The destination wasn't too far, but it wasn't exactly close either. Shizuka's navigation showed a distance of thirty-five kiloters. Keeping a moderate speed, the trip took about half an hour.
Enveloped by the soft fragrance of the car, Akishin's eyes slowly began to droop. He wasn't one to play on his phone, and for reading, he preferred physical books; to him, the internet was only for looking up data.
A few minutes later, Akishin closed his eyes and drifted off. Perhaps it was because he felt safe, or perhaps the nervousness had exhausted him, but he fell into a deep sleep with steady, rhythmic breathing.
It had been the sa way when they first went to the Kendo Federation; Shizuka's scent seed to have a hypnotic effect on him.
Shizuka noticed he had fallen asleep. She looked at him for a mont, then slowed the car down to forty kiloters per hour. She also cracked the window slightly to let so fresh air in.
Akishin's expression while sleeping looked much softer, lacking the sharp lines his face held when he was awake. Though he smiled often, he usually gave off a serious impression; in sleep, however, he radiated nothing but tranquility.
...
This nap felt incredibly peaceful to Akishin, even more comfortable than sleeping in his own bed until morning. It was as if all the accumulated negative emotions had simply vanished.
He didn't dream. After an unknown amount of ti, he faintly heard Shizuka's voice, and this ti, her tone was softer than usual.
"Chishima-kun, we're here. Wake up. Hey, we've arrived, wake up..."
Accompanied by a gentle shake, Akishin opened his eyes. He stared at Shizuka blankly for two seconds, rubbed his eyes, and then smiled. "Shizuka-chan, good morning."
"..."
"Just kidding. I didn't an to fall asleep. I slept quite well, though. Have we arrived?"
Clutching the gift boxes, Akishin pushed the door open and stepped out. The slightly chilly morning breeze tousled his hair, chasing away the last lingering traces of sleep.
The air carried a faint scent of the sea, and the sound of waves reached his ears. Through the gaps between buildings and greenery, he could see the blue ocean stretching out.
The morning sun hung just above the horizon, painting a small section of the water in shimring gold as a few small boats sailed through the light...
This was the morning sun, distinct and different from the setting sun.
The place was Chiba Port Park. In the distance, the Chiba Port Tower lood high, alongside port cranes and massive ships. Occasionally, the low drone of a steamship horn echoed through the air.
As for where he and Shizuka were standing, it was a street close to the water. To their left stood an unnad tea house.
Why call it a tea house?
Because in front of the door, two elderly n were sitting and drinking tea.
The street was thick with the aroma of tea, as if every shop here were a dedicated tea house.
The lack of a sign suggested this place only served regulars or a specific group of people. And usually, "specific groups" in human society ant those with high social standing.
After all, those of lower status didn't play the ga this way; this was a physical manifestation of a network of connections.
"Shizuka-chan, is this the place?"
"That's right, let's go inside. They sell buns here—the Chinese variety. You know, they're actually quite delicious."
Shizuka nodded. She left the car parked at the curb and led Akishin toward the tea house. As they passed the two elderly n drinking tea out front, one of them looked up and exclaid, "Wait, is that Shizuka?"
Shizuka stopped, looking at the man in confusion. Not wanting to be rude, she asked cautiously, "You are..."
"It really is you. It's been over ten years, I didn't expect you to have grown up so much." The man's face was a map of wrinkles, but his spirit seed lively. "I'm your Uncle Inoue. How is your father doing?"
"Oh, Uncle Inoue!" Shizuka put on an expression of realization and said politely, "Thank you for asking, Father is doing very well."
"Is Yuren inside?" the old man asked, gesturing toward the interior.
Shizuka nodded. "Yes, Father is inside."
The man glanced at Akishin for a mont. Whatever he was thinking, he nodded with a smile and said, "Good, good. I'll go see Yuren for a chat later; it's been a while. You two head on in. Let this old man sit here for just a bit longer."
Shizuka gave a small bow of respect, then reached out to grab Akishin's sleeve to lead him into the shop.
From the outside, the tea house didn't look very large, but the inside was a different world. The tables and chairs looked like Japanese antiques, separated by bamboo screens in the middle, mostly utilizing Tatami paired with low tables.
