Warning: This chapter will contain scenes of minors drinking and being drunk in public...
Counting the Differences
Chapter Twenty: Loosen Up
Second in Command of Oedo, Wakamatsu flicked the flag and stood ominously at the entrance of the Ginza izakaya, thoroughly scoping the scene through the bar through his dark sun glasses. It was evening time so sun glasses were inappropriate and with lighting and shading of his glasses made it look like he was seeing through a shot of whiskey. His attire was traditional, not flashy for a yakuza higher up. Anyone could mistake him for a salaryman, not a second in command on business. It was meant to be a productive yet quiet chat. He wanted to avoid attention; he was not on Oedo turf.
A pretty woman in a bright blue dress offered to escort him to a booth, yet he declined her offers and retreated to a corner seat. He peered over his shoulder to watch her leave.
He absently glanced at the drink menu but despite craving his favorite sake he pressed the dispenser for tea.
"Not drinking tonight?" An inoffensive baritone voice uttered.
Wakamatsu gently blew across his steaming cup before facing his contact. "Today is not for pleasure, I'm afraid, Itou. I need a clear mind."
Yuuto Itou was medium height, skinny with slanted eyes, inconspicuous in features. Dressed in a classic black suit, black trousers, shiny black shoes and white shirt, no facial scars, all fingers intact, at first glance; he wouldn't call for much attention. He didn't look like an overzealous yakuza, believe it or not, most don't. However, Wakamatsu did notice the slightly longer length of Itou's sleeves, despite the spring weather. Most likely to hide his tattoos in case the fabric rode up his arm, he figured.
"That means you must have something you don't want me to hear." Itou sat down and unbuttoned his suit jacket but did not remove it in the slightly warm izakaya.
Wakamatsu dismissed the verbal jab, giving his contact the benefit of the doubt and hoped that it was just his sense of humor rather than suspicion. "How's Kurosawa-sama?"
"He's busy." Itou refilled Wakamatsu's tea and simply poured his own. He smacked his lips upon tasting the tea. "Bitter." He muttered, but continued drinking. "He's heard that the Diet is planning on passing a major Anti-Yakuza law. Our contact was vague about explaining it or who demanded the original proposal, but they're doing a gradual purge of those in the parties who are also affiliated with Yakuza. Needless to say"—Itou laughed—"our contact won't be around there much longer to tell us."
Wakamatsu pictured Oedo's own line of contacts and hands in government—all of the yakuza worth their salt had their hands in the cookie jar. He doubted an outing of party members could really cause such a stir in the community. "But any new members they bring can be just as easily persuaded."
Itou bared his teeth in a crooked smile. "We hope that will be the case after this bill is ratified. The government does not want to pay lip service to its people while allowing us to function as we please anymore, especially when the younger ones disrespect the gokudo and cause mischief. If the bill really delivers more transparency, our way of life will change, we'll have less influence in the industry.
"That's why the boss is busy at the moment. He's pulling a lot of strings."
"Is he planning something?"
Itou's face revealed no indication of deception. "If I knew, I wouldn't be able to tell you anyway."
Wakamatsu, though still interested in the subject, had more dire matters to discuss. "The issue that I need to discuss with you, Itou, is a bit sensitive."
Itou suddenly turned in his seat, intrigued.
"Many of the subjects are underage. I think"—Wakamatsu lay the photo Ojou gave him flat against the table—"this one is part of your family."
Itou pressed one finger and dragged the phone to the edge of the table. He took in the boy's features and nudged his jaw like he had an underbite. "He's a foot soldier. He's not under me. I might know who he is and which clan he belongs to. Is there a problem? Is he causing trouble on your turf?"
"Not to the clan, to a special friend." Wakamatsu conveniently left out Ojou. "If my understanding is correct, a simple matter escalated and now he is demanding police involvement."
Itou snickered and exhaled a puff of smoke. "What's got to do with me?"
"He is calling too much attention to himself. If the police start sniffing, his clan, your clan, Kurosawa-sama will be affected. He's acting too reckless."
"His clan leader can handle the investigation easily, if not squash it all together. If not, compensate and move on. Why the bother?"
Wakamatsu's voice hitched in his throat, remembering the details Ojou had confided in him. He thirstily finished his tea, calculating how much to say in order for Itou to take it seriously but gradually enough to not show all of his cards too quickly. "Don't you think the timing is unfortunate? Any extra focus on the community, even for petty crime, would incite extra drive for the public to agree to the bill."
Itou stabbed his cigarette into the ashtray, not polite about his annoyance. "Again, why should I care? If you think I'm sour, try speaking to his clan leader and see how much he gives a shit." Itou buttoned his jacket and pushed his chair back to stand.
Wakamatsu had one more card to play he wished he didn't have to use. "The family the foot soldier has incited should make you care. Foreign diplomats and military personnel—not some common middle class family. They have resources to fight and if the foot soldier keeps acting carelessly, the clan leader and boss will be investigated."
Itou hutched forward in contemplation, admittedly Wakamatsu had correctly pointed out Itou's assumptions. The situation was indeed more complex than he originally thought. Unfortunate timing indeed for the community to receive negative attention. "What do they want? Your special friend? Compensation?"
"I'm asking for Oedo, not them. They are not aware of the community and it needs to stay that way. They are not to be approached by the clans, even mine—only through our mutual friend. Tell the foot soldier to stop his games and the family will back off."
