The next morning, I woke up later than I’d planned. Maybe it was the air—sothing about being back on Earth again, familiar in a way I hadn’t realized I missed, made it a little too easy to relax.
I only snapped out of it when a soft knock brushed against the door.
"Um... co in," I called, pushing myself up and leaning against the headboard.
The door opened, and just like that, the room filled with the rich, comforting scent of ho-cooked Japanese food. Sakura stepped in with a tray balanced carefully in her hands, setting it down on a small stool beside the bed.
"Good morning..." she said, her voice warm in that effortless, almost motherly way.
"Ah—sorry," I replied, rubbing the back of my neck out of habit. "I didn’t an to sleep in. I should’ve gotten up earlier to help. You really didn’t have to go through all this trouble for ."
She let out a soft chuckle. "You looked exhausted, young man. I wasn’t about to wake you just to cook."
...She really was kind. Almost too kind.
Which only made wonder how her daughter ended up being such a slut.
My attention drifted back to the tray, and my eyes widened a little despite myself. "Woah... rice."
A bowl of gohan sat there, steam rising lazily like it had all the ti in the world. And beside it—
"...Miso soup?"
Man... it’d been ages since I’d had sothing like this.
I picked up the bowl and took a sip.
"...This is really good," I said, quieter than I intended.
I went in for another sip, slower this ti, like I was half-expecting it to vanish if I rushed it. "...No, seriously," I added with a faint, almost embarrassed huff. "This is—this is amazing."
Sakura watched for a mont, then shook her head with a small smile. "You’re praising it like it’s sothing special. It’s just a simple breakfast."
"Maybe," I said, lowering the bowl slightly, "but it doesn’t taste simple."
I grabbed the chopsticks and broke into the rice, and after that, I didn’t really look up again. Bite after bite disappeared faster than I ant it to, the kind of eating that only happens when you don’t realize how hungry you’ve been until it’s too late to pretend otherwise.
By the ti I slowed down, the tray was already empty.
"There are seconds if you want more," she offered.
"I really shouldn’t trouble you..."
"Don’t ntion it."
And just like that, I followed her out to the kitchen anyway and ended up eating more.
Once we were done, I insisted on washing the dishes while she settled into the sitting room.
The quiet that followed felt... comfortable. Still, I figured I should say sothing.
"So... your daughter," I started, keeping my tone casual. "Does she co to visit?"
She looked at , caught slightly off guard, then lowered her gaze. "She used to."
...Yeah. That didn’t sound great.
"What happened?"
"I don’t know," she said after a mont. "She just... stopped coming over. Says she’s busy every ti. So I’ve just been alone." Her voice softened, sothing real slipping through. "If I at least had grandkids, it wouldn’t feel so quiet. But her husband passed before they could have any children."
Right... I knew that.
"I’m just an old woman living alone," she added with a faint smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
"You’re not that old," I said, leaning slightly as I rinsed a bowl. "You’ve still got it."
"Oh, please..." she chuckled. "Stop with the flattery."
"No, seriously," I said, glancing back at her. "You’re beautiful, Madam Sakura."
That earned a proper smile this ti. "Thank you. You’re a kind young man."
We let the silence settle again after that, the soft clatter of dishes filling the space between us.
"So, where do you co from?" she asked eventually.
...Right. That.
I paused, letting just enough hesitation slip in. "I... don’t know. I forgot," I said, scratching my cheek lightly. "My mories are kind of a haze. But I’m from sowhere... far."
Nice one, Asher. Real convincing.
"Aww... poor child. You must be suffering from amnesia."
I blinked....Wait. She bought that?
"I figured so as well," I said, leaning into it with a small, practiced sigh.
"Well, until you rember where you ca from, you can stay here as long as you want," she said with an easy grin.
"Are you sure?"
"Of course. It’s better having soone around than being all alone, don’t you agree?"
I nodded, returning the smile. "Thank you. I promise, I’ll repay your kindness."
"Ah, don’t ntion it."
But I ant it.
I’d repay her properly. Just... not by sitting around.
"I’ll need to find a job," I added. "Help out with expenses."
"A job, hmm..." She tapped her chin lightly. "I rember my daughter ntioning that the Brisco Company was looking for security guards. You could try applying there."
I nearly grinned.
Now that was good news.
Brisco Company... my brother’s company. Which ant—
Yeah. That worked perfectly.
"I think I’ll head there today," I said. "Hopefully, they’ll take ."
"Let call my daughter and put in a good word for you—"
"Ah, don’t worry," I cut in smoothly. "I can handle it."
I finished up the dishes, and she showed around properly before I took a bath. Since I didn’t exactly have spare clothes, she offered one of her late husband’s suits.
A gray shirt that hung a bit loose, matching trousers, a black belt and boots, a white undershirt, and a red tie to finish it off.
Looking at myself, I couldn’t help but smirk.
...Yeah. Peaky Blinders had nothing on this.
After saying my goodbyes, I stepped outside.
"Hey—do you know the place?" Sakura called after , worry slipping into her voice. "Tokyo’s quite big. For soone with amnesia, you might get lost."
I waved without turning back. "Don’t worry. I won’t get lost that easily."
Leaving her with that, I walked off, muttering a quiet apology under my breath for the trouble... all while heading straight through the town, already knowing exactly where the Brisco Company was.
Where I’d go and ruin her daughter at!
Tbc
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