Chereads / LIFE : HOW’S JOURNEY? / Chapter 4 - I SAW YOU, WHO ARE YOU?

Chapter 4 - I SAW YOU, WHO ARE YOU?

Chiyoda, Tokyo – Shimizu Restaurant, where the time the restaurant is preparing to open. Daichi is already back from buying some groceries for Yuuma and started to do a cleaning before the restaurant opens. Ayumi continues lecturing Yuuma while she passes all the documents he needs to sign. Yuuma just listened and kept silent during all the lectures without arguing with Ayumi. Even though he feels displeased with all the nagging that he gets from his employees he doesn't have a choice because he is too scared that Ayumi will become a monster again if he says something bad, he also follows all of Ayumi's instructions where he needs to check and sign.

 

 "Ppuufff… Why did he not tell me that he owned this restaurant? Why did he keep secret from me? What's wrong with that woman? She acted like she was this restaurant's owner, not Yuuma. She is so annoyed and noisy." Hisao observes Yuuma's situation and feels annoyed and babbling to himself about it and he sits at the corner table beside a wall glass in the restaurant. When he too focuses on staring at Yuuma and Ayumi with dissatisfied looks. Suddenly, Daichi came to approach him. 

 

 "Excuse me, Mr. Watanabe. What do you like to drink? Don't worry I'm the best drinking maker! Boss always gives his compliment for my drink." Daichi smiled at Hisao and told him how good he made a drink.

 

 "Eerrmm… I like a matcha latte. Please, make for me the best of your matcha latte." Hisao replied to Daichi with a brighter smile until his rabbit teeth were visible.

 

 "Okay! I'll make the best matcha latte you ever have!" Daichi felt motivated when he saw Hisao smile at him. With all the support he got, he became so energetic to start his work as he passed through from Hisao to get ready to make the drink.

 

 "Aarrgghh… My ears. It's burning." Yuuma sighed heavily while he approached Hisao. He pulled and made a little massage at his ears to relieve the pressure his ears got from Ayumi's nags.

 

 "Hhmm… Why you don't tell me that you have a restaurant, ha?" Hisao makes a sulking face at Yuuma when he sees Yuuma come close to him.

 

 "Eerrmm… It just opened this year. It's not so good but it has a regular customer now. Besides, it's nothing to be told and proud." Yuuma explained to Hisao why he had not told Hisao about it while he sat at the same table with Hisao.

 

 "What are you doing there Mr. Shimizu? Go to get ready for your kitchen! The customer will come anytime now!!" Ayumi yelled to Yuuma to get ready for his kitchen. She looks like a bossy person who has a short temper that can explode anytime and anywhere she wants.

 "Okay…" Yuuma replied to Ayumi patiently while he got up to go to the kitchen. He used to it until he did not feel bothered by it.

 "Ppuff… That woman is annoying. Didn't she have some respect for her employer? She is lucky she got Yuuma as her employer. I think Mr. Hiroshi will fire her once she opens her mouth." While Hisao mumbles about Ayumi's attitude toward her employer himself, he suddenly feels like he needs to go to pee. Hisao got up from his seat and asked Daichi where the restroom was when Daichi came to him to serve his drink. Daichi gave him directions to the restroom and left him to continue his work. When he came out of the restroom, he saw someone standing in the small area in front of the restroom. He came closer to that area and saw Yuuma in that area. He looks like he's doing a move like yoga that he doesn't understand. He wonders what Yuuma is doing and wants to wait for him until he is done doing his thing outside of that area to ask what he is doing there. After a few minutes, Yuuma came out of that area and saw Hisao standing outside of the area.

 

 "Hisao, why are you standing there?" Yuuma wondered why Hisao was standing outside of the prayer area.

 

 "What are you doing there? Are you doing yoga?" Hisao does not reply to Yuuma's question, because he is too curious about what Yuuma has been doing. When he saw Yuuma, he questioned Yuuma about what he was up to in the prayer area.

 

 "Oh, I'm praying. I'm doing Solat Dhuha." Yuuma replied to Hisao calmly.

 

 "You are praying? Solat Dhuha? What is that?" Hisao keeps questioning Yuuma about what he is doing. Yuuma only smiles at Hisao and taps his shoulder.