Itou poured himself another full cup of tea, using more base tea this time for strength, his eyes narrowing. Wakamatsu had just made him a liability. He had no choice. "You son of a bitch. Fine. I'll inform the leader of the clan in question that he needs to keep his foot soldier under his thumb."
Davina peered over her shoulder then up at the patterned ceiling of the garishly red and yellow colored establishment in 高田馬場or Takadanobaba. Next to her, teens and tired businessmen were carrying their trays of French fries and hamburgers. Yes, she thought to herself and smiled. She was standing in a queue at a McDonalds.
She had asked why they had ventured all the way to Takadanobaba for McDonalds—not that Baba was far but they had definitely passed by a few McDs on the way.
"We're taking you to a place you'll find familiar and safe." They had said.
Davina grinned, just as she had when they first presented her their idea.
Minami, Uchi and Noda were in front of Davina while Kuma waited behind—the three boys heavily insisted that Kuma order last since his orders took the longest. Davina glanced behind at Kuma who was scratching his chin while eyeing the menu very speculatively, as if solving a hard math problem.
"Dabina-chan, which one do you think I should get?" Kuma uttered next to her ear, his eyes never leaving the menu. "The Mega Big Mac or the Mega Teriyaki?"
The redhead searched for the items and her attention gravitated towards two massive quadruple-paddy burgers. Her appetite sank as her stomach whirled unpleasantly. Davina was not the best person to ask about McDonald burgers. She couldn't even recall the last time she had tasted McDonalds or even paid attention to one.
"Um, I'm gonna try the teriyaki burger so you can try some of mine if you would like." She suggested, tearing her eyes away from the display as Uchi uttered his massive order to the worker. She listened in to Noda and Minami and felt her stomach expand.
Wasn't this supposed to be a country of tiny portion sizes?
She was shoved in front of the queue by the flow of the line. She quickly scanned the menu again for her order and picked out pieces of Uchi, Minami and Noda's Japanese dialogue. "The teriyaki burger meal, please."
Despite being sure that she ordered perfectly, the cashier leaned in towards Minami, Uchi and Noda with a high-pitched "huh?" Davina was confused as to why the cashier turned to the three of them. She repeated her order, slower and louder.
After a pause, the cashier turned to Minami, Uchi and Noda as if begging for an explanation.
"She said, the teriyaki burger, please." Noda bitterly uttered.
The cashier pressed a few buttons and never acknowledged Davina again until she paid. This left Davina slightly confused and uncertain; she peered over to Uchi, Minami and Noda who were standing at the edge of the counter. Meanwhile, Kuma stood next to Davina, scratching his chin as he announced his colossal order.
"I heard you, Dabina-chan. Does that sort of thing happen often?" Minami asked, hiking a brow.
Davina simpered. "Rarely if I'm by myself. Often with my girlfriends. With Shin, almost always. People just don't expect me to speak any Japanese so I guess they expect the local person with me to speak on my behalf."
Noda sighed. "It must be very tough."
"But foreigners are very capable. I met a foreigner man the other day who speaks better Japanese some of 3-D." Uchi added. "The only thing he couldn't understand was 'no! I don't want to buy that shirt for ¥5,000!'"
"Yankumi and Shin mentioned that even you, a non-Japanese, spotted spelling mistakes in our work." Kuma added.
"If people get surprised, don't take it too personally or that you're saying it wrong."
"To be honest," Uchi began. "If a foreigner is asking me for directions, I will try and answer in English. Just to be helpful!"
Davina laughed, recalling her winded discussions with Jayla, Mira as well as other foreign students.
"What's so funny?" Minami asked, slowly glancing amongst his friends' perplexed expressions.
"It's just people trying to study Japanese find it frustrating sometimes when people respond in English. It's confusing because we can never be sure if we spoke correctly or not. Also some of us don't speak any English at all."
The three boys turned to one another, checking to see if they were all baffled. They all shrugged, silently agreeing that they could not understand while Davina continued to snicker behind her hand. Kuma finally joined them with a McDonald's cup in hand.
They retrieved their orders and sat down at a booth in the corner upstairs—for some odd reason they were insistent on Davina sitting in the farthest corner from the entrance, facing the exit and the open walking space. The girl didn't bother to argue and simply sat. It wasn't as if they were going to offer any answers…
The boys wasted no time eating—inhaling their food so quickly Davina could have sworn they were in competition with an invisible vacuum cleaner.
Davina removed the wrapping from her food, surprised at the hearty bites she took, not realizing how hungry she was or how much she liked her teriyaki burger. She licked her lips and tasted sweet teriyaki sauce. Davina let out a savory 'hmmm' and Kuma heard with a smile.
"Good?" Kuma asked.
"Definitely not bad." She covered her mouth to suppress a burp. It was that precise moment Kuma let out a loud belch, but the boys continued eating merrily without pleasantries. The way the boys' hands were splattered with mustard and ketchup like paint, chatted with their mouths wide open, and the way they licked their fingers between bites…it's was disgusting. Yet she snickered with food in her mouth.
"What are you laughing at?" Minami asked.
She shook her head. "Betsuni. It's nothing."
Relaxed from the lack of pressure, Davina adjusted in her seat and didn't care about her greasy hand. She inched forward to eat more, and with habit, pressed her arms against the table. Reactively she twitched from the table bump against the bruising. Without even reaching for a napkin, she yanked down her sleeves until her fingertips were almost covered.
