Itachi kept his promise, and this time he arrived not as late.
I was still busy preparing medicine for the customers, and I didn't notice when he appeared in the hall, sitting silently in a corner chair.
Perhaps seeing that I was continuously occupied with customers and didn't have a moment to spare, Itachi didn't want to disturb me and waited quietly on the side.
By chance, I caught a glimpse of his face and was slightly surprised for a half-second, like greeting an old friend.
"Long time no see, Mr. Itachi. How have you been lately?"
He nodded in response and smiled.
As we talked, I mixed several measured medicinal herbs and wrapped them carefully in layers of paper.
While Itachi still kept a sense of distance in his manner, I could sense that something had changed compared to when I first met him.
"Oh, if you don't want to just sit there, how about helping me with my work?" I said without hesitation, inviting him to assist. I thought that he might be bored just sitting there, but more importantly, there were too many people seeking medicine these days. I was busy all day long, and even the closing time at night had been delayed. Having some help would be great.
He agreed and walked to my side behind the counter, watching me as I completed the medicine and handed it over to the customers.
I didn't expect Itachi, as a non-expert, to help with the medicinal preparations. If anything went wrong, it wouldn't be fun. However, from our previous interactions, I knew he was clever.
"You saw how I wrapped the herbs earlier. Can you do it?"
He agreed readily, and I gave him simple instructions, like making sure the wrapping thread was tied securely, adding the medicine's name, and affixing the usage instructions that I had written to the packages. He listened attentively, without any objections, and kindly took over the work that I would usually handle myself.
So, all I needed to do was prepare the medicine according to the prescription, while I entrusted all the miscellaneous tasks to this guy who had originally come just to pick up his medicine.
During the breaks, I would occasionally glance at Itachi, who was busy with the task at hand. He worked diligently and skillfully, with everything proceeding smoothly and neatly. It turned out that my judgment was spot on; Itachi as my helper left me with no worries about any mistakes, as he was meticulous.
With an extra pair of hands, efficiency improved somewhat, and my workload became lighter. I glanced at the clock and thought that maybe today I could close the shop on time. I felt a sense of relief and planned to thank Itachi later; having someone like him to help was truly wonderful.
Indeed, right at closing time, I bid farewell to the last customer.
I breathed a sigh of relief and slumped into my chair, my legs feeling slightly numb and sore.
"Thanks to you, I finally don't have to stand until it gets dark today," I said gratefully, looking at Itachi beside me.
"Is Mr. Yoshida always this busy during the day?" Itachi asked, frowning as he looked at me.
"Well... not always. Recently, the weather has cooled down, so more people have been falling ill. But it's strange, this year, Heijokyo is much cooler than usual. After all, we don't really have a proper winter here."
He nodded and, after a while, said, "My hometown doesn't have winters either."
I noticed that when he talked about his hometown, his eyes and the corners of his mouth softened involuntarily.
"Where are you from, Itachi?" I asked casually, thinking that maybe his hometown wasn't too far from Heijokyo.
He remained silent for a moment and then softly mentioned that he was from the Land of Fire. I sensed some unspoken emotions in his gaze, so I didn't press further. I didn't want to trigger painful memories in him.
But it made me feel sad.
I wanted to comfort him, but I didn't know how to start. Although he quickly regained his composure and seemed aloof, I was certain that he wasn't as emotionless as I initially thought.
I wondered where he had been during his absence, but perhaps it wasn't the right question. What concerned me more was whether he had found a stable place to stay or was still wandering.
"If you have nowhere to go, you can stay here... It would also be helpful to have someone assist me," I blurted out. I never doubted Itachi, and I didn't think he would harm me, but I knew nothing about him.
He shook his head almost without hesitation and replied, "I have important things to do. Thank you for the offering though, Mr. Yoshida."
Upon hearing his gentle refusal, I wasn't sure if I felt a bit disappointed or relieved.
I didn't inquire further about the reasons he didn't want to stay, although I learned later. Thinking about how he had helped me for hours, I felt that I should do something to show my gratitude.
"Well, Itachi, tonight I'll treat you to dinner as a thank-you for helping me."
He silently agreed.
But I was too tired to cook for myself, so I suggested going to Mr. Chiba's soba noodle restaurant next door to fill our stomachs.
When I asked him, he had no objections and didn't make any other requests.
Itachi was indeed an easygoing person.
Mr. Chiba was a warm-hearted uncle. His soba noodle restaurant had reasonable prices, and I loved their pickled vegetables and soba noodles. Occasionally, I would even get some takoyaki to go. So, when I felt lazy, I would often go to his place for dinner.
"Oh, Ryohei, you've been working hard these days!" Just as we pushed open the small shop door, we heard Mr. Chiba's hearty greeting. "You've even lost weight."
I couldn't help but wonder how even the restaurant owner knew I had been busy lately. Saying that I'd lost weight might be an exaggeration.
