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"Yes!" Yamada raised his hands, cheering as I walked through the threshold to his bar. There were no people, but it was crammed with simple wooden tables and chairs for when there were. Antique barrels sat on the ground and pitchers sat in open cabinets that hadn't been touched in years. The walls were hidden, partly by framed pictures and partly by shelves presenting empty liquor bottles, some dusty and old, some more recently placed. Yamada reached over the bar counter. "Sure is a hot one today," he muttered, grabbing a napkin. He swooped back his dark hair before using the napkin to pat his forehead. After a quick pause, he clarified, "The weather, I mean. Though once we get you cleaned up I'm sure you'll give it some competition."

I took a step further in. "I won't be long," I stated coldly. And then, feeling guilty at my tone given my situation, "Could you direct me to where I may, um, clean up?" I walked closer towards him.

"Definitely. But first, would you mind telling me your name? Now that you know mine and all." Yamada asked, leaning against the counter.

"Ah, right..." I scanned through peoples' names and faces and before I knew it, whispered, "Rika." I looked past Yamada as my mother's face came to mind. A kind aura glowing around her. Rika... My eyes shot back to Yamada's. Oh no. I couldn't take it back. "My name is Rika."

"Sure it is!" Yamada laughed, smiling ear to ear. "And the sky is green."

"Um, it-" I stumbled over my words. "It is!" My eyes fell down, averting his gaze, knowing just how obvious the lie was.

I felt his hand give a single pat to my head. "Don't worry." He looked down at me with kind eyes. "I don't care," he spoke softly. Then he paused and said, with a wide grin, "Rika," he put extra enunciation on the name and continued, "I've always been a sucker for blondes."

"Er," I took a quick glance behind him again. She was gone. I shuffled my bodyweight between my feet. "Thank you, I think..."

Yamada held up his hand from my head apologetically. "Follow me," he beckoned. "I live up above. I'll show you where the bathroom is."

"Oh, um," I hesitantly took a step back. I guess it made sense if I wanted a bath. There obviously wouldn't have been one in a public restroom. But going up to a strange man's home after just meeting him felt like a quick way to find myself in an even worse predicament.

Yamada hurriedly explained, "The bathroom has a lock! I'll stay down here." He motioned around our general area. "And the bar isn't open for another couple hours, so there's no chance," he conveyed an X with his arms, "of a random customer finding their way up there." I nodded for him to lead the way. I followed him up a flight of stairs that led to another door. Yamada opened the door and revealed a small single bedroom flat. He directed me to the bathroom and after taking out some clean towels, left me alone with just my bag. I locked the door and waited until I heard him walk away.

"Hahhhhh," I groaned. I scooped some soap suds into my hands and let them fizzle out under the steaming water. It felt like years since I last took a hot bath and now I was in the third one in just the last two hours. I cut the first two short due to the earth that clung to my skin and hair dirtying the water. But now my body was clean and my fingers started to prune. Drips echoed through the otherwise silent room. I did enjoy how much Yamada talked. His chatter drained out my thoughts. But, I had to remain resilient and did not have time to spare. I quickly dried off and slipped on the new blue dress. I loosely tied the scarf around my neck. It covered my locket. I maneuvered to avoid the bathroom mirror, not interested in what it had to show me. Grabbing the bag that now had my ruined dress in it, I unlocked the door and pushed it open, half expecting Yamada to be nearby. Silence. Across from the bathroom, on the kitchen table, there sat a scrap of paper and a plate of food. On my way to the table, I placed the bag on the floor near a trashcan. I picked up the note. 'For my mystery girl' it read. I tossed it in the trash next to the bag before sitting to eat. Using a fork that was placed near the plate, I shoveled the meal, which was some beef and pasta dish covered in tomato sauce, into my mouth. I felt more alive with every bite. I may have been bruised and scratched and cut, but I was alive and clean and full.

"On second thought," my chair squeaked as I nearly jumped out of it. "I should have chosen a less messy meal," Yamada continued from where he suddenly appeared behind me. "I don't want sauce stains on my pretty new dress."

"Do you make it a habit of sneaking up on people?" I snapped. And then before he could answer, I stood and bowed deeply. "I'm so sorry! I appreciate everything you've done!"

I could see Yamada's eyes widen as I stood back up straight. "The merchant was spot on," he murmured, looking me up and down. "I'm feeling pretty swoony, Rika."

"U- um."

Yamada gave a warm smile. "I knew it'd be worth it the second I saw you." He raised his hand to lift my chin. "If you really want to thank me, can I have a kiss?" he snickered.

I jerked away, the back of my legs hitting against the table. "That's, um, not something I can so easily do with a stranger."

Yamada backed away, but gave a cheer, "Right! Then let's get to know each other better." He turned to the kitchen cabinets at his side and opened one, before taking a glass out. "There's no better way to do that than a drink," he explained, setting the glass down on the counter. "At least that's what I tell my customers when I need some extra dough."

"I've never drank," I mumbled, trying to find the correct words to refuse his offer.

"You'll love it!" Yamada pointed to the couch on the other end of the room and opened the fridge. "Have a seat," he suggested as he crouched down to shuffle through his options. The couch looked soft and inviting. As I complied and sat down, I could feel my body sinking into the plush, warm cushions. Two fluffed pillows sat on each end and a knitted blanket hung over the back. "Do you think you'd like beer?" I could see Yamada scratch his head, contemplating. His chattering was the only thing keeping me awake. "Nah, probably not. Uhh, something sweet?" He rummaged through his cabinets before settling on a bottle that held clear liquid. I heard ice clink into the glass as I leaned into the armrest of the couch. I heard liquid being poured as my eyelids started to fall closed.