She immediately regretted the twitch and conspicuously pulling her sleeves. She hoped that the boys were too preoccupied with their meals to notice yet her mind was racing for damage control. She returned to her meal silently as if she hadn't been anxious.
Though no words were exchanged, Davina's fretful display of covering her arms with her sleeves was observed by the four boys. Even if they were from the idiot Shirokin class, they weren't stupid.
They chattered animatedly to each other and ate normally despite the obvious reminder of the unmentioned situation. Shin hadn't stated anything suspicious about her arms and they pondered if they should tell him in case he hadn't already known.
Davina gazed over the other tables to people-watch as bits of their conversation became too colloquial for her comprehension. Amidst two groups of businessmen, and several other bunches of young teens, she spotted a young couple, sitting closely in a corner.
Though she never associated McDonalds with romance, she thought it rather sweet and intimate how they sat under the rosy colored shade. The shade warmed their faces as they smiled from each other's company.
"They're on a date." Minami broke Davina's train of thought, causing her eyes to blink rapidly.
"Yes—of course they are." She mumbled, feeling the usual rush to her cheeks when she blushed.
The boys smiled knowingly, repressing the urge to tease Davina senselessly.
"Have any of you ever taken your date to McDonalds before?"
The boys all shrugged.
"A few times." Uchi said.
"A couple." Minami nodded.
"I met an ex in a McDonalds once." Noda muttered.
"It was her favorite place to go." Kuma added.
"Hmmm, I never knew that." It dawned on Davina that Kuma, Uchi, Noda and Minami never spoke about personal things with her before. Judging by their usual flirty demeanor with girls, Davina figured they were all single.
"Has Shin not taken Dabina-chan here yet?" Noda smirked and Davina laughed.
"She should know that he is a sucker for the McPork sandwich—he's very sneaky about it. And don't ever try to share with him—he never shares!" Uchi grumbled with the others nodding keenly.
"Ordered a plate of dumplings, they arrived one minute, I turn my head for a second, they're gone the next. Poof! You would think Kuma is bad, but Kuma orders enough for himself. Shin has no guilt when he polishes off a plate and the worst part is that you never see him do it." Minami narrated as if it were a tragic story; the others wholeheartedly agreed.
Though Davina smiled from amusement, thinking back, she couldn't picture Shin being sneaky about food.
"So Dabina-chan!" Uchi chirped happily, successfully securing Davina's attention. "Was Shin like that at all when you were together?"
Davina immediately imagined her dining room with Shin, very tranquil and collected. "He definitely shares food." She snickered, taking another bite from her burger. "I'll keep your advice in mind, though, about the McPork sandwich.
"So, do you guys date much?" Davina set her burger down to have some fries, which she had to admit, she had forgotten how nice they tasted.
Uchi proudly beat his chest with his palm. "Dabina, we are masters of courtship."
She giggled. "Then how come I haven't seen any of you with girls?"
The boys visibly cringed as if shocked with electricity.
Noda shrieked as if in physical pain. "You know, you don't have to point it out so harshly Aka-chan."
"I'll have you know that I had just finished a relationship before we became friends." Minami leaned in towards Davina.
"Oh, what happened?"
Minami's expression saddened. "She was a liar." He quickly told her about Watanabe and his girlfriend's infidelity. He also said how incredible of a friend Shin had been and how impressive Yankumi had been as she fought off Watanabe and his crew.
Davina twirled a fry in her fingers. The urge to ask about Shin and Yankumi's whereabouts overwhelmed her again, yet she merely asked another question. "Again, so why did we go to Takadanobaba?"
"Neh, Dabina-chan, do you go out much?" Kuma asked slowly.
"To like bars, clubs, and such?" Noda clarified.
Davina shook her head, not sure how the question was relevant to hers.
Uchi dusted the salt from his hands from his French fries. "Takadanobaba is great for student nightlife—mostly university—but we high school students like coming here as well. Waseda is nearby; Temple University houses their students around here too."
"Temple uni means a bunch of foreigners who probably speak English hang out around here." Minami pointed out.
Davina hiked a brow, impressed. "You guys put a lot of thought into tonight, I'll admit."
They all smiled appreciatively and Uchi uttered on their behalf: "Like we said, we don't have Shin's dreamy looks tonight, but you'll be entertained."
Davina wiped her mouth with a napkin before speaking. "I just wish you guys had told me that we were going out so I could have brought something to change into."
Kuma tilted his head thoughtfully. "That would have broken the first rule of the plan."
Yankumi twirled her hair for the thousandth time and Shin peered over his shoulder, half in embarrassment, and half for checking for followers.
"So…Shin-chaaan…" Yankumi said in a high cheery voice, making Shin cringe.
"Davina never says Shin-chan for the last time." Shin scolded the teacher.
"Eh? Why not?" Yankumi abruptly broke character. "Nah, my phone is ringing again. Do you think I should answer?"
"Just keep it down." Shin shushed the teacher. Earlier she had tried speaking entirely in English and while it perhaps would fool anyone else, Shin couldn't bear it—especially when her rudimental topics run out and she resorted to just listing colors, foods, katakana loan words…
When Shin could only see typical pedestrians, nothing suspicious, he considered texting Uchi or Noda to tell them to call it off or meet earlier than planned. However, his gut twisted at the thought. His instincts believed—no, knew—that Inoue's crew was out there. They must have believed their ridiculous charade; otherwise they would have faced them already.
