Misao said.
Shruti's face scrunched up in confusion but she just shrugged and took a bite. "It's really nice! Shri, you want my other one? It's like pulut."
Shri couldn't resist so he pushed his bowl of Anmitsu to her. They really liked their Wagashi.
"We drink this much tea, don't know whether can sleep or not later," Shri sighed, downing his third cup of mugicha.
"That's the thing..." Shruti agreed. "But I think can lah. Barley only what."
They spoke in low voices to not interrupt Misao who went on dancing gracefully with her fan as she sang. They were soon done with their food and it was almost time to leave.
"Thanks, Misao— I mean Sakura," Shri thanked as he and his sister bowed. "The food was great, and so was your performance."
Misao smiled and bowed too. "Thanks, Shri. It's funny how we keep meeting again. They told me that a guy named Mohan booked here but you're here instead."
"That's me, my full name's Shri Mohan," Shri chuckled. "My parents call me Mohan when pretty much everyone else calls me Shri, even Shruti."
"I thought Indians call their older brother... Anneh or something?" Misao asked, slightly puzzled.
"Yeah, but not Shruti," Shri smirked. "She has always called me by name, stuck to it too. At this point, I don't even want her to call me anything else. We call our older brother that though."
"Oh, you have an older brother?" Misao nodded. "I see..."
"Yeah, but we're not as close to him as to each other," Shruti grinned, hugging Shri's arm . "And for some reason, I feel like calling you Neesan."
"Since when you know Japanese?" Shri asked in surprise. Usually, it was just Shruti making fun of him when he started teaching her the little Japanese he knew.
"I know lah," Shruti smirked. She turned back to Misao and grinned. "Can I? Neesan?"
"Sure, go ahead," Misao chuckled. "Alright, you guys up for one more performance or shall I escort you to the counter to pay?"
"Maybe one more performance," Shri smiled. "What do you think, Shruti?"
Shruti inwardly groaned but nodded anyway.
So Misao sang a traditional song as she played her tsuzumi. It was surprising how she could play so many songs on one instrument.
"Thank you, we really enjoyed our meal and your performance here," Shri bowed again when she was done.
Misao smiled and brought them to the counter. She whispered something to the cashier and entered the shoji doorway behind the counter.
"Five hundred yens," the cashier said.
Shri looked surprised. "That's all?"
"Yes, because of the friendship discount," the cashier smiled. "Only those who have been personally invited by our employees get this."
"Oh..." Shri grinned but took out a ¥500 note to pay. "I really liked your service. And the atmosphere is simply relaxing."
'Started lah. Going all literature,' Shruti couldn't help but think, shaking her head at her brother.
"And this is for you," Misao suddenly came out and handed a white cat figurine to them. "It's called a Maneki Neko, the cat that beckons fortune. It is said to bring prosperity to those who have it."
Shri smiled and took it. "Thanks, Sakura."
Misao bowed and waved as they left the Ryōtei.

-kuih basically means a small snack, very similar to the types of Wagashi in Japanese cuisine. Actually it's pretty much the same thing, only in Malay lol.
-meh is like eh but in a doubtful way. I think it comes from the Chinese dialect but it's not uncommon to see everyone else using it. Like... in the sentence that Shruti mentions it in. "You got see, meh?" It shows that she is quite sure that Shri has never seen a live uduku performance before and that's why she says that.
-pulut is sticky rice in Malay. Sometimes eaten with curry, it can even be made into a dessert like Kuih Pulut Seri Muka.

I know, I spell Misao's mispronunciation of Shri's name as Shuri, but she actually says Sh-ri. This is because the 'u' is actually not as long as in the word sushi lol. I know this because I went to Japanese class a few times and the teacher said that there would be an extra u in my name, but it's not as long we think. It still extends the pronunciation somewhat.