"I call it Lady Luck!" Yamada held a drink out to me, beaming down. "Named after the forces that brought me to 'ya." I lifted my head and took the glass from him. In his other hand was an open bottle of beer for himself. He sat on the other end of the couch. I took a small sip and immediately tasted the sweetness. My thoughts flashed to cloyingly sweet tea that left a person feeling numb. I shook the thought out of my head. "No good?" Yamada asked, leaning in and reading my face.

I focused again on the taste. After the initial sweetness, there was a sour undertone and then I felt a deep warmth in my chest. It left a slight sting in the back of my throat. I took another small sip. "It's interesting," I answered.

"Interesting," Yamada repeated quietly. "Hm, okay. Yeah," he muttered to himself. "Yeah, I'll take that as a compliment." He took a sip of his beer before continuing. "Interesting can definitely be a good thing. For example," he smirked, "This cute girl who lies about her name is very very interesting."

I focused on my glass as I wobbled it around, the ice jingling as they hit against each other. "It's not my fault if you don't believe me."

Yamada raised his bottle back to his lips, "Well, Rika," he began, taking a quick sip, "You've got me there." He lowered the bottle. "But the problem is, I've got questions I wanna ask you." Yamada placed the beer down onto the table in front of us. "And if you won't even tell me your name," he started fumbling with his shoes, "How am I supposed to get an honest answer to anything else?"

Of course Yamada didn't deserve the isolation that the wall I had been forced to build around myself caused. Especially when taking into account that he was the reason I had a warm place to sleep that night. I took a gulp of my drink. The burning took longer to subside now, but was drowned out by the warmth it provided to my chest and the pleasant feeling of lightness it provided to my head. "Mysteries are the safest option sometimes," I spoke, looking down at my half empty glass. "It's not always best to have all the answers."

"Of course the girl with all the mysteries would say that," Yamada chuckled to himself. He tugged one shoe off and tossed it to the side of him. "Me, on the other hand, I'm an open book." He tugged the other shoe off. "Try it," he dared as he tossed the other shoe to its companion. "Ask me anything, Rika." Yamada's voice was light with amusement.

"Um," I tried to focus my dizzy mind. "What, umm," I took another sip. "What was your last 'good deed of the day'?" I asked, remembering his puzzling phrase from when he purchased my dress.

"That's a good one," Yamada said. "Yeah," he picked up his beer from the table. "Let me think on that," he mumbled, fidgeting with the corner of the sticker on the bottle before taking a long drink. We sat in silence for a moment. I took another sip and I could feel myself sinking further and further into the plush couch as the room warped around me. "Okay, here's the truth," Yamada finally answered. "It's been a while, but a couple months ago this girl was about to make some uh, questionable decisions with a pretty dangerous guy." He peeled the corner of the sticker off of the bottle with his nail. "She came to me for advice and I think I really saved the day."

"Very vague," I critiqued.

Yamada looked to me and laughed. "Yeah?" He leaned back into the couch and sighed. "I guess. Well," he took yet another long gulp of his beer, before setting it back down, "You know that huge castle on the hill a good couple miles up north?"

I dropped my glass in surprise.

"Oh, shit!" Yamada stood up in shock. "Are you alright?" I heard the cup bounce against the carpet and what was left of the drink spilled across the floor.

Flashes of a broken teacup crossed my mind. Spilled tea mixed with blood. A hand cupped my cheek. I flinched. "I'm, I'm so sorry," I stuttered out of habit, "S- sorry." My eyes focused on Yamada and I sighed with gratitude that it was him, and not Reiji, who stood before me.

"Just checking if you're alright, Rika," Yamada murmured after scanning my eyes as if trying to find an answer to an unspoken question. "I thought maybe I made the drink too strong." He leaned back upright. "Though you are pretty small. I guess you're more of a lightweight than I thought."

"A lightweight?" My head felt fuzzier. Memories attempting to bubble up were unable to take form. What had Yamada said earlier? Something about a hill.

"Hmm, yeah," Yamada crouched down to pick up the glass and brought it to the sink. "Miss Rika doesn't know how to handle her liquor." His back was turned away from me, but I could hear the teasing tone in his words.

He appeared in front of me with a different, taller cup. "It's water," he clarified as I reached for it. "And you've been downgraded to plastic," he laughed.

"I'm sorr-"

"No more of that," he waved his hand as he knelt down where the liquid was soaking into the carpet. He dabbed the area with a towel. "Just say thank you." After cleaning the spill, Yamada beamed up at me, "See? All good!"

Before I knew it, I was leaning forward to kiss him. "Thank you," I whispered, before letting our lips touch. Something deep in my stomach clenched slightly. I leaned back and took a sip of the water, attempting to ease the ache.

Yamada's face flushed red. "Rika," he began, holding his fingers to his lips. "Are you drunk? Not that I'm complaining."

Was I? Was that the cause of the pain? "What does being drunk feel like?" I wondered out loud, placing my cup down.

"Feels real good," Yamada answered. He lifted himself off the floor and sat back down on the couch next to me, this time closer and facing me. "Almost as good as a kiss from Rika," he murmured, tossing the damp towel onto the table. He laid one arm across the back of the couch and his hand touched the side of my face, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. His hand lingered at my ear. "I'm open to testing that theory again, though," he started, but then his eyes shifted behind me to focus on the moving hands of a clock on the wall. He removed his hand and gave a deep sigh. "I have to open the bar soon." He stood again from the couch and stretched. "Would you like to keep me company behind the bar tonight, Miss Rika?"

"Rika," I repeated. I had never said my mother's name out loud before meeting Yamada. It felt comforting. Yamada too, felt comforting. "Rika will keep Yamada company. As a thank you."

"I'll take as many thank you's as you're willing to give. One was definitely not enough." Yamada held out his hand to me. "C'mon, maybe I'll put you to work." I took his hand