In that event, Shin gingerly set his arm on Yankumi's shoulders as a mark of affection. With Davina, they would merely hold hands, yet they had a charade to maintain.
"Saaa…Shin-chaaan—
After finishing their meals, the boys directed Davina towards an izakaya. It appeared quieter and more adult-oriented compared to the other more youthful establishments.
"Aren't we thirty years too young for this place?" Davina muttered.
"Yeah, the atmosphere is a bit old, but it's got cheaper drinks." Minami explained.
"Are they carding?" Noda nudged Uchi, the taller one who could peer over to the bar.
Uchi cursed. "Yep, they are."
"Neh…Dabina-chan…do you mind if we ask you a favor?" Noda began.
Noda whispered in her ear. A few moments later she was awkwardly approaching the bar with a long, complicated list of orders that she was quickly failing to remember. "But I'm not twenty! None of us are!"
"Yes, but they're more lenient with foreigners! Trust me! Just say you're 'hatachi' if they ask. They won't inquire anymore than that."
When Davina glared in annoyance at the four, they patted her on the shoulder in amusement. "Promise!" They all chorused.
Just be cool, she sighed. She wasn't sure what exactly would happen if she screwed up. She called for a bar tender who slowly approached her. Davina noticed immediately that he knew she wasn't twenty.
However, she bucked up her courage and just ordered as if she did it every day. She pressed a menu against the counter and traced her finger over the drinks she wanted. "Um, yes, can I get four of…these and three of…those—
"Are you old enough to be here?" His voice blared, deeper and stronger than Davina imagined.
She gulped. "I'm twenty," she said as her mouth dried.
The bar tender grumbled. "Looks younger…" he mumbled, but he quickly scribbled her order and marched away.
The teenager exhaled deeply, her head spinning from relief. She paid and quickly carried the tray of drinks to their booth. The boys whooped with praises for their comrade.
"Well done Aka-chan!"
Davina set the tray down with gusto, dying to get the evidence out of her hands.
"Nah, didn't you get anything for yourself?" Kuma asked, passing out the beers.
Davina shook her head. "Nope, not really interested."
Minami snorted. "Come on, Dabina, live a little."
"You've had a rough couple of days, loosen up a little." Uchi added.
"Here, have one of my shots." Noda slid a small glass towards Davina.
Drumming her nails on the counter top for a moment, facing four encouraging boys, Davina gave in. One couldn't hurt. "Alright," she grasped the glass and held it up to cheer with the others. "Bottoms up." She tipped the glass and her throat burned.
"Where the heck is that girl?" Ken growled at the clock ticking in his living room. He listened to the generic voice mail box message of his daughter's phone then hung up.
Esmée heaved a sigh, turning the page of her newspaper, despite hardly paying attention to the articles. "She's still not answering her phone?"
"Isn't she supposed to be grounded?"
"She's never been grounded before; maybe she didn't know she had to stay home."
Ken groaned with irritation while tiredly rubbing his forehead. "This isn't a joke, Esmée."
"Who's laughing?" She folded her paper and left the living room. "I'm going to sleep, don't forget what we have to deal with tomorrow."
Ken let out another unpleasant grunt as his wife shut the bedroom door.
Davina was ordered to buy the next round. Surprisingly, she could already feel the one shot she had. She wasn't tipsy yet, but a couple more would do the trick. She had changed her mind. Whatever Noda bought for her, she wanted another.
She sat on the bar and leaned forward to get the attention of the bar tender. The young man gave her a slight nod of the head for acknowledgement. Davina smiled and sat firmly in her seat to wait, enjoying the airy, relaxed feeling in her head.
The stench of stale alcohol waved over her was so strong that Davina nearly closed her nostrils with her fingers. A scruffy business man dizzily climbed into the chair to the right of Davina. Besides the smell, Davina didn't think much of the man until he undoubtedly turned to her.
In her peripheral vision, she could see his dark bloodshot eyes squinting tiredly from being drunk and overworked. He opened his mouth to utter something and Davina was hit with another whiff of alcohol.
"Oi…Oi…" He muttered to Davina, vying for her attention.
She ignored him, pretending that she couldn't hear him.
"Oi!" He tapped on her arm and with a huff, Davina turned around. She figured the best case scenario he was asking for her help or worst case that he was trying to be creepy.
She could do three things: answer in English in case he knew English and was sincere, answer in French since he mostly like wouldn't speak French so he would leave her alone, or tell him off in vulgar Yankumi-patented Japanese. She decided to wait until she figured out the nature of his interruption.
He drunkenly rubbed his face then leaned to speak to Davina. "Do you model or something?"
Creepy. Davina's jaw tightened, but she continued to ignore him.
He tapped her arm harder. "What…I know your face and hair…aren't you that glamour model? What was her name…?"
Davina's eyes widened in spite of her control. "I'm just a student!"
"No, no…you're definitely her." He insisted, leaning in closer for a better look. "What was her name…?"
Davina's blood raced with adrenaline but before she could act, a friend intervened. "Hey, old man! Take a picture! It'll last longer!" Minami's voice shouted.
"But try it and see what happens." Uchi chimed in, circling the man.
"You don't want to mess with us, do you?" Kuma cracked his knuckles.
