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"Alright Rika, you stand here and look pretty. That way we'll attract more customers," Yamada directed me towards the wall behind the counter where the soda guns were. He taught me how to use them. A few customers had already started trickling in. They greeted Yamada by name. A few other men walked in, shuffled to a table in the corner and started dealing cards. None of the customers seemed to care that I was there. I got the occasional head nod or quick greeting.

Yamada hesitated a second before leaving to make drinks. He leaned down to my ear and whispered, "Now, don't go flirting with anyone tonight or you'll make me jealous. I wanna keep Miss Rika all to myself if that's okay."

"I, uh, w- wouldn't…"

He chuckled and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thatta girl." As he walked to the other side of the counter he waved a hand at me, "Get ready to earn your dinner!"

Something I realized very quickly was that Yamada's customers did not drink soda. They drank beer and liquor. And they drank water when Yamada cut them off. They were loud and cheerful. Yamada drank alongside the regulars and concocted any excuse to do a toast.

"To cute blondes!" He yelled. And the crowd cheered and drank. Clink!

"To good fortune and good friends!" The crowd cheered and drank again. Clink!

"Ah, just for the hell of it!" Clink! Another round was poured.

Halfway through the night, Yamada brought me a stool to sit on. I leaned back against the wall and watched him work. Yamada's eyes lit up any time someone sparked a conversation. He not only knew every regular's name, but he knew about their sick mothers, asked how their trip away had been, congratulated them on their accomplishments before they could even tell him and consoled them about their losses without them having to say a thing.

When the crowd died down and there were just a handful of drunk and content patrons entertaining themselves, Yamada came over and leaned on the wall next to where I sat. He took a sip of his drink. It was one of the many he had had that night. "I don't think I could do this job sober," he gave a small chuckle. "These idiots have no clue I just use them as an excuse to drink."

"They like being around you," I told him.

"Yeah, maybe," he shrugged. "But what about my Rika?" He placed his arm across my shoulders.

"Ah, uh," I didn't know how to respond. I did enjoy his company as well.

"I thought maybe you would run the second I let you out of my sight. But you're still here." Yamada stroked the back of my neck with his thumb. I shivered. "Maybe Rika enjoys my company as much as I enjoy hers."

Looking at Yamada, I could see he was drunk. Even so, he was in a giddy mood. He wore a wide grin, his eyes were bright and his face was slightly flushed.

"Barkeep, fill 'er up!" a customer bellowed.

Yamada groaned. "We really need some alone time." He turned and assisted the man.

"Oh, right, Rika," Yamada shouted a while later from across the bar as he locked the door. "We got so sidetracked that I didn't explain my good deed."

I lifted the stool to return it to the front of the counter. "Good deed?"

"Yeah, yeah. That girl I helped. She was hangin' around a man named Laito."

I froze. Yamada did not notice.

"He lives up in that creepy ass house. The castle-lookin' one I mentioned earlier."

I couldn't believe my ears. The thought that Laito, or any of the brothers, would come here regularly hadn't crossed my mind.

"I don't see him a lot," Yamada continued, "but when I do it's definitely bad news."

I pushed the chair under the counter and used it to keep myself stable. My legs shook.

Yamada opened a door near the front of the bar and grabbed a broom. "I told her, when she came to me for advice 'cuz Laito had been putting his moves on her, I told her not to trust him. Make it a clean break, I said." He idly swept the dust that had been tracked in.

I gripped the stool. My knuckles turned white. "I've uh, seen it. The um, house. D- does," Get it together. "Does Laito," my voice caught in my throat. "Do you know this person, Laito, well?"

"I've never talked to him personally. Not really the type I'd hang out with," Yamada answered nonchalantly. His back was to me as he continued sweeping. "He saunters around here like he owns the place. Just because he's rich doesn't mean he can lead on all these girls and break their hearts just a couple weeks later. Most of the time they're so heartbroken that they up and leave town!"

My thoughts drowned out Yamada's drunken chattering. I wasn't safe here. I would be caught. Run. Everything in my body yelled it.

"Probably runs in the family. I've never met his father, but word of mouth is that he's got three wives. Three!" Yamada exclaimed.

But leaving tonight would be too risky. I should travel during the day. Word might have already gotten to Laito that an odd girl was wandering around the market.

"What a selfish bastard. One isn't good enough for that guy," Yamada sighed. "Rika, if you were my wife-" He turned to look my way, "Hey, are you alright?"

Why didn't I clean up before walking into the village? Small mistakes like that would be my downfall. My chest heaved.

"Earth to Rika!" Yamada laughed.

You are safe, I lied to myself.

You are safe.

I would never be safe.

"Woah, hey!" I heard the sound of the broom's handle hitting the floor. And then I felt warm.

I woke up in an unknown bed. A thick quilted comforter covered me from neck to toe. I was still in my dress and my scarf was folded next to me on a bedside table. The room was completely dark. I could only make out the general figures of a dresser, a mirror and a chair with clothes piled on it. Next to my scarf was a glass of water. I sat up to drink it.

I could hear snoring from behind the door. Yamada must have been sleeping on the couch. He caught me when I fainted. My hand pressed against the covers. Are these the same covers Yamada used every night? I felt my cheeks grow hot.

I opened the bedroom door and poked my head out. I was right. Yamada was sound asleep on the couch. An empty beer bottle sat on the table. He wore the same outfit with just his shoes kicked off. He must have been exhausted after working all day and then having to save me. One day it would be nice if I could repay the favor.

I knelt down on the floor near his head. His brows furrowed for a second and then relaxed. "Hrmm muh," he muttered as he shuffled slightly. I held my breath, hoping not to wake him. Hoping I wouldn't have to explain why I was just sitting and staring at him. I breathed again as he began snoring again. I could hear my heart beating quickly, but not in the way I was used to. I wasn't frightened or confused. Looking at this odd man made me comfortable. I felt warm. The same warmth I felt when he caught me.

"I can't stay, Yamada," I whispered as quietly as I could, hoping the words would reach his dreams. It would be morning soon. Although I would have liked to say goodbye, I knew it would be easier to leave if I left now. "I can't put you in danger." I moved his hair out of his face with a gentle hand. Ba-bump. Ba-bump. My heart ached as it pounded my chest. "Goodbye, Yamada." I leaned forward and kissed him, just barely brushing his lips. Before standing, I reached for the knitted blanket still draped across the back of the couch and pulled it over him.

A hand grabbed my arm, "Mrhh, c'mere," Yamada murmured as he pulled me back down onto the couch. "Cute girl…" he sighed sleepily. His arm wrapped around me, holding me still.

Maybe I would leave tomorrow instead.