Tokyo, are you tired?

I woke up in the middle of the night to the whisper of spring rain, soft and peaceful like the breath of someone fast asleep beside me. The April rain, gentle as fluttering petals, brought a strange peace to my heart. The rain pattered; the rain fell ceaselessly, falling as if time itself had stood still. It fell as if all the bustling worries out there could just blur away. As if waking up tomorrow morning, someone would be waiting for me, amidst the hazy rain.

春雨

Fine spring rain tapped gently against the windowpane by Kira's seat. The slow melody of "Kiss the Rain" blended its peaceful notes into the serene space of the small cafe corner. She stirred her hot matcha latte and watched the hurried crowd pass by through the rain. For once in her short career in Tokyo, she had actually arrived early. She still had over thirty minutes before she had to clock in. Having breakfast and sipping hot matcha this early, all while watching the spring rain fall lightly outside, felt absolutely wonderful.

"Koko, ii desu ka?" (Is this seat free? -ここ, いいですか?)

An elderly gentleman around seventy years old, dressed in a dark brown wool suit, placed his coffee mug on the table next to Kira and asked her in a measured tone.

"Hai. Ii desu yo." (Yes, please go ahead.-はい。いいですよ。)

Kira nodded, watching the old man settle into his seat. His silver hair fell loosely across a kind, somewhat bohemian face.

"Harusame ga, ii kanji desu ne." (The spring rain feels wonderful, doesn't it? - 春雨が、いい感じですね。)

The old man spoke softly, his voice contemplative. His gaze lost itself in the distant view outside the window before turning back to her.

"Nihongo, wakarimasu ka?" (Do you speak Japanese? - 日本語, わかりますか?)

Kira nodded, slightly surprised.

"Sukoshi desu." (Just a little. すこしです.)

"Goshushin wa? Wea ā yū furomu?" (Where are you from? - ご出身は?)

He smiled at her and added the English phrase with a Japanese accent, worried she might not understand his question.

"Americajin desu." (I am American. - アメリカ人です。)

"Ah, Americajin-chan ka." (Ah, so you're an American girl.- あぁ、アメリカ人ちゃんか。)

"Ryokou desu ka, shigoto desu ka?" (Are you here for travel, or for work? - 旅行ですか、仕事ですか。)

"Shigoto desu." (I am here for work. - 仕事です。)

"Ah- so desu ka. Naruhodo." (Ah, is that so. I see. - あぁ、そうですか。なるほど.) He nodded in agreement. Glancing at her business suit, he had likely guessed as much. Today, the company investor was visiting, so Kira had made sure to wake up early and dress impeccably. She even had enough time to read a new story chapter by Hide about spring rain.

The old man looked at her and offered an understanding smile.

"Kareshi ga imasu ka. Boy furendo?" (Do you have a boyfriend? Boyfriend? / 彼氏がいますか? ボーイフレンド?)

Kira shook her head vigorously.

"Tokyo man wa dou desu ka." (How do you like Tokyo men? / 東京マンはどうですか?) He chuckled and pointed toward a man walking over from a distance, holding a large umbrella.

Kira almost choked on her matcha as she looked in the direction he was pointing. The man in the black suit and tie, wasn't that Yoshi, her boss?

"Kare ga shitteimasu ka?" (Do you know him? / 彼が知っていますか?) The old man teased her subtly.

"Watashi no bosu desu. Kareshi ga kibishii desu." (He is my boss. He is very strict. / 私のボスです。彼氏が厳しいです。)

She continued, "Tokyo no otoko no hito, minna kibishii desu ka?" (Are Tokyo men all so strict? / 東京の男の人、みんな厳しいですか？)

"Kareshi? Boy furendo desu ka?" (Boyfriend? Is he your boyfriend? / 彼氏? ボーイフレンドですか?)

Kira froze, completely dazed. What did the old man just say about a boyfriend? Did she just say something wrong?

"Ie. Bosu desu yo... bosu dake." (No. He is my boss... just my boss. / いえ。ボスですよ…ボスだけ。)

He burst into a hearty laugh. It seemed she really had messed up her words. She took a sip of her matcha to hide her embarrassment. (In Japanese, "kare" means "he," while "kareshi" specifically means "boyfriend." Since both share the exact same Kanji, they are very easy to mix up.) Strangely enough, when Kira looked up, Yoshi was nowhere to be seen. How did he disappear so fast? Kira finished the last of her matcha, gathered her bag, and was about to stand up to say goodbye to the old man when a familiar voice rang out from behind, making her heart skip a beat.

"Arai-san, ohayou gozaimasu. Konna ni hayaku okoshi ni natte ita no desu ne. Kochira de omatase shite shimai, taihen shitsurei itashimashita. Hitokoto gorenraku wo itadakereba, sugu ni omukae ni agarimashita noni." ( "Mr. Arai, good morning. I had no idea you were arriving so early. I am deeply sorry for the discourtesy of keeping you waiting here. If only you had let me know, I would have come to meet you immediately."/ あらいさん、おはようございます。こんなにはやくおこしになっていたのですね。こちらでおまたせしてしまい、たいへんしつれいいたしました。ひとことごれんらくをいただければ、すぐにおむかえにあがりましたのに。)

Yoshi bowed deeply, more than ninety degrees, right in front of her and the elderly gentleman beside her. His voice carried immense respect, so he definitely was not speaking to her. And, this old man's name was Arai? Arai... Arai Takehiko! Was he not the investor coming to work with her company today? Kira instantly stood up and bowed as earnestly as she could, hoping she had not said anything out of line just moments ago.