The man fled, and Davina ducked her head, rushing back to the booth.
"You alright, Aka-chan?"
Davina shook her head—just from being flustered. Why did everyone always have to refer to her by her hair color?
However, trying not to upset the boys any further, she forced her composure. "Guys, you can't go around threatening every single person who stares." She pointed to her red hair. "My friends and I are used to it. That guy did seem a little off, kept saying I reminded him of someone…"
The boys recalled the time they ate with Davina and Shin in Shinjuku—the occasion Davina had felt obligated to pay for. The staring, the pointing, the whispering—they hadn't reacted then for the sake of not frightening Davina in front of Shin or getting into trouble. They figured the staring was due to the high density of Shinjuku. A lot of people meant loads of people who could be staring. However, as they strolled in a residential area, the fewer the people the more frequent the stares became.
"We've never dealt with this sort of thing before."
"What does Shin do?"
"He doesn't do anything really—not from what I see. I can't cower from it when he's around." She remembered the two significant situations when Shin stole her hat. "I used to wear hats all the time, not for fashion, but to cover up my hair. Shin has a knack for stealing them, so I've gotten used to it."
"Dabina-chan…" Kuma uttered softly.
"That model comment was just creepy." She insisted. "I'm alright, really."
"Then why are you shaking?"
The question, though spot on as she slowly realized, hit right at home. Her heart rate was up. Words were getting harder to speak. Maybe it had to do with that drink. She was having the same jumpy reaction like from when Shin was arguing with her.
Minami nudged Noda. "Let's go to a more student friendly place."
The red-headed Yankumi stretched and yawned sheepishly. "Ah, so it good take home." She happily chirped for effect in poor English. Shin wondered how she had managed to tutor them in English.
They were approaching the army base but Yankumi's unnecessary chatter made each step painstakingly long.
"Hey, I'm gonna put my shoulder on your arm," she broke character and whispered. Shin's shoulders tightened as Yankumi gingerly graced her head on his arm.
Despite being his homeroom teacher, Shin doubted she had any real experience with relationships. Suddenly Yankumi froze, Shin glanced back. Her face paled.
"Yabai!" She scurried behind single standing tree.
"What the heck are you—"
"Ah! Sawada and Suminsu!"
Shin turned and saw two cheery ladies, waving animatedly at him.
"What are they doing here?" Yankumi muttered under her breath.
Fujiyama and Kawashima-sensei grinned from ear to ear and their cheeks were flushed, Shin saw as they approached him. They laughed as Kawashima-sensei almost tripped in her very high-heeled shoes.
"So despite the horrors of this week, you two sweethearts still manage to go out?" Fujiyama winked knowingly at Shin.
Shin's eyebrows rose. Had they been drinking?
"Sah, Dabina-chaaan… no need to hide." Kawashima sauntered over to the tree where Yankumi hid. "We promise we won't tell your elders or school teachers."
"Yamaguchi-sensei already knows, doesn't she?" Fujiyama-sensei tilted her head in thought. "What a nice homeroom teacher she is? Isn't she Sawada-kun?"
Yankumi slid around the tree, trying to avoid Kawashima, but Kawashima drifted around the tree until the two teachers collided and fell over like bowling pins.
The homeroom teacher watched in slow motion as her red wig flew off her head and into the street of oncoming traffic. Her hand reached out as if to catch it but she saw three shadows slowly approach her.
"Yamaguchi-sensei!" Kawashima cried, rubbing her back.
"With Sawada-kun? Oh the scandal!" Fujiyama pressed her palm to her lips in glee and teasingly nudged Shin with her elbow.
Yankumi stood immediately and faced her colleagues. "Scandal? What are two young teachers doing in Roppongi?"
"US?" The two teachers shouted incredulously. "What is a homeroom teacher doing with one of her young vulnerable students on a Saturday night?"
Yankumi's cheeks were redder than a tomato, her mind racing. "I can explain! It's not how it looks! Sawada?"
She turned around and her excitement extinguished like a flame. Shin faced four young men, two of them she recognized from Shirokin.
"Inoue—
"Tsuchida-kun—" Fujiyama immediately sobered, her vision darting between the thugs, Sawada and Yankumi. What was one of her most prized homeroom students doing with that sort of lot?
Tsuchida's expression was one of defeat but this seemed to amuse Inoue as he stepped forward. "This," he began, "has become far more exciting than I could have hoped."
"I AM A UNIVERSITY STUDENT AT TEMPLE." Davina regurgitated the line the boys had instructed her to say to the bouncer. He had asked to see some identity but the truth was they were all under the legal drinking age. The student club and music were so loud by the entrance; Davina had to shout so the bouncer could hear her. "THESE ARE MY FRIENDS, THEY ALSO GO TO UNIVERSITY."
The bouncer stared suspiciously at Uchi, Minami, Noda and Kuma. He could picture Davina as a university student, especially from Temple. He couldn't quite imagine a girl dressed nicely like Davina hanging out with a group of young thugs. However, he waved them through. "Don't cause any trouble." He warned the boys.
"Miserable old man." They grumbled under their breaths.
Davina instantly preferred this place over the old one. The atmosphere was younger, brighter and more social. Judging by the pleased smiles from the way the boys peered over towards a group of girls, Davina knew they were planning to enjoy themselves.
"I'll buy the first round." Davina declared to allow them to scurry off to flirt.
