Rewind 3

A bright sunny morning, a fine start to the week. It couldn’t be any better, unless it was the spring and the Sakura trees were in bloom. Even still, nothing made it better than today. The excitement and eagerness in the air was so palatable that it actually was infectious, though not necessarily in a good way.

It is said that one’s happiness can spread to another. However, the opposite was just as likely. One’s happiness could cause sadness in another. In the case involved here, it was more jealousy or just annoyance. Someone shouldn’t be that happy, especially a mature adult going on twenty-five. It was more as if he was a love struck teenager that just heard back from the girl he confessed to agree to on their first date.

Worse, he was already married. He shouldn’t have been so happy. No one understood it. He did try to hide it, but a grin so wide you swear his head would fall off made it a little too obvious. Though possibly more strange was that no one had really seen him like that before.

“I guess he’s normal like the rest of us,” one commented.

“Well normal-ish. I don’t think the way he’s acting is that normal either.”

“We’re going to hear no end to his boasting now.”

“He’s not really the boastful type though.”

“Look at that face, if that’s not boastful pride what is it?”

“Nepotism, ugly reality,” someone just joining inserted.

“No, I heard she passed completely without any aid from him.”

“Damn, so she’s a prodigy like him then?”

“No wonder they’re married.”

Not oblivious to the stares or comments as her husband, she leaned in a little towards him. “Dear, I think your excitement is showing a little too much.”

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, still unable to contain him. “Nonsense! I’m glad to finally be able to be with you again! Why shouldn’t I be happy!” It had been two years since they were apart. Well apart as much as one could be living together, but him working and her going full time to the university. A long time coming for him, he looked forward to this today for so long.

It made her pleased to see him so happy for her, even though it did embarrass her all the attention they received. The man was dead serious about so many things, yet for her he completely flipped personalities. She considered on several occasions getting him tested for multiple personalities. But joking aside, she was happy to be with him as well. “Even so, this is a professional environment.”

“Since when were you the stuffy one caught up on manners and protocol?” He laughed a little with other thoughts on his mind. “I’m the serious one, you’re the outgoing one! That’s why I fell in love with you!”

He was only making things worse. “Dear…this is Toyama Labs, one of the most well respected and pioneering medical research companies in Japan.”

“And now you’re here too!”

She sighed, he wasn’t listening to her. It was actually surprising that he wasn’t paying attention. Even at his worst in doting on her, he would still listen if he went too far. ‘I never would have planned on this happening to him. I would have thought he’d be more reserved around others. This is going to be a long first day…’

Fortunately for her, they arrived at the security checkpoint, the second already. They took their secrets very seriously and monitored all activity of their employees throughout the building. Another point that surprised her for his behavior.

Lifting her newly acquired security badge for the guard, he scanned her into the system. “Tomiko Hayashi, you’re clear,” the guard replied, waving her through the gate. The man held up her husband, scanning him in despite remarking that they had known him for two years. “Clear, sir.”

After they both passed safely through the gate, Tomiko started to turn to the right. However, Isamu stopped her. “We’re down this way, dear.”

“I’ve been assigned to the Sakamoto Team.”

“What?!” he exclaimed with his face completely melting.

Chapter 300 – Rewind 3

Laughing, Tomiko finished recounting the morning details around an outer door table in front of a local restaurant. Among friends, she stopped being the professional one. “The look on his face was priceless. If I wasn’t inside, I’d probably have started laughing out loud.”

Kiku giggled while trying not to cough on her tea. “No wonder Isamu looks so miserable right now.”

She patted Isamu on the thigh trying to cheer him up. It was a little heartbreaking to see him look so sad after being so excited. The one-eighty he did would have given someone whiplash at his speed. “I didn’t have the heart to tell you, you looked so happy today. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything.”

He poked his finger at his sandwich as though he was a child. Despite his intelligence and normally straight-laced attitude, he had a surprisingly immature side to him. “I know I requested you for my team. Did they not get my request?”

“Did you really think they’d allow a married couple on the same team, Isamu,” Hachiro reminded, “For being so smart I thought you would have realized that simple fact.”

“What’s that got to do with anything?!”

She sighed a little disappointed that Isamu didn’t understand. The two women laughed more between themselves.

Switching topics, as she teased her husband enough, Tomiko zeroed in on Kiku and Hachiro. They sat together opposite of them at the table. The normal set up for them during their lunch get-togethers. “So you two doing anything for your anniversary?”

Immediately blushing with embarrassment, Kiku might have known Tomiko throughout their time at the university, but it didn’t make her any less immune to her more intimate remarks. The question left her almost completely shut down.

Tomiko grinned like a cat watching Kiku. “You’re acting like a schoolgirl still, Kiku. You two have been together for nearly as long as we’ve been married.” She slid her eyes over to Hachiro checking him out for a reaction. “You must be planning something special, six years.”

