Ginza, Tokyo
(09:39pm)
"Kampai!"
I raised my sake glass along with the others as we cheered, before drinking it in one go. At the same time, we brought down our glasses to the table and laughed.
I invited my three favorite girls tonight to drink at one of our favorite drinking spots along the alley in Ginza. It was cramped and old but we liked it better than getting felt up in the club. That would only lead to our bodyguards causing a scene and beating them up.
Tonight, they listened to all my worries without interrupting me. They hugged me at times, or stroked my hair in comfort. I was glad to have them around.
When I was done ranting, they voiced out their opinions. Two of the girls agreed with me that Jesam wasn't to be trusted. I was pretty sure Hikaru had a small crush on him, though.
"I heard he's intense, in an exciting kind of way," she gushed, her big round eyes practically twinkling. Her gray-dyed shoulder-length hair swayed as she rested her chin on the back of her hand when she leaned forward.
Ayaka, looking reserved as always, simply shrugged. "Onii-chan doesn't like him."
"Mikihito doesn't like him only because Yuki's marrying him," Eiko pointed out, laughing as she pushed her long blonde hair back past her shoulders.
"Actually," began Ayaka, putting down her wooden chopsticks on the chopstick rest, "the Oshiro clan doesn't think it's a good idea to create an alliance with the Triple Tigers."
Okay, so here was the thing.
The Yakuza that currently dominated Tokyo (the capital of Japan) consisted of five clans, one clan amongst those was considered the head family. The head family was to be respected and obeyed by the rest of the clans, no questions asked.
Each clan had a territory they protected and controlled. They collected under-the-table taxes, ran businesses (sometimes legal, sometimes not), and made necessary political connections.
The Takeshi clan had been the head family for over fifty decades. It was rumored that the reason why our particular clan was so strong and was able to stay as the head was because we used to be a family of samurais, and that the teachings and knowledge had been passed down only to close relatives and loyal followers of the clan.
While our clan held the entire Tokyo metropolitan area, the cities within were divided into the control of the rest of the four clans. Nishimura held Shibuya, Yoshida held Chiyoda, Shimizu held Shinjuku, and Oshiro held Minato.
And of course, the three girls with me were from those families. Who could understand my need of bodyguards better than those who had them, too?
"They're not trustworthy," added Ayaka, who was part of the Oshiro clan. Her older brother, Mikihito, was set to take over from their father soon.
Ayaka was the serious one from the four of us, often times coming off as aloof. She was a bit of a conservative, too. It was funny, considering her family owned most of the host clubs in Roppongi. I heard Mikihito spent most of his time there because that was where the money was, and he was exceptionally good at handling them.
I raised an eyebrow, before saying, "Nobody is trustworthy in this business." I grabbed the bottle of sake and poured myself a drink, muttering, "It's all a matter of personal interest."
It was quiet for a moment, before Eiko clapped her hands as if she remembered something. We all looked at her, while she turned to me with a huge grin on her face.
"Hey, what ever happened to that guy you met in Seoul?" she asked, her Australian accent slipping out. She was sent to a boarding school there for a few years, so it was only natural that she adapted the way they talked.
I blinked, caught off guard. I hadn't talked about him in such a long time.
"I'm not sure," I answered truthfully.
Hikaru tilted her head. "When was the last time you spoke to him?"
I thought about it. "Three years ago?" I shrugged, before adding, "He got busy when his last year in university started."
Eiko's shoulders slumped. "That's sad."
"That's life," I simply said, before drinking my sake.
"Can I see his picture again?" pleaded Hikaru, pouting and batting her Bambi eyes on me. "Onegaaaii?" Pleeeaase?
Honestly, who could say no to that face? She was the youngest so we spoiled her a lot, but she was still as sweet as a chocolate fudge sundae.
Eiko shrieked and pointed a finger at me, with what used to be pretty slitted eyes now round as they widened. "You showed her the picture and you didn't show me?!"
Ayaka raised a hand, her face remaining blank. "I didn't see it, too."
"Shame on you, Yuki!" bellowed Eiko, crossing her arms and glaring at me.
"Hikaru-chan was the only one here at the time," I explained, trying not to laugh. This was the kind of silliness I needed right now. "You were away in Europe and Ayaka went to Africa for that volunteer feeding program."
"We're here now," said Ayaka.
Hanging my head, a small laugh escaped my lips. "Hai, hai - chotomatte." Alright, alright - wait a moment.
I rummaged through my bag for my phone, pulling it out when I saw it. I had to scroll for a full minute before I reached the photos from three years ago. When I showed it to my friends, they stopped... and stared.
Eiko was the first to react, grinning wide and giving me a knowing look.
"Ikemen datta ne, Yuki." He's a really good-looking guy, Yuki.
I only sighed. I know.
"That's him?" asked Ayaka, with a little frown.
"Un." I nodded. "Nande?" Why?
"He looks familiar."
Hikaru slapped the table. "Soka!" That's right!
Eiko looked at her. "Nani?" What?
"He looks like a Kpop idol!" squealed Hikaru in excitement, cupping her own face with her hands and giggling. "Kakkoii!" So cool!