Kuma whispered over her ear. "Are you sure? After what happened back there—
"It's fine." She shouted in response over the loud music. "Go, flirt."
Uchi gave her a peace sign; they didn't have to be told twice. Davina rubbed her throat as she joined the queue at the bar. Her voice was not going to happy in the morning. The next morning…when she would have to make a statement for the police with her parents.
Her stomach whirled nervously but she forced a smile to save her mood. The guys were going out of their way to cheer her up and keep her company. Meanwhile, Shin—
She was shoved abruptly in the shoulder and her right knee to her shoe was soaked.
"I'm so sorry!" Cried a girl's voice in rapid Japanese. The girl, quickly offered Davina a napkin, but her eyes widened in the typical 'oh-shit, she's Caucasian, must not understand Japanese,' look.
Davina stared at the upset girl, feeling an odd sense of déjà vu. She swore she had seen her before somewhere…
"Natsu," said a male, foreign sounding voice. The young man with light brown hair and blue eyes, with Caucasian features smiled at the girl. "Did ya spill something?"
She replied in soft Japanese but Davina couldn't understand from either her vocabulary or the loud music.
"Hey, I'm so sorry, it was an accident. Let me get you a towel."
Davina dismissed his offered, embarrassed for the situation. "It's alright, I'll sort it out."
"Again, sorry about that. Hey, do you go to Temple?"
"ASIJ." She answered.
He laughed loudly. "Ah, still a high schooler. Aren't you a little young to be in a club?"
Davina raised a brow. The young man had a baby face. "Are you twenty yourself?"
"Touché." He said, pulling his girlfriend closer affectionately. "Hey, since we ruined your night, let us buy you a round."
Davina peered over her shoulder, unable to see Kuma, Noda, Minami or Uchi. "I was supposed to buy some for my friends."
"Tell me what they want. I'll get them."
True to his words, the young man, whom Davina later learned to be named Bryan Latimer, bought Davina and her friends a round of drinks. However, since she couldn't see where they had drifted off to, Bryan secured a table for Davina and his girlfriend.
"Natsu speaks fantastic English, but she's a bit shy." Bryan joked, causing the girl to blush.
"I can speak decent Japanese." Davina said.
Natsu asked Davina about ASIJ and Davina asked Bryan about Temple. An American himself, he had a few friends who attended Temple straight after graduating ASIJ.
When Davina asked if Natsu attended Temple too, she fled the conversation, saying she needed the bathroom. Before Davina could ask Bryan, she heard four familiar voices.
"Psh, those girls."
"Think they're so great because they go to Waseda."
"So? I could get accepted there in my sleep!"
"Good Dabina-chan's got our drinks."
"Why is she with a guy?"
Davina could feel four pairs of suspicious eyes, burning into her and Bryan. "Guys, let me introduce you to my friend. Friend, whose name is Bryan, these are my friends."
Bryan, happily ignorant of the accusing glares from Uchi, Minami, Kuma and Noda, waved and greeted them. "Hey guys, say do any of you have the time?"
Uchi grudgingly twisted his arm to check his watch. His eyes widened and he showed the others. "Guys, we're late!"
Four arms instantly grabbed the shouts and the four boys gulped them down. However, the liquid burned their throats and they all bent over coughing.
Kuma was the first to recover, though stammering. "Dabina-chan, Shin…was expecting..us…an hour ago!"
Davina nearly fell out of her seat. "What IS the time?" Her curfew, her parents, and she was supposed to be grounded! She grabbed Uchi's arm and her jaw dropped.
She slowly turned to Bryan with a pale face. "I'm so sorry! We have to leave! It was nice to meet you!"
Before Bryan could even open his mouth to utter farewell, the five teenagers ran out of the bar as if a demon were chasing them.
"Why are you here?" Shin watched Inoue, specifically his hands near his pockets.
"Where's your little friend?" He replied, stepping forward.
"WHY are you here?" Yankumi charged forward her, demeanor serious despite her ridiculous outfit.
Inoue smirked at her attire. "We have unfinished business."
"That will be dealt with tomorrow." Yankumi sharply replied.
"This has nothing to do with you, sensei." Tsuchida grunted.
"Two students of mine playing thugs!" Yankumi cried.
"How is it not our business?" Kawashima, with Fujiyama, stepped forward with Shin and Yankumi.
Yankumi proceeded forward and before Shin, Kawashima or Fujiyama could act, Inoue grabbed the collar of her shirt. "You have no idea who and what you're messing with, sensei." He gritted teeth ferociously like a rabid dog. He expected the dorky teacher to cower but she stared on at him without an ounce of fear.
"I know exactly who and what I'm dealing with. Do you and your boss know?" Yankumi hissed confidently. If she had blinked, Yankumi would have missed the glint of fear in his eyes and the realization that he had figuratively picked on someone bigger than him. He needed to retreat, recalculate, plan…
Just as Shin charged, Inoue harshly released Yankumi.
"Pass the message to your friend: she keeps her mouth shut tomorrow."
Trying to read the already ridiculously hard to read Tokyo subway map was even harder with the drinks inhibiting Davina's system. Slowly, the gears in her head turned. "Okay, we can go to Ebisu and change or just…go to Yoyogi since its closer—
"And get trampled by tourists." Uchi held up Noda who was having trouble standing.
"Why is the foreigner the one trying to find a route home?" Davina asked rhetorically to the group of swaying boys. "Any suggestions?"
