(2) Double Dating
'It's a long time since the whole family had dinner together last
time.' Mrs. Touya thought. Watching her beloved husband and son having
their dinner, Mrs. Touya shows a delighted smile on the face. She and Koyo can
only stay in Japan for a short time, but there is still a lot of matter she
can deal with, for example, the meeting tomorrow.
'Akira-san, are you free tomorrow?' Mrs. Touya asks her son carefully.
'What's the matter, Mom?' Akira asked politely.
'Your father and I want to treat the Nakami family in Ginza tomorrow;
to show our respect, I hope you can go as well. Because the Nakami family help
us a lot, they rescued your father on the airline.' Mrs. Touya tells her
son.
'They rescued father? What happened?' Akira asked nervously while
looking carefully to Touya Koyo.
'I got a heart attack on the airline. It's lucky that Nakami-sensei
and her daughter in the same plane. They did first-aid for me and took care
of me during the whole journey. Otherwise, I cannot be all right now.'
Touya Koyo explains to his son shortly with a thankful voice.
'Yes, yes. Akira, you should thank Nakami-san, she is really a professional
doctor and nice girl.' Mrs. Touya complements heartily.
'I will go with you tomorrow and thank them for rescuing father.'
Akira decides. After all, he doesn't prepare to see Shindou in the Go
Institution tomorrow. However, he has missed the excitement in the eyes of Mrs.
Touya.
It's coincident that Hikaru faces a similar talk in his own family at
the same time.
'Hikaru, will you be free tomorrow?' Mrs. Shindou asks her son heartily.
'What's the matter, mom?' Hikaru answered absently since he
is still thinking about Akira: Touya must have been mad today for my leaving.
How can I apologize? He is too serious a guy, simple excuse cannot work. Maybe
I should stay away from the Go Institution and his Go Salon until he forgets
the whole unpleasing thing…
'Hi-ka-ru!' Mrs. Shindou can't help cry out when she finds
his son is not listening to her, 'are you listening?'
'Yes, yes, I have been listening all the time.' Hikaru nods fiercely
to prove that he is listening. It's not a good idea to enrage mother,
she will bother him to die with her repeated speech.
'Then, how do you think of my suggestion?' Mrs. Shindou asks craftily,
since she knows her son is not telling truth.
'Suggestion…' Hikaru pauses for one minute or two and equivocates
quickly, 'a good idea! I totally agree!'
'OK!' Hearing her son's answer, Mrs. Shindou announces with
a angry smile, 'As you agreed, you will go dating with Akari tomorrow
in Ginza. I'll call Akari and book seats for you two in Ginza.'
'Mom…' Hikaru open his eyes widely to show his surprise.
'Any problem, Hikaru?' Mrs. Shindou asks dangerously.
'Nothing, mom!' Hikaru decides to close his mouth and rescue himself.
The Touya family meet the Nakami family in the Ginza on the second day.
'Oh, I'm so lucky to have dinner with the famous Meijin family.'
Mr. Nakami is one of the passional Meijin-fans.
'Nakami sensei overprized, I'm not Meijin any more ever since I
quit the Japanese Go Institution.' Touya Koyo answered modestly.
'But your son will be Meijin soon, I believe in that he can beat Okata
Meijin in the last Meijin tournament and become another Touya Meijin three days
later.' Nakami-sensei continues his praise.
'Dad!' A girl sits besides Nakami-sensei interrupts his speech,
'you are too excited. It's time to sit down and get some tea.'
Once hearing the girl's words, both Akira and Touya Koyo look at her thankfully
for rescuing them for Nakami-snesei's fervor.
'Ah! Tomoko is right. Let's sit down.' Nakami-sensei realized
his gaffe and agrees his daughter's idea, remembers to do introduction,
'by the way, this is my daughter, Nakami Tomoko.'
'How do you do! Nakami-san.' Akira greets politely.
'How do you do! Touya-san.' Tomoko replies politely as well.
It's the so-called date before engagement!!!!!!! Two young persons realized
as soon as they saw the excitement in their parents' eyes.
Meanwhile, Hikaru enters Ginza with his lovely girlfriend.
'Hikaru, I'm so glad that you treat me in such an expensive place,
and I'm so glad we can date in such a romantic air!" Akari talks
to Hikaru cheerfully.
'You are right that here is extremely expensive; however, does 'expensive'
has anything to do with 'romantic'?' Hikaru says secretly
to himself, daring not to allow Akari hear his words.