"Oh, Mrs. Tsugawa just left. She said she saw a lot of people waiting for their medicine when she went to pick up her husband's prescription today."
Ah, so Mrs. Tsugawa had told him. In a small place like Heijokyo, relationships between people weren't so distant, and interactions were quite frequent.
"How is Mr. Tsugawa doing?"
I found a seat and remembered that Mr. Tsugawa had not been feeling well a few days ago. When his wife came to pick up his medicine in the afternoon, I was too busy to inquire about his condition.
"Well, it's said that the doctor will stop his medication next month. Mrs. Tsugawa seemed quite happy about it," Mr. Chiba said with a smile as he brought two cups of Genmai tea. "Is this your new assistant?"
Huh? I stared at Itachi for a few seconds, momentarily taken aback.
"Mrs. Tsugawa even said the new young man you got helps with the work efficiently; he just doesn't smile."
Mr. Chiba took off the towel draped over his shoulder and continued, "Being so hard to approach won't make him very popular."
My hand shook slightly as I held the tea cup, almost spilling the tea. I awkwardly smiled, feeling uncomfortable about this strange misunderstanding. And let's skip the last part, Mr. Chiba's words made me feel awkward.
"Uncle, he just helped me today, there's no assistant!" I blurted out, my voice carrying a strong Kansai accent. I looked at Itachi sitting across from me, his clear eyes faintly shrouded in the steam rising from the hot tea. Fortunately, he appeared unperturbed by Mr. Chiba's words and politely greeted him.
I was slightly surprised that Itachi, who usually spoke very little, initiated a conversation with Mr. Chiba. It felt like he had helped me out of an awkward situation, and I felt a bit grateful for that.
After a few minutes of light conversation, Itachi's words, while concise, seemed to pique Mr. Chiba's interest. With Mr. Chiba being naturally talkative and straightforward, the previously awkward atmosphere became much more relaxed and pleasant.
Mr. Chiba had shifted his attention to Itachi's conversation. However, I was surprised by the topics they discussed. I felt that it had been quite rude to bring up this particular topic initially, so I just sat quietly and listened.
Soon, my soba noodles arrived, along with some salt-grilled saury. I regretted missing out on tasting the "flavors of autumn" during early winter.
"Itachi, you don't have to worry about saving money for me." Seeing Itachi's simple and plain dinner - just a cup of tea, a seaweed rice ball, and a small dish of cabbage - I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and tease, "I can afford a meal for us."
Itachi nodded but didn't respond further until he saw me taking a bite of the saury dipped in radish paste. He then softly said, "Someone I used to know liked this."
The way he looked at me at that moment felt like he was seeing a different person.
My lips trembled slightly, and I pushed the small plate with two sweet rice cakes that Mr. Chiba kindly gave us toward him. "You should eat these; it's not good to go hungry at night."
He accepted without hesitation.
Seeing how quietly he ate the rice cakes, I began to guess that he might have a sweet tooth.
Mr. Chiba was busy greeting other customers when we left, so I just said a simple goodbye.
He reminded me to take care of my health as he spoke about how busy I had been. He also added, "Don't forget to bring your friend next time, I'd love to chat with him more!"
While smiling and agreeing, I left the restaurant with Itachi.
As soon as we closed the door, I curiously grabbed his shoulder and asked, "Itachi, how did you know that Mr. Chiba likes Genji? I don't remember mentioning it to you."
Mr. Chiba had a deep admiration for Genji, to the point where he often talked to me about the stories.
The reason I found their conversation earlier so surprising was this. Especially the topic, Itachi initiated it.
Itachi looked back at me. "The name of the shop, the painting of the duel at the Gojo Bridge inside the shop, and the book 'The Tale of Genji' on the front counter. It's easy to associate the owner with a significant knowledge of Genji."
Following Itachi's gaze, I saw that the name of the shop was "Ichinotani."
When I first visited the soba restaurant as a child, I only thought it had a unique name. It wasn't until later, when I got to know Mr. Chiba better, that I realized the name was derived from the historical battle of Ichinotani, where Genji defeated the Heike clan. The clever tactics employed by Genji played a significant role, so it was natural for the owner to admire him.
I couldn't help but admire Itachi's observational skills and found him to be quite extraordinary.
"But Genji had conflicts with his older brother, especially after that battle."
Itachi's understated statement reminded me that in the history of Genji's rise to power, the most noteworthy hero was undoubtedly Genji himself. However, he was ultimately marginalized by his ruthless older brother, leading to his misfortunes and tragic end.
The cheerful atmosphere in the restaurant had been overshadowed by this dark cloud, and it was gone entirely now.
I looked down at the bluish-gray stone pavement.
"It's really a shame..."
I sighed softly, not knowing what else to say.
That sigh disappeared into the night, and the warm orange light from the houses on both sides of the street faintly illuminated the dim ground.
Itachi didn't reply, and all I could hear was the sound of our footsteps.
The nights in Heijokyo were indeed too quiet.