 

 "Looks like you are curious about it. How about we say Muslims always do it to extend their sustenance." Yuuma tries to explain to Hisao in short and clear.

 

 "Muslim? So, you are religious now? Is that why you are not drinking and playing with the girls anymore??" Hisao began to question Yuuma's beliefs.

 

 "Hhmm… You can say that." Yuuma felt annoyed with Hisao's questions but tried to answer his best friend's questions calmly.

 

 Mr.Shimizu!! We have an order here!!" Suddenly, Ayumi came to approach them and called out. She informs him that the customer is waiting.

 

 "Coming!!" Yuuma answered Ayumi shortly.

 

 "I'll explain to you later. You could go to your table now. I'll company you when I have a time." Once again, Yuuma tapped his shoulder and passed through him to go to his kitchen. Before Yuuma returns to his kitchen and leaves his best friend, he stops to tell him he will explain everything later and asks Hisao to go back to his table. After a few seconds, Yuuma left him behind, Hisao went to his table soon after that and drank his matcha latte. He feels so good and relaxed after drinking the matcha latte made by Daichi.

 

 " Now I know why he said he is the best drinking maker." Hisao talked to himself about the drink Daichi made for him. When he turned his head to the left of the restaurant's glass wall to look at the view outside the restaurant. He suddenly saw a woman standing outside the restaurant and looked around at the Shimizu Restaurant.

 

 A beautiful lady who is wearing a black hijab, dark blue blouse, and long white skirt, is standing in front of the restaurant. The lady looks like the search for someone. She kept staring inside the restaurant, she suddenly smiled and waved to someone inside the restaurant while Hisao was still stunned and breath-taking when he saw that lady. Suddenly, a man came out of the restaurant and came near and approached her. That man is Yuuma. Hisao was shocked that Yuuma knew that lady. They talked, smiled, and laughed at each other like they knew each other well. Plus, Yuuma gave her a paper bag before she left and waved at her as a goodbye. Hisao just watched all of it in the restaurant like he froze all of a sudden. When the lady walked away to leave the restaurant, Yuuma was still standing outside the restaurant to see the lady disappear from his eyes. Hisao who suddenly became frozen realized that the lady had already walked away. Hisao got up from his seat and rushed out from the restaurant, he tried to chase the lady and searched where the direction she was going. Yuuma saw Hisao suddenly rush out of the restaurant and try to approach him but suddenly he ran off as he rushed for something.

 

 "What's wrong with this guy?" Yuuma is curious about Hisao's actions.

"Hisao… Promise me… See you soon…" The vague memory continued to flash through Hisao's mind. The sweet smile she gave at Yuuma before, was very similar to a vague memory in his mind right now. A face that he wants to meet and miss it. As he tries to remember all the memories about the lady, Hisao keeps running and looking for that lady. He started to cry like a child who had lost his mother. The more he tried to find her the more he felt his losing her. She tries to look for her but he can't find any of her glimpses. Hisao gave up looking for her and returned to the restaurant while Daichi stood in front of the restaurant looking and waiting for him to return to the restaurant.

 

 "Mr. Watanabe! Where have you been? Mr. Shimizu is worried about you. Mr. … Mr. Watanabe… are you okay?" Daichi saw Hisao walking weakly and sobbing like he had lost something important when he tried to approach him. Hisao didn't answer any of Daichi's questions. Hisao sat down at his table again with a blank look.

 

 "What happened to you? Why did you rush out so suddenly? Are you forgetting anything or did you see something?" A few minutes later, Yuuma comes and approaches Hisao and brings some snacks for him. He sat across from Hisao while wondering what happened to his best friend.

 

 "Who is that woman?" Hisao tried to ask Yuuma about that lady.

 

 "Woman? What woman?" Yuuma is wondering about Hisao's question.

 

 "The woman you spoke to outside of the restaurant before and you gave her a paper bag. Who is she?" Hisao tries to clarify with Yuuma about the lady. He looked straight into Yuuma's eyes to make sure he not lying to him.