Nodding, I agreed, "Honto." Seriously.
I couldn't help myself – I laughed with her. Hmm, it must be the sake. Whatever the case, I was totally loving this light feeling. I felt like I could flyyyyy! It had been a looong time since I felt the burden of my problems lift off from my shoulders – even if it was only for the night.
"I guess," muttered Ayaka, leaning back on her chair and looking like she was lost in her thoughts. "You're not going to contact him?" she added, asking me.
My laughter died down, until there was only a small smile left on my face as I thought about the silver-haired boy I almost fell in love with.
"No, it's been years." I shook my head, putting my phone down. "He probably has his life set now. There's no point in disturbing him. Besides, I have more pressing matters to think about."
Welp, so much for being burden-free for the rest of the night.
"I still don't get it," admitted Eiko, completely baffled. "I thought you'd have more freedom since you're not the one expected to take over Takeshi Financial Group – among other things," she added under her breath.
"It's different for us, Eiko," reasoned Ayaka, with a hint of sadness in her tone. "While we're encouraged to marry someone who comes with a good family background, we still have the freedom to choose our husband." She paused and shook her head. "Yuki is from the head family. It's not just encouraged, it's expected."
Eiko huffed, grabbing her glass and drinking it all in one shot.
"At least you're born a Nishimura," I pointed out.
It was an open secret that the Nishimuras were the most relaxed one out of all.
You'd think that the strictest was the head family but actually, it was Shimizu clan where Hikaru belonged. Having Shinjuku as their territory must have played a huge factor, since they had to be really tough in order to maintain a strong ground in the business district of Tokyo.
"What are you going to do now?" Hikaru asked me.
I bit my lip, looking up at the wooden ceiling as I thought about it.
"Talk to Jesam," I decided. "Hopefully, I can make him see reason and agree that marriage between us is a bad idea."
"How are you going to do that?" followed up Hikaru, before blinking hard as if a light bulb suddenly lit up in her head. "Masaka..." There's no way...
"Are you going to South Korea to talk to him?" she gasped.
"No," I snorted. "He'll be arriving here next week. I'll talk to him by then."
Eiko sighed. "I'd run away if I was you."
Been there, done that.
"If only it was that easy," I said, before drinking another mouthful of sake.
Ayaka shrugged. "If there's a will, there's a way."
"I can never run away from my family." I shook my head. "Not again."
"Everything will work out, Yuki," soothed Eiko, patting my shoulder.
"If it doesn't, remember my brother's offer," Ayaka reminded me.
Three years ago, Mikihito proposed to me. He offered himself as a last resort, an escape from my current predicament. He made it sound so easy and... so tempting.
We were childhood friends so I at least knew him for a long time. Unlike with Jesam, who I barely knew at all. With Mikihito, I wouldn't lose what little freedom I had left. He wouldn't try to control me or limit me. I'd be safe.
"He cares about you," added Ayaka seriously. "He'll do anything for you."
"I don't want to put him in danger," I said quietly, looking down on my lap. "Papa might kill Mikihito if we defy him."
"Iie, he won't," she replied confidently. "It'll start a war between the clans."
Huh, Ayaka had a very good point. Papa wouldn't dare touch a hair on Mikihito, especially when it was almost time for him to take over his father. I was starting to weigh in the odds in my head when Hikaru groaned.
"Can we not talk about deaths and wars?" she whined. "Let's just have fun and drink our problems away for the night!"
Eiko laughed. "Well, we did meet up to get smashed."
Ayaka released a sigh, but there was a smile caught between her lips.
"Yuki-chan?" called Hikaru expectantly.
I chuckled. "Hai, hai. Wakata." Okay, okay. I get it.
After filling up our glasses, I raised mine up with them following my lead. At the same time, we cheered.
"Kampai!"
I was so happy.
"Arigatou gozaimasu, Oba-chan!"
The old lady who owned the bar nodded and waved at me with a kind smile.
"Ki wo tsukete, wakai josei!" Take care, young lady!
I nodded. "Un!"
Giggling, I stumbled out of the alleyway. But then I stopped walking, as I realized that none of my friends were with me.
"Are?" Huh?
So of course, I only did what any sane and sober person would do in this type of situation, completely forgetting that I was nowhere near sober - therefore, also not sane.
I tried to find them.
It didn't even bother me that I had no bodyguards with me. Or maybe they were around, I just didn't notice because they were too far away. I felt suffocated when they were right beside me in the beginning, so we reached an agreement that they could guard me all they wanted as long as I didn't see them.
Hold on, why weren't they helping me now? I knew I told them to keep their distance but this was a little bit too much, wasn't it?
I turned around and was about to call them when I bumped into someone.
"Ah!" I yelped, before realizing my mistake and bowing my head. "Sumimasen." Excuse me.
Uh-oh, bowing my head was a huge mistake because now I felt like throwing up.
Covering my mouth with a hand, I stood up straight faced the person I bumped into. And guuurl, was I glad that I was covering my mouth because it would've dropped open in shock of who I was looking at right now.
He flashed me that charming smile I've almost convinced myself to be a dream.
"Hisashiburi, Yuki-chan."
Long time no see, Yuki-chan.