The elderly gentleman stood up, patted Yoshi lightly on the shoulder a few times, and smiled.

"You are just the same as always, Yoshi-kun. I just wanted to sit in this cafe and chat with this charming young lady for a bit. Let's go, we shouldn't disturb the other customers here."

The two men walked ahead, and Kira followed closely behind them.

After walking a short distance, Mr. Arai stopped to wait for Kira to catch up, then turned to ask her, "What's your name?"

"I'm Kira desu," she replied quickly.

Mr. Arai burst out laughing upon hearing her answer. What was so funny about her name? He turned to Yoshi and spoke in a rather intimate tone in Japanese, which Kira could not understand at all. "So this is the employee who came up with that explosive idea that got Glacier to agree? I didn't expect you to recruit such bright foreign candidates, Yoshi-kun. She looks very sharp."

Yoshi glanced at her briefly before turning back to reply to Mr. Arai. "Her Japanese is not fluent yet. She still has a lot to learn. I hope she did not do anything disrespectful."

​"No. Of course not. Don't worry, Yoshi-kun. Ms. Kira's Japanese is very good." Mr. Arai replied while looking at her. Did he just praise her Japanese? Japanese people truly had a supreme level of politeness. Kira stood frozen for a moment, unsure of how to respond, just as they arrived in front of the office.

When the elevator doors opened, Hiro and Daiki were just walking into the lobby. Catching sight of Mr. Arai beside Yoshi, both of them instantly snapped to attention and bowed deeply in respect. Kira took a step back, meeting a surprised look from Hiro and a puzzled, raised eyebrow from Daiki. She could only offer a strained smile in return before stepping into the elevator with them.

Once they reached the office floor, Mr. Arai and Yoshi headed straight for the private office. Hiro and Daiki immediately dragged Kira over to the desks to find out what was going on. While booting up her computer, Kira quickly filled them in on her chance encounter with the old man at the cafe that morning. Hearing this, both guys looked completely blindsided by the wild coincidence.

About an hour later, Mr. Arai walked into the main office, accompanied by Yoshi, Hayashi, Ryo, Kenji, and the other team leaders. The entire room stood up as one, bowing formally to greet him. He stepped up beside Yoshi, a warm smile on his face. Yoshi leaned in to introduce him to the staff.

Mr. Arai scanned the room, then began his speech in Japanese. "Thank you all for your hard work and dedication over the past year. To reward your efforts, I would like to invite the entire company on a getaway to the Ryuzan resort next weekend, where we can also enjoy the spring art exhibition together."

Unlike in the US, Japan’s school year and fiscal year both end in March. This was also when students graduate and companies welcome their new hires. Mr. Arai did a quick lap around the room, shaking hands with everyone before heading out with Yoshi.

The office instantly erupted into a buzz of excitement, leaving Kira completely at a loss, with no idea what was going on.

Daiki, sitting next to her, could barely contain his thrill either. He nudged her shoulder and whispered, "Sis, a single night there costs almost as much as our entire monthly intern salary. If I get to stay there just once, I can die happy."

Hiro-san leaned over and whispered in her ear, explaining that Ryuzan was an ultra-luxury resort hidden in the mountains, famous for its stunning hot springs. He added that the Arai clan owned one of the oldest and most prestigious sake breweries in Japan, which explained how he could afford such an opulent place.

Kira gasped in amazement, then teased him, "Looks like you and Megumi-san are going to have the best time."

Hiro-san's face flushed bright red. Daiki, catching the tail end of the comment, asked curiously, "What about Hiro-san and Megumi-san?"

"Shut up, Daiki." Hiro-san stood up, about to walk away, when Daiki called after him.

"Hiro-san and..." Before Daiki could even finish his sentence, Hiro-san lunged forward, clapping a hand over his mouth and muttering, "Come out here with me."

As Kira chuckled at the scene, her phone suddenly buzzed with a new notification. It was a text from Hayashi: "Come into my office." Kira looked toward the door then closed her laptop, wondering what was coming now.

❀

Kira knocked on the door and stepped inside. Hayashi looked up from her desk, her short hair neat behind her ears, glasses resting low on the bridge of her nose.

"Have a seat, Kira," Hayashi began, getting straight to the point. "I wanted to brief you on your next assignment. For the upcoming company trip to Ryuzan next weekend, we are combining the getaway with a field research inspection of the hybrid resort and factory facilities. Glacier will also join us for this trip."

Kira listened intently. It was hard to believe that Hayashi, the very person who complained about her to Yoshi, was the same person who had praised her in front of the entire team, and the one who drafted this detailed plan the moment she heard Kira present to the partner. Yet, she had stayed completely silent during the actual meeting. Were Japanese people really this hard to read?

"You will be the main coordinator responsible for handling the entire trip," Hayashi continued. "It is a company tradition for new hires to take charge of these events. It helps you get to know everyone quickly and builds practical experience. Daiki will assist you with the preparations."

Before Kira could process the scale of this responsibility, Hayashi closed the folder on her desk and looked straight at her. "You are good to go. Mr. Arai needs to see you in the office right now."

❀