 

 "Ohh… That lady. Well, I don't know." Yuuma tries to remember the beautiful lady he talked to earlier with his eyes looking up when he tries to figure out Hisao's question.

 

 "You… you don't know? You talk and laugh with her like you know her very well. How can you say you don't know her??" Hisao becomes curious about Yuuma's answers about that lady with his serious face and tries to hold his temper.

 

 "Hhmm… I don't know her. It was supposed for her assistant to come and pick up her food usually but today she picked it up on her own. It is usually rare to see her by herself. You can say this is also was my first time seeing her face-to-face. Her assistant told me this morning that her manager will come to pick up the food today, she can't come in because she is in a hurry, but she'll wait outside of the restaurant" Yuuma tried to explain to Hisao clearly about the situation between him and the lady. He didn't want his best friend to misunderstand him.

 

 "So, she is your regular customer?" Hisao keeps wondering who the lady is and tries to figure out what exactly happened to him and what with all of the Deja Vu he has right now.

 

 "You can say that. Jess said her beautiful Ms. loves my food." Yuuma said proudly with a smirk on his face.

 

 "Does that mean her assistant always comes to pick up the food every day?" Hisao ignored Yuuma who tried to praise himself and he kept questioning Yuuma.

 

 "No" Yuuma answered shortly with a serious look on his face.

 

 "No?" Hisao became more curious about Yuuma's answer.

 

 "Look, it is not every day they'll buy food here but maybe once a week. Maybe two. I don't know, it depends on them." Yuuma tried to explain to Hisao clearly.

 

 "So, I'll be able to see her next week?" Hisao keeps wondering and questions himself about when he can meet her again.

 

 "No. As I said, it is usual to be her assistant to pick up the food, not her. It's rare for her to come here. For your information, today is the very first time I met her." Yuuma tries to clarify Hisao's thoughts and doesn't want his best friend to hope so much about it. He becomes worried about his best friend's behavior.

 

 "So, I can see her assistant next week and ask about her Ms. Lady, right?" Hisao feels so frustrated that he may not be able to see her again. He keeps questioning Yuuma about his thoughts.

 

 "It might be but no guarantee for it" Yuuma replied with a smirk and feels annoyed by Hisao's question. He hoped that his best friend understood that he had been worried about him.

 

 "So, what's wrong with you? I never saw you like this before. You have never been like this before, even when we were in high school you were never interested in women. Even if they come to you and confess their feelings to you, you ignore and reject them without any sympathy. Because of that behavior, rumors have been spread in university that you are gay or something. But the truth is you are just a bookworm. So, what is special about this woman? Do you know her? Do you ever meet her? Do you not see yourself right now? Don't tell me you ran like a crazy man just now because you tried to chase her?" Yuuma is curious about Hisao's thoughts and actions today. He become so irritated with Hisao's behavior now. He has wondered why his bookworm best friend suddenly became so interested in women out of sudden.

 

 "No. I don't know her, and I never met her before. I don't know what happened to me. When I suddenly saw her just now. That face, that smile is so familiar to me. It's like someone I knew but I don't know where I met her. She is like someone that I wanted to meet and miss so much. The vision keeps coming to my mind, but it is so vague, I try to remember it, but I can't. In that memory, I can see her talking to me, but I can't hear clearly what she said. Her voice… Her voice keeps playing in my mind… It's a very sweet voice that I ever heard but I still don't what she is trying to say. What I know is she asked me to promise her something, but I don't know what promise I made to her. I… I really can't remember at all. It hurts me when I can't remember it. It's so suffocated. It makes me sad, and I want to cry so badly every time I remember it, but I don't know what it is. I try to find out why she keeps coming to my mind. What promise did I make to her? I want to know what and why. It's a lot of questions I want to ask her." Hisao tries to explain his situation to Yuuma hopelessly while his hand is on his head when he tries to remember everything about that lady. It is so frustrating and makes him feel like a crazy person every time he keeps thinking about her.

"Haaa… So, my best friend has already grown up and become a man? Start falling in love with a woman? Man, you're 29 now. I impressed." Yuuma feels so relieved that his best friend did not become a lunatic psychopath who stalks people. He guessed that his best friend may have been falling in love with someone.