In several seating areas, more elderly people could be seen chatting over tea and simple breakfasts.
Akishin observed the scene for a mont, then leaned toward Shizuka and whispered, "Shizuka-chan, your acting earlier was terrible. It was totally obvious."
He was right. Shizuka hadn't recognized the man at all; she had just been pretending. The old man had likely realized it too but didn't call her out to save face for both parties.
Noticing his left arm, Shizuka was still clutching his sleeve. Akishin didn't point it out, rely offering a thin smile.
Shizuka turned to glare at Akishin and replied in an equally low voice, "My father has so many friends, especially business associates. It's been ten years; how am I supposed to rember all of them?"
Shizuka-chan, oh Shizuka-chan... and you still claim your father is just an ordinary company employee! Akishin had fully realized by now that this place was a hidden "high-class location."
The aura of those two elderly n earlier was anything but ordinary; they had the sharp eyes and mannerisms typical of businessn. However, he stuck to his principle: he would wait until Shizuka was ready to tell him herself.
—In the old man's words earlier, the only person he cared about was Shizuka's father.
A waitress wearing a kimono approached them imdiately, offering a deep bow. Shizuka said, "Number 3."
The waitress nodded and gestured for them to follow. The walls were made of traditional paper. The two of them headed up to the second floor. The waitress stopped in front of a door, bowed once more, and took her leave.
To be honest, Akishin didn't like this style of eting. It felt like a clash between the remnants of old Japan and his current aesthetic preferences; just looking at it felt uncomfortable.
He didn't feel any sense of luxury here.
On the contrary, he felt the place was thick with hypocrisy—as if people were chasing a certain sense of dignity or reminiscing about past glory. Those elderly n all seed to have friendly smiles, but in reality, they all carried their own hidden agendas.
This was normal; where was the room for true friendship in the business world? Networks were built exactly like this. Akishin understood that if he were to enter business, he could be far more hypocritical than any of them.
But right now, he wasn't one of them.
This gave Akishin the impression that Shizuka's parents wanted to give him a bit of an opening "show of force." Most likely, this wasn't a warm gesture; otherwise, they wouldn't have picked a place like this for a first eting.
The flicker of nervousness he felt at the start had died down. He had reverted to his calm, cold self.
Shizuka turned to look at Akishin, sensing that he had changed sohow. Without a second thought, she kept her hold on his sleeve and slid open the paper door (Fusuma) to enter.
The room behind the door was revealed. It was a private room overlooking the street, with the window propped open by a wooden rod. Inside sat a couple who had clearly entered their twilight years—how could he tell they were married at a single glance?
And that table... it wasn't Tatami and a low table, but high-backed chairs and a tall wooden table!
"Father, Mother, Chishima-kun and I are here."
Only then did Shizuka realize she was still pulling on Akishin's sleeve. She let go imdiately in an attempt to hide it, her face turning crimson once more.
But the couple had already seen it. They looked at each other, and both saw a spark of excitent in the other's eyes.
The man even stood up imdiately to greet them. He grabbed Akishin's left hand with both of his own, shaking it vigorously up and down while saying with a blissful smile, "This must be Chishima-kun! Haha, I've heard your na for a long ti now. This is our first eting; I am Hiratsuka Yuren. Thank you for taking care of Shizuka."
"Ah! Yes! Hello... it's a pleasure to et you. I am Chishima Akishin. Um..."
The father's greeting left Akishin utterly bewildered. He had prepared himself for a serious atmosphere, perhaps even an unpleasant one, but why were you being so enthusiastic?
And then...
Akishin stared at Hiratsuka Yuren's hands, which were gripping his own as if afraid he might try to bolt.
...Is this how Japanese people normally greet each other?
"Father!"
Shizuka called out from the side with an annoyed expression, puffing out her cheeks. It seed even she was shocked by her father's "unrefined" behavior.
"Ah, sorry, Chishima-kun. I was being rude."
Shizuka's father snapped back to his senses. He quickly let go of Akishin's hand, stepped back, and gave a bow. Akishin imdiately bowed in return.
"Chishima-kun, just ignore them. Co here and sit down."
The woman sitting in the chair over there waved Akishin over with a warm smile on her face.
This couple... they didn't seem to be anything like what he had imagined?
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