It was hardly the first time she pressed them. Hachiro had gotten used to it more than Kiku, but he still found her nosiness to be a little annoying at times. “I’m grateful to you for what you’ve done, but what we do is our business.”

Pouting a little in disappointment, though more just giving him a hard time, she smiled again quickly. “Aw, come on! We’re all friends here! The two of us are finally through with university and you’re looking for work. You only live once!”

“Private matters are private matters,” he replied stubbornly.

“You’re so old fashioned!” She clung onto Isamu more intimately than most would have viewed as acceptable by more strict individuals. “Society’s more accepting these days to being open and free about your relationship, you don’t need to hide it away in your apartment.”

Her comment and act managed to make Hachiro blush a little now. “And you could do with a little more restraint.”

Tomiko giggled, pleased with her success. “You’re my friends. More than anything I want you two to be happy.” Another patient was admitted for whiplash. She flipped so fast it might have made the two fall out of their chairs.

“I know,” Kiku said, almost instantly recovered. A warm smile came across her face seeing the sincerity from Tomiko. She had a lot that she owed to her. It made her wonder if she would ever be able to repay her friend for everything she had done. “Thank you.”

Everything seemed to be back on track. The mood returned to a happy one without the teasing. Their meal could continue or so they thought.

Suddenly, someone passing by the restaurant collapsed right at their table. The seemingly unconscious body spread out on the concrete quickly threw everyone outside into a panic. People screamed and panicked not knowing what to do. Others ran into the building looking for help.

Kiku and Hachiro both looked over at their friends. It was barely even a seconds after it all happened that they ran out to the collapsed man trying to see what was wrong with him. Hachiro stood up with concern, but aware he could do nothing. “Can you do something?”

Isamu checked the man’s vitals, turning him over with the assistance of Tomiko. “I might have a medical degree, but my expertise isn’t in the practicing area. Though I know enough to provide some help.”

“He’s still breathing, though a little shallow,” Tomiko reported.

“He’s sweating a lot and seems like he’s burning up.” Then suddenly a deep groan came from the man’s stomach, making all four of them sweat a little. “…he’s starved…” With Tomiko’s help, they got him up to their table.

Hachiro met with the restaurant owner as they rushed out. “He doesn’t seem to be in any danger…other than starving…” He quickly had to explain to them that the stranger was fine and no ambulance was needed. It took a few minutes of convincing which ended when the foreigner came back to reality with drool down his lips as the sight of food.

“Thank you!” he repeated several times in rough Japanese, as though it was the only thing he knew. He had a thick accent that didn’t sound American for the few words of English they picked up from him, as side comments to the food.

It took him several minutes of stuffing himself before he responded to anything external. He then looked over at Kiku, seemingly recognizing something familiar in her. “Oh you’re a foreigner too!” he responded in English to her. He quickly grabbed up her hands as though he had found his savior. “I don’t know any Japanese!”

Kiku hesitated a little, he targeted unknowingly on a sensitive subject. “…um…”

Jumping to Kiku’s aid, Tomiko separated the overly friendly man from Kiku. “Kiku is Japanese.”

The stranger didn’t seem to understand why Tomiko said it, though it was in English. “But she looks American.”

“That doesn’t matter, are you feeling better?”

“Oh yes! Thank you very much! You’re very kind for the meal.”

Isamu had been rubbing his face the whole time trying to figure out the accent. He knew his English well enough from his college classes, but it was nothing like what he heard before. “Are you American?”

“Oh no! I’m British, I’m just a tourist! I’m surprised how good your English is, I haven’t found anyone that understands me!”

“That explains it. How long has it been since you ate last?”

He had to rub his chin a little in thought. “Two days?” The reply received quite the surprise from the table. “I couldn’t get any meals and I was lost. Then the heat…I didn’t know summers in Japan were so bad, it’s nothing like England.”

“It’s not always this bad, you just caught us at a bad time of the year.”

The man looked around at the table realizing that he was out of place and didn’t really belong. “I’m sorry for intruding on your meal. Thank you for the meal, how much was this?” Isamu and Tomiko declined. “But I insist!” He dropped a couple thousand yen bills down on the table. Before any more protest, he bolted as his way of ensuring he paid.

They all looked around at each other not completely sure what happened. Peace at least returned to the restaurant. Things no longer even seemed to notice that something occurred only a few minutes before.

“Strange man,” Tomiko commented.

“Yeah…”

Staring down the street for a moment, Isamu spoke, “It’s odd that he couldn’t find food anywhere, even without knowing Japanese.”

Hachiro nodded in agreement. “I was thinking the same thing.”

The British man disappeared into the crowd and broke through into the alley. He looked around the alley seeing that it was empty. A moment passed in silence as a beep sounded off confirming something for him. Then a ripple suddenly came out from his feet altering his appearance. “…hmm, so those were the Hayashi’s… They might be ones I can trust…”