Necklace In The Path

Chapter 5: The Center of Tokyo's 23 Wards

I always loved seeing Tokyo at night. I never considered myself to be much of a rural girl, more of a "city slicker," as my mom would say. I remember visiting New York once in my early 20s, and I instantly fell in love with the city lights and the way people hustled just to reach their destinations. After that one visit to New York, I knew I wanted to live in the city. But growing up in the United States and wanting to live in the city was a bit of a challenge. It's a lot more expensive in the States, and if you want a well-paying job, you better expect to have a good education. As Hinata was driving, I could hear a faint voice in the background.

"Did you hear me?"

"Oh! Uh, I'm sorry! I must have gotten lost in my thoughts." Hinata grinned at this.

"You don't go out much, do you?"

"Is it that obvious?" I chuckled, knowing he was absolutely right.

"Ah! She smiles!" I felt my cheeks burning up. Hinata continued, "You know, you do have a really pretty smile." How long has it been since I received a compliment from the opposite sex? Hinata must have noticed the embarrassment written on my face. "I'm sorry. I'm not trying to make you uncomfortable. I just think you look really cute when you get bashful."

I better respond so that we can end this conversation. "N-no, it's okay! I guess I just don't take compliments well." And just like that, Hinata looked over with his cute eye smile and didn't say another word until we arrived at the destination.

Hinata parked his car in the space behind a building. Once we both got out of the car and started walking toward a restaurant, I thought aloud, "I haven't been to this part of Tokyo." My outside thought must have been louder than I presumed because Hinata responded with a cheerful tone, "You haven't been to this side of Tokyo?"

"O-oh, no I haven't."

"Well, maybe after dinner we can walk around a bit." There he goes with that eye smile again.

As we entered the restaurant, it felt like Hinata was a celebrity. The whole restaurant immediately greeted Hinata and quickly called out someone from the back. Out of the back came a rather short, older Japanese man with a few missing teeth. "HINATA!" the short man shouted so loudly. Hinata shouted right back at the man, swinging him in for a hug. "KIYOSHI!" They both started howling with laughter at their greeting.

After their hugs and fits of laughter, Hinata asked Kiyoshi, "Sei-san, 2-ri-yō no tēburu wa arimasu ka?"

"Nan demo shimasu yo!" Kiyoshi was still laughing as we headed over to a booth located in the corner of the restaurant. We sat down, and Kiyoshi immediately started up a conversation with Hinata, "Saigo ni atta no wa itsu datta ka?"

"6-Kagetsu ijōdeshou!" Whatever Hinata said must have baffled Kiyoshi because the expression on his face seemed shocked but also a little hurt. "Aikawarazu genki-sōdesu ne! And you brought a lady friend too!" I was taken aback suddenly when I started hearing English, not so much at what was said. Hinata chuckled at Kiyoshi and finally introduced me, "Ah, Kiyoshi, this is Tabitha-san." I did a quick bow, and so did he, but with much more ease.

Kiyoshi asked what we wanted for drinks, and Hinata decided for both of us to order a bottle of sake. I hated sake, but I did not protest and instead gave a slight smile. Before Kiyoshi could walk away, Hinata reached back his arm and grabbed Kiyoshi's. Kiyoshi had a bit of a frightened look on his face when Hinata grabbed him so suddenly. "We're ready to order too," Hinata said with a grin on his face. Kiyoshi's expression changed to a sigh of relief. "Oh, ok ok!" I started first with the fried egg yakisoba. Hinata decided to order the okonomiyaki, which surprised me because that type of dish is on the sweeter side. After placing our orders, Kiyoshi took off to the kitchen. I decided then to start the conversation for once.