"Bus!" Minami pointed out joyfully. "No changes!"
Before the boys could get too excited Davina cut in. "Train! It's faster."
"Well, we're out of suggestions." Kuma hiccupped, causing the entire group to burst in a fit of giggles. Why in the world was it so hard to make a decision?
Uchi was the first to act. "Train it is guys, get your passes out." They all reached into their pockets. Davina checked her wallet and her expression sulked.
"What's wrong, Dabina-chaaaan?" Noda slurred.
"My pass…it was in my bag…"
"Your bag? Did you leave it in the bar?"
"No, my dance bag…you know, the one that Yankumi is carrying."
All of them groaned in disbelief. How could they be so dumb?
"How did you ride the bus to Baba in the first place?" Minami asked a surprisingly relevant question.
Davina was already walking to the ticket machine. "I paid cash…"
The boys went ahead and tapped their passes on the machines. They waited for their red-headed friend to show up on the other side.
Tipsy, Davina was slower than usual with the machine. She carefully selected her ticket and paid. She probably paid a little too much but she didn't want to bother with paying more upon exiting the station.
"Dabina-chan, what were you doing with that guy back at the bar?" Noda asked, accusingly.
Davina rolled her eyes. "Talking since you boys ditched me to flirt with some girls." She knew her response was harsh but so was the accusation. It dawned on her the significance of their question. "Only talking... honest. I don't fancy him. His girlfriend spilled her drink on my clothes and he offered to buy us drinks as an apology. We talked for a bit and they were pretty nice."
"I don't remember seeing a girlfriend…" Uchi murmured as they rode down the escalators to the train platforms.
Suddenly hurt, Davina turned around so quickly her hair whipped around over her shoulder. Her eyes appeared grey with anger. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Case closed. The guys shut up and never brought up their accusations again.
"He was American. Do you miss hanging out with Americans, Dabina-chan?" Noda asked sincerely.
Davina shrugged. "You guys forget that I'm more used to not being surrounded Americans all the time…well except at the bases."
They left the escalators and followed the signs to their platform. When she saw their twisted faces of confusion she reminded herself that she had never explained her history to them.
Normally she wouldn't bother or avoided the topic, with a tipsy mind, she decided to share. "Since we've got a train ride ahead of us, I'll tell you."
Shin checked his watch again. "Where in the world are they?"
The three teachers yawned, one after another.
"I'd hate to leave you, Yamaguchi-sensei, but I'm beyond exhausted." Fujiyama-sensei's eyes were heavy lidded from sleepiness.
Despite ready to curl up like a cat and sleep on the street, Yankumi smiled tiredly at her colleagues. "You two go on home, I can handle it from here."
Kawashima protested. "What if Inoue and his goons return?"
"They won't." Yankumi reassured them. "Not tonight, so go get some sleep."
"But..." The teachers were reluctant, but Yankumi waved a taxi for them.
"Wow, you've lived in places I never even knew existed." Kuma smiled, still tipsy.
"Kuma is also bad with geography." Noda quipped.
They were all slumped into train chairs with the other passengers standing towards the ends of the train car, worried by the rowdiness.
"I'm surprised Shin didn't tell you—" Davina said but was interrupted by Uchi.
"Shin never tells us anything. Get with the program, Aka-chan."
"Speaking of never-tell-anyone-anything, we never found out how you two met?" Noda said without understanding the implications of his question.
Davina's mood grew somber, however without her usual inhibitions, she spoke. "I was being chased by some club thugs in Roppongi. I was mistaken for someone but they threatened me. Maybe they had nothing better to do. Shin came that night and fought them off. He bought me some tea and helped me settle down before taking me home."
The drunken cheeriness died in the group as the boys digested the information.
"Shin is a good guy." Uchi was the first to speak.
"He's lovely." Feeling warm from her drinks, Davina tucked her long hair over her shoulder and casually pulled back her sleeves, feeling too warm on the train.
The boys were stunned by the dark marks on her wrists.
"Dabina…did Tsuchida and Inoue create those marks?" Minami softly asked.
She yanked down her sleeves again. "They didn't do anything to me. I didn't let them."
Despite how her response left them begging to ask more questions, the boys left the subject alone. It wasn't their place.
"Guys…" Davina spoke again, slowly sitting up. "We missed our stop…"
"Did they say where they were going?" Yankumi asked Shin for the third time.
He ignored her and dialed their numbers again. Davina's phone rang in her dance bag.
A group of four wobbled but they laughed as if they were enjoying their unsteadiness.
Shin sighed deeply. "That's them."
"Huh? Are they...drunk?" She slowly stood and followed Shin after them.
His poker face was on the surface but internally he was fuming. "Uchi! Where the hell have you been? Didn't I say for us to meet almost two hours ago?"
Uchi slapped Shin's shoulder in a chummy manner. "Calm down, Shin-chaan! We're here, we're safe and sound."
Shin smacked his hand away. His face twisted at the smell of alcohol on his breath.
"Were you guys drinking?"
"Shin! We didn't tell you beforehand…sorry bro! Next time!" Noda laughed.
"There won't be a next time!" Yankumi scolded them. "Where did you buy the alcohol so I can report them for selling to minors?"
Minami groaned. "But Yankumi! Then we wouldn't have a place to buy it anymore!"