'Hikaru! Are you listening to me?' Akari gets a little unpleased.
Hikaru is always absent except when he plays Go. It's really boring to
have a pro as boyfriend—even the guy is Hikaru, whom she loved from 12
years old.
Deciding to ignore Hikaru's bluntness, Akari persuades herself to admire
the around.
'Hikaru! Hikaru! Is that Touya-san?' Akari suddenly sees a familiar
face.
'Yes, yes, that's him! Touya-sensei is there as well! He has come
back from China!' Hikaru becomes cheerful when he see the Touya family,
'Oh, I see. That's why Touya left Go Institution so early yesterday
morning! He was not mad—at least not so mad at me!'
'Hikaru! You are talking to yourself again!' Akari can't help
disturbing him.
'Oh, sorry, Akari. I think we should come over to greet Touya-sensei!'
Touya won't be mad in front of his father—Hikaru knows this very
well.
'You fool!' Akari quickly pulls Hikaru to their own seats, while
telling him in a low voice, 'Touya-san is dating with a girl!'
'Dating with a girl?' Hikaru seems to have heard a big joke, 'you
are killing me, Akari! Touya will only dates with Go!'
'You are totally a fool!' Akari tells Hikaru with a big sign, 'I
know that girl who is dating with Touya. She is the youngest doctor in the Nakami
Hospital, where I will work one week later after graduation from university.
She is beautiful and intelligent. It's said that she will become the new
leader of the hospital after her father. She even play go very well! I have
played with her and lose again and again!' Akari can't help extolling
the girl dating with Akira.
'Why are you praising her so much?' Hikaru become a little unpleased
for some unknown reasons.
'She is my idol you know? If I were her, I can take good care of Hikaru
and even communicate with Hikaru over Go!' Akari answers sincerely.
'Akari…' Akari's words can make any guy grateful includes
Hikaru. But Hikaru is not able to say any word when he heard Akari's following
sentence:
'It's really lucky of Touya-san to have Nakami-san as wife!'
Touya—has—a—wife? How strange it sounds! The air in the restaurant seems to be hotter! What the problem of the air-con here—Hikaru wonders! Why he feels a little hard to breathe?
'Shindou 8-dan!' seeing another idol of his, Nakami-sensei can't
help standing up, 'I'll ask him for a signature!'
'Dad! Shindou 8-dan is dating with his girlfriend!' Tomoko cries
out—why can't her dad have a single sense in front of the Go Pros
as he does in front of the patients?! 'I promise you I'll get the
signature for you via his girlfriend since I know her, OK?'
'OK, OK!' Nakami-sensei return quiet after his daughter's
promise. However, Akira's heart can't be quiet any more.
Shindou—is—dating—with—his—girlfriend.
Finally, he sees this scene.
Akira feels strange that his heart does not ache as he thought. Instead of hurt,
Akira feels his heart is falling down endless.
'You know right? You know you and Shindou will grow up and will have each
own family. That's quite natural!' Akira tries to persuade himself
silently, but useless. A felling pf cold surrounds him and makes him chill in
heart. Maybe it will be all right soon, when the cold freeze his heart, when
he cannot feels cold…
'Touya-san? Touya-san?' Tomoko's words call back Akira.
'Yes?' Raising his head, Akira finds there are only Tomoko and him
on seats. What happened? Akira look at Tomoko questioningly.
'The parents thought we need some private time.' Winking at Akira,
Tomoko answers with a careful voice, 'you seem pale, Touya-san, are you
OK?' with these words, Tomoko put one of her hands on Akira's head
to measure his temperature, due to doctors' habits.
Akira is too surprised to take any response at the moment; however, such scene
triggers a totally different sense in a third person's eyes.
'Hikaru, they match each other so much, aren't they?" Akari
is extremely cheerful, 'Touya-san even doesn't duck Nakami-san's
hand. If he were you…' Akari's speech is disturbed by a huge
sound, which is due to Hikaru's suddenly standing up, 'What's
the matter, Hikaru?'
'I don't want to eat here, let's go!' with no more word,
Hikaru hurries out of the restaurant, like a running train.
PS: I'm so sorry that I update this story so late. English is not my first language; there are always a lot of mistakes in my story. Please correct for me if there are any mistake. Please e-mail me to : jianhan82@hotmail.com. Thanks a lot!
Chapter3 will come soon within this week.
