Shin-Gi-Tai (Mysterious Charms)
iii) Greetings Old Friend
“Ryosuke, stand still,” chided Chihiro as she removed the silly white band he usually has tied around his forehead.
“But it’s my style, it signifies peace,” Ryosuke complained as she handed him a comb.
“It looks as if you are signaling ‘surrender’ instead,” his little sister commented straightening the creases of her floral kimono. Ryosuke shot her a death glare.
“Alright you two, now listen up, we will have to be on our best behavior, Nakajima-san is a well-respected official,”
“He’s our neighbor,” Ryosuke mumbled.
“He hasn’t been for a while, and he’s achieved a very high status,”
“You sound like dad,” he interrupted again.
Chihiro pouted before breaking into a smile very much like her brother’s.
“I guess I am,” she continued proudly before ruffling the hair Ryosuke took great effort to neaten.
“Oi!”
“What are you all doing in here? Preparing for a wedding?” Their father chided poking his head into the room.
“We’re almost ready father,” replied Chihiro helping Misaki with some final touches while Ryosuke ran the comb through his hair.
“Eh, Ryo-chan, why in the world do you take so long, that’s the women’s department,” his father complained with a small smile.
“Nani? It was Ne-san’s fault,” he whined while Chihiro stuck her tongue out at him. Just then they heard their mother’s voice and flinched.
“Let’s go,”
*
“This is Yuto’s welcome home party? You’ve got to be kidding me,” Ryosuke mumbled sighing. He was seated on a chair near an extravagant buffet table, with a glass of green tea in his hand. He had to stop himself from gawking at the splendor of the hall with its polished floors, satin curtains, scented candles and magnificent chandeliers. The house had changed a lot since he last remembered. When the heck did they get it all renovated?
A couple of girls in lovely kimonos passed by him slowly, throwing furtive glances at the ignorant boy before bursting into a fit of giggles. His eldest sister was surrounded by young men, watched over from a corner by her excited mother and concerned father.
Ryosuke felt awkward in this crowd. The air was dense with various scents… suffocating. The room was filled with the noise of chatter, polite laughter and the tinkling of glass. Even the buffet table (Ryosuke’s favourite part of parties) was filled with random foreign food the Nakajima’s were trying to introduce or merely using to show off the results of their travels. Worse thing was, Ryosuke was having a hard time finding the guest of honor himself.
“Ryosuke ni-chan,”
Ryosuke jumped.
“Oh, Raiya? Wow, you’ve grown,”
“Un, but you look the same ne, maybe you’ve grown a little bit taller….but just a little bit ne,”
Ryosuke bit back a retort and ruffled the younger boy’s hair. He beamed back before bouncing away to a young man entertaining a small group of ladies. The man greeted Raiya affectionately, before laughing away politely with the girls. Ryosuke yawned then suddenly ended up coughing as he recognized the man, no, the boy’s hoarse voice as he excused himself and walked over to a group of scholars.
“When did he get so…..tall?” Ryosuke exclaimed in disbelief as he got to his feet.
“Yuto!” he called out. The lanky boy smiled politely as one particular scholar steered him further into the group, introducing him to the others. Ryosuke clumsily dodged a waiter in western clothing who was carrying a tray with drinks and narrowly avoided a very drunk ojisan who was doing very well in creating a commotion.
“Yuto,” he called again, this time louder. The said boy was busy nodding and smiling politely, oblivious to his voice. Ryosuke was just a few feet from his old friend when he stopped dead in his tracks. The world seemed to freeze around him as he got the full impact of the situation. His silent gaze swept every corner of the room, finally coming to rest and lingering on the young Nakajima, confident, social, bold, and professional.
This is not my world, but I see it has become yours. I know you, yet something feels so different. It’s no wonder you can’t notice me. Demo, I’d never thought I’d lose you to them. Well, whatever.
A painful jab in his ribs sent him hurtling to the floor, followed by another thump and a loud crash. A waiter had accidentally collided into him, thanks to the very drunk ojisan. Pushing himself off the floor, he flinched as a searing pain coursed through the tendons of his left ankle. Glass pieces had bitten into his flesh and the remnants of the Sake made the wound burn. The waiter scurried to his feet, apologizing profusely to Ryosuke and the crowd around who were staring at the two, some with surprise, concern and others with amusement. Gritting his teeth Ryosuke ignored the laughter and pushed himself to his feet. His eyes met with Yuto’s for a brief moment, who mouthed a shocked ‘Ryosuke?’ but he turned away quickly, pushing his two sisters away as they rushed to him concerned.
“I wonder if he’s ok?” one of the scholars standing near Yuto voiced out, looking after the retreating boy.
“Ne Toma-san, I think that’s blood on the floor,” pointed Kamenashi-san. The two men stared at the droplets discreetly visible among the spilled Sake. Yuto was still staring towards the door Ryosuke had left through.
“Go make sure he’s ok,” Kamenashi-san urged Yuto who bowed gratefully in return. The two scholars stared at Yuto’s retreating back.
“Ne, Kame, guess we have to cover him eh?”
“It feels like the old days again,”
“Not really,”
“Hmmm,”
“I’m bored,”
“Understandable.”
“You know who we need right now right?”
“Hmm, yup, Bakanishi and Pi,”
“Toma! You read my mind!”
*
“Ryosuke!”
Yuto moved frantically, eyes eagerly searching the garden outside his house.
“Nakajima-san,”
“Chihiro-chan?”
“He’s gone into the woods,”
“How can you be sure?”
“It’s his second home,”
Yuto sighed. He hasn’t changed a bit. He bowed low.
“Arigatou gozaimass!”
Chihiro sighed watching Yuto dashing towards the thicket.
“Boys.”
* * * *