"Guys, can I go home please? I'm super tired. My stomach feels weird." Davina rubbed her head as if she were getting a headache. She slowly lifted herself off Kuma who supported her but she then stumbled into Shin's arms. "Shin, how are you?"
Shin clenched his teeth. "We can't let her parents see her like this."
"Where's my dance bag, I've got water in there…" Davina slurred.
Yankumi rummaged through her bag to find a large bottle of water. "Thank goodness. Get them hydrated." She gave the teenager the bottle and watched her nearly gulped the entire thing.
"There won't be any for us!" Noda whined.
"We'll buy some for you. She needs to sober up." Yankumi gritted her teeth, absolutely mortified that her students…and another minor…on her watch!
Davina wiped her mouth. "I'm already late and I'm grounded. My parents are so gonna kill me."
Shin carried her and sat her on the curb. "At least you won't be drunk when they kill you."
She immediately set her head to his shoulder. She sighed, enjoying his scent without any inhibitions.
"How long ago did you drink?" Yankumi asked the other boys.
"I don't know..a while ago." Minami hiccuped.
Yankumi ran her hands through her hair. She was their homeroom teacher and they were getting drunk on her watch! What would their parents think?
"Yankumi, they'll be coherent in half an hour."
"You know from experience?"
He merely raised his brows and turned to Davina who was attempting to sleep in his lap.
"Hey, Yankumi! Whatever happened to your wig?" The boys laughed before Yankumi slapped them each on the head.
Davina curled up into Shin's lap and pulled his arm over her like a blanket. In back of her head she knew she was going overboard. Even the drinks she had couldn't silence that, but she didn't care to listen. She loved it when Shin hugged her, like she loved the texture of his hair, the color of his eyes, the scent of his skin, and for once she wasn't going to be modest about it.
"Oh, by the way, my Japanese has improved. I know it."
"Why you say that?"
"Because I had my first dream in Japanese last night. It was a nightmare."
"Stay awake, Davina." Shin needed to keep her conscious, hoping she hadn't drunken enough to be sick.
"Hmm, I want to sleep but I don't want more nightmares."
"Stay awake, how was your dance lesson?" He asked quickly.
"Honestly? It was not my best. Ever since Inoue and Tsuchida did that… I can't dance like before."
"Did they hurt you?" Shin asked.
"Hmm, nice try. I don't wanna talk about it."
Shin grunted. Even tipsy her lips were sealed.
"I don't wanna go home, my parents will kill me. Can I stay with you tonight?"
Shin snickered and moved her hair from over her eyes, which were still shut as far as he could see. She was talking though which meant she was awake. "You have to go home, but we'll wait until you've sobered up."
"No…can I just stay with you? Would your parents mind?"
"Would yours?"
"Hmm. Good point."
"Shin… Why don't you ever talk about your family?"
"I don't have much to say about them."
"Not good enough." She took his arm and freely interlaced her fingers with his hand. She pressed his hand near her cheek. She liked the roughness of his hands. She played with his ring that he always wore on his thumb. "If you're not gonna let me stay with you then just stay here with me for a while."
He didn't respond. He ran his fingers through her soft hair.
"That feels nice." Davina whispered drowsily.
"Stay awake."
"No, I wanna sleep."
"You should have thought of that before drinking."
"You're mean. If you're serious about keeping me awake, stop massaging my head. "
"Just stay awake." He continued to play with her hair.
Despite Shin's pestering, Davina did dose off for a few minutes at a time. Shin allowed her to, being sure to awaken her every so often. Eventually, her eyes opened and she turned to stare at Shin, wide, though red from being tired, but sober.
"How are you feeling?" He asked.
"Alright. Just ready to sleep."
"I'll have to get going—
The inhibitions that Davina had been momentarily immune to fired back. "Now I feel bad. You're probably exhausted too. It's been a long night and I have no idea what you had to deal with."
"You have no idea."
A ringtone ruined the quiet moment and Davina groaned in annoyance. "That will probably be my parents." She checked Shin's watch. She groaned again, immediately sitting up too fast. "After one in the morning… my parents are gonna kill me."
Shin helped Davina stand and gathered her bag.
"What happened to these guys?" Davina asked, referring to the line of snoring bodies with their four friends and Yankumi.
Shin rubbed the back of his neck and yawned. "They sobered up before you but wanted to stay until you went inside."
Davina rubbed her head in embarrassment, hoping she hadn't said or done anything too mortifying. She tied up her hair, figuring it was messy. Concerned for her breath, Davina chewed on a mint. Shin realized how, in a few days, he had seen Davina so un -composed. As if she could read his mind, Davina rubbed her forehead, feeling alien to herself for the umpteenth time that weekend.
Before leaving to head for the Hardy Barracks, she hugged Shin. "Thank you," she murmured into his chest.
"Don't worry about tonight. Save your energy for tomorrow."
Davina's expression twisted with annoyance. "Have you and Yankumi accepted the likelihood that I will not confess tomorrow?"
"It's your choice. I don't think you're as emotionally invincible as you think. It will bother you."
"Will you and Yankumi forgive me if I don't tell?"
"It's your choice."
"That's not an answer." She murmured against the fabric of his shirt.
"I said, it's your choice." He heard her sigh, giving up on her question. "Do you feel ready for tomorrow?"
She pulled away. "You mean later today? You know I'm not." With that she turned around to head for the next block. "I'll hail a cab for you guys," was all she muttered before going home.