The afternoon sun was glowing brightly by the time Sano laid the last crate in the hold of the ship. Kaida wiped a bit of sweat from her brow, then said, "Now that we are finished with this job, why don't we go get something to eat?"
"Like what?" Sano asked. Keiji grinned and said, "Ah…the famous Monday afternoon hangout."
Sano shot a confused look in Kaida's direction. Noticing Sano's confusion, Kaida laughed and said, "I like to go to the Akabeko on Monday afternoons. Since Mr. Tanaka doesn't have an appointment this afternoon and you, Mr. Sagara, are here, I think this would be the perfect time for everyone to get together."
Sano was still confused, but decided to keep quiet for the moment when Kaida turned to Keiji and said, "Mr. Tanaka, why don't you invite Naomi and Kira to join us?"
Keiji nodded, then turned, walked off the ship, and down the road. Sano turned to Kaida to ask her a question but she had already walked on deck and headed toward the plank that served as a walkway onto the boat.
The Akabeko was busy that afternoon. A loud grumbling noise echoed within the interior and seemed to tumble out the door and into the street every time the door was opened. After being seated, Kaida resorted to scouring the menu for what she wanted to eat. Sano already knew what he wanted. He scanned the crowds of people, searching for any familiar faces. He spotted his drinking buddies over in a back corner. They were laughing and having a merry old time. It had been a few minutes since they had arrived and Sano was already bored to tears.
Finally, he turned to Kaida and asked, "So, how did you become a merchant?"
Kaida looked up from the menu, her dark eyes holding a look of surprise. Then, she smiled gently and her eyes took on a distant look.
"Well…," she began. "My father was a boat builder in Yokohama before the Bakumatsu. He was very wealthy. On my 5th birthday I asked him when I could have a boat. He told me, 'Later…when you're older.' But…" Kaida sighed sadly, her mind deep in past thoughts.
"But three years later the Bakumatsu started. My father was worried for our family, so one night he told us to come with him. We followed him to a carriage, got in, and didn't get out until it was early morning. We ended up in a small village just south of Hokkaido. I don't remember the name now. But, anyhow, my father left to fight against the imperialists. He died in battle 3 months later. I never saw him again. A few years ago, after my mother remarried, I went back to Yokohama to see what it was like. I found someone who still owned one of my father's ships, so I bought it from him in hopes to start a fishing business. It happened that a Frenchman by the name of Pierre La Fleur was at the docks that day. I happened to run into him and we got to talking. He told me that if I could find a supplier of silks, he would buy them from me for his silk shop in Paris. It just so happened that Mr. Tanaka was there that day and overheard our conversation. He offered to sell me silks to ship to France where, in turn, I could sell them to Mr. La Fleur. The boat that my father built has since been retired from long-distance sailing, but the Kozoku is an iron semi-replica of the boats my father used to build, but enlarged slightly to hold more cargo."
Sano's eyes were bulging by now. He couldn't believe the incredible luck surrounding this girl. He was curious about the rest of Kaida's history and the reason she had been so willing to hire him.