𝚂𝚞𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚂𝚊𝚍𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜

Chapter-63

"Are the flowers here?" My mom asked.

"They've already started decorating." I said checking my phone, "what about the catering?"

"I'm on the phone with them." She told me.

It was two days until Kenji and Laura's wedding, they decided to get married in Osaka, holding ceremonies for both cultures. What we didn't realise was how much of a groomzilla Kenji was going to be.

"What is everyone doing?" He asked casually strolling into the living room.

"Just confirming things with the vendors." I said.

"What about the shrine and the priest?" He asked.

"Sofu has already spoken to him, they've confirmed everything."

"I want everything to be PERFECT!" He said.

"We know Ken. You told us a lot of times." I rolled my eyes.

"Look at her! Mom! She's making-"

"Kenji! Deep breaths. Calm down. It'll all be fine. Remember that this is just a ceremony for everyone to come celebrate." Charles stepped in.

"Easy for you to say! You're not the one getting married!"

"Don't you dare snap at Charles! He's trying to help you out." I hugged Charles.

At the end of it, Kenji did leave the room. He needed time away from all of us and was going to go spend the day at Baba's house. We were relived he wanted to get away, that meant for a few hours we wouldn't be worrying about every scenario Kenji had thought could go wrong at the wedding.

I smiled at Charles, I was happy he could be here, in Osaka with me right now. I wish there wasn't an event to worry about so I could show him the place I found hope in, the place that always forgave me and consoled me after being hurt in Monte Carlo. But this would do too, even if it meant every time we left the house to "explore" it would be to the market to buy groceries.

I feel like he enjoyed it too, being here meant not having to worry about his "celebrity" status. We could just be ourselves. After all the phone calls were answered and reported to Kenji, we finally had free time. I was sleepy and irritated, I wanted to take a nap, so that's what I did. While Sofu decided to give Charles and in depth tour of all the plants he had been taking care of, some being even older than I was.

"Emiko?" I heard his gentle voice waking me up.

"Hmm?" I asked stretching my arms to actually wake myself up. "Your mother was calling for you."

"Do you need me?" I walked to her yawning.

"Gosh! Wash your face and freshen up a little." She said.

"For what?"

"The florist and decorators are done with the venue I need you to go there and see it. Take Charles with you!"

"Shouldn't groomzilla be doing that himself." I whined.

"Don't be a brat! Just go! Get fresh air, take Charles around town, have you both actually gone somewhere besides the market?" She asked me.

"No... I haven't had the time to." I said.

"This is bad. I'm so sorry Charles! I promise to you Osaka is a beautiful city, we have things other than markets by fishing ports." She smiled.

"I know that. I do. We'll explore what we can today." He smiled.

We were going to the venue that would be hosting the reception, I put some effort into my appearance, I didn't want the staff and planning team to think poorly of me. I thought of restaurants around that area, maybe I could take Charles to one of those fancy places for lunch after we were done seeing the venue.

We set out towards the metro station, I told him to hold onto my hand, we were risking it all during rush hour. This was the quickest and most efficient way to get to the venue I told him, I don't know why public transport was looked down on so much. Especially when it was this reliable.

The crowds did stun him, not once did I see his eyebrows relax. The sheer number of people around him, how many of them told him he was really tall and he looked handsome in a language he didn't quite understand , the awkward laugh he had thanking them all made me grin like a fool.

Once we reached the venue, there really wasn't much to do. We were greeted by the staff, they led us to the place, everything was coming together well. The flowers, the fabric, the light fixtures, everything made the place look so dreamy and beautiful.

"It looks wonderful!" I smiled at the team hard at work. "Thank you so much for your hard work."

"We're glad it matches what you were expecting." The lady leading all of them acknowledged me.

"We'll be out of your way now, please continue." I said.

We left the location, I started scouting for places to eat. When I suddenly felt a tug on my arm, "let's go around Osaka, the way you've spent your days in this city." He said, "You know so much about me. But there's so much I don't know about you once you moved away."

"There's so much I've got to show you of this city and so much of my life to tell you. For starters let's get out of this posh area." I laughed.

I took him to the neighbourhood I attended university in, not a lot had changed. Students were still rushing in and out of the gates of the university, many of them were playing arcade games, some sat at the tables outside snack bars with their books open, trying to cram in all they could. It reminded me of my life not too long ago, a part of me got nostalgic for it.

"Are you hungry?" I asked.

"Starving!"

"Come with me!" I took off in the direction of my beloved udon shop, it's so funny the last time I came here it was with Sofu. And I was crying about what my life had come to.

"How many?" The cook asked.

"Two!" I held up my fingers, "what side dishes do you have today?" I asked.

"Yaki Onigiri." He said, "Tuna ones."

"We'll have those too." I said.

The service was quick to say the least, this is why I had loved this place so much. We ate our food, watched the students around us, some studying, some watching us, why were two clearly overdressed people eating in a snack bar?

"This place. Is what kept me going through my degree." I said to him.

"I mean I'd forget I have a degree to finish." He slurped the noodles, "so good."

"This is also the place I cried my eyes out about you. It's embarrassing but I needed to tell you." I laughed.

"Let's replace that memory with this." He smiled.

"With what?" I asked.

He slid a small box in my direction, I looked at it and then back at him in confusion. I opened it, it was a delicate necklace with just one pendant on it, shaped like the human heart. I flipped the pendant to find his name engraved on it. I smiled and looked at him.

"You've already got a ring, here's my heart too."

Fin.