Chapter Forty-Nine

With the ring of the phone came a twist of my gut. There was no other person this could be.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Naoki-san?" She said, her voice quiet and clear, "This is Sahoko Oizumi."

"Of course. I've been expecting a call from you." I said. I heard the front door open.

"I hope I didn't leave you waiting too long." She said. Actually, I'd been thankful for the two days it had taken her to call. I'd had a little peace.

"No, you haven't."

"Good. I'm calling to ask you if you'd like to have dinner with me tonight at Taiyo." Sahoko said. Her timidness made me fidgety. It was fair to say I wasn't comfortable talking with someone so shy anymore, having adapted to someone so loud that she did almost all the talking between us.

"I'd love to."

Kotoko entered the living room. I refused to look at her, to see her stricken face as she realized who I was talking to.

"Is it alright with you if we meet at seven?" The slightest alteration in her voice showed her excitement but it was so small, I wasn't sure I counted it.

"That's fine." I said, eager to hang up.

"Great. I can't wait to see you."

"Me either," I lied, my mood finding a new low-point, "I'll see you at seven."

"Bye." She said.

"Bye." While I was grateful to have ended this phone call, I stopped a second before hanging up. And then I had no choice but to face her. Kotoko was sullen, her eyes on the floor and her heart probably lower.

"I'm home." She said, her tone a ghost of what used to be enthusiasm.

"Welcome back." I tried to escape by her without any further communication. It proved an unavailing tactic.

"So, you're going on a date with Sahoko-san tonight?" She asked, her eyes unusually empty. She waved off her question, sparing me of answering it, "I'm sorry, it's not my business."

I faced her, knowing full well she wanted the answer, "We're going to dinner at Taiyo."

"Oh." She ran her gaze over me and then it landed on the floor in front of her again. I wished she would stop looking at me like that.

"But maybe I've said too much. I might have you following me there. What will it be this time? Cleaning toilets?" I said. I detested the way I sounded saying it.

Kotoko smiled loosely, but it looked like it wanted to break. While I wasn't actually trying to hurt her, it was so easy to take my frustrations out on her.

I made my way out of the living room and upstairs. It was still so silent in the house. Kotoko may have been around, but she was abnormally still in the wake of my arranged marriage. I'd been trying not to let this drastic change get to me.

Upstairs, I dressed for the date with Sahoko and slipped out the front door in a hush so Kotoko wouldn't hear me.

I walked into town and hailed for a taxi. With Taiyo not far out, the drive wasn't long, but in the time that it took, my mind had burned itself out of being pessimistic.

She'll be more lively, I'd convinced myself.

Eventually.

Maybe I just hadn't been giving her enough of a chance. Maybe I had yet to warm up to her. Just maybe, I would like her one day.

Yeah, I agreed, I'll like her one day.

But for now, I strived for a simple interest in her, anything that made her likeable to me. This was what I was starting with.

I met Sahoko at Taiyo's doors a little after seven. Out of her kimono and in a regular dress, she looked more like a normal girl, though she still stood out from the crowd in terms of elegance.

"I hope you haven't been waiting here too long." I put on a false smile that, by now, felt close to natural.

"Only a few minutes." She squeaked, "Have you ever been here before?"

"I haven't." I said, holding the door open for her.

"Me either, but I hear its food is exquisite. This is one of my grandfather's favorite places to eat in Japan." Sahoko tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

"A restaurant recommended by the Chairman must be a great place to eat."

"I think so, too."

The inside of the restaurant was dimly lit, the walls tall and made of brick and the tables lavishly adorned with bouquets of flowers. Above hung chandeliers.

From the front desk, we were guided to our reserved table. It was in a far off corner near a window placed strategically to face a pond out back.

"How beautiful." Sahoko said, in awe of the pond outside as the lowering sun hit it in all the right places.

A waiter brought our menus and we ordered our dishes without saying much to each other. She began when the waiter left with our orders.

"If we're going to go anywhere with this, there's something I want to know." Sahoko said, shy of sounding demanding.

"Of course." I said.

"About the girl that lives in your house… what's her name?" She asked. She couldn't have taken to any other topic?

I paused, "Kotoko."

"I see. It's just that your mother said some things last time and I thought I might've picked up on something." Sahoko said.

"Don't worry about anything my mother said. She was just trying to scare you away." I revealed an inviting smile.

"Then you didn't reject a girl's love letter?" She asked.

I didn't jump to answering, "I did, in high school."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but it was the girl you live with who gave you the letter, wasn't it?" I would like to have known how she came to that conclusion, but she was smart for sure. I made sure my mind remained blank when answering these questions, otherwise this peaceful date might've taken a turn.

"Yes, it was."

The waiter brought our orders, hindering the conversation for until he was gone yet again.

"So, she likes you. But, you don't like her, right?" Sahoko seemed genuinely worried about this.

"Right. Like I've said before, it was always just my mother trying to pair us up. You have nothing to worry about." I reassured.

Sahoko lost any hint of the discontent she seemed to have been feeling and the date progressed onto easier topics. Our favorite places to eat, what books I read, how she got so invested in flowers and nature, and many other things. The conversation was light and easygoing, but still I was bothered by that undisrupted, quiet tone she used. She showed no emotion, lacking the excitement I'd grown accustomed to seeing.

I put an end to these kinds of thoughts as soon as they appeared. It was the only way I felt better about being here with her.