Tokyo Ever After: A Novel (Tokyo Ever After #1)(37)

“This used to be my room.” I startle at Akio’s voice.

“Used to be?” A fine layer of dust coats the shelves.

“I live on the imperial grounds. Staff housing.”

I nod vacantly. Though I’m surprised. Seems I haven’t put enough thought into getting to know my imperial guard. No time like the present, I guess. “Model planes, huh?” He’s silent. Okay, another topic then. “Is your mother all right?”

“She’s fine.” He steps into the room. The door is still partially shut. It’s so quiet in the house. It feels like we’re alone. Like we’re the only two people in the universe. “She has early onset dementia.” With one finger, he stops the propeller from spinning. “My father retired from the imperial guard for her. Now he spends his days as a nursemaid, filling the holes in her memory.”

“I’m sorry.”

Another shrug, like it means nothing. Nothing at all. But I imagine it’s a terrible weight to carry. “She has good days and bad days. Sometimes she wanders. He doesn’t like to leave her alone.” He pauses. “Thank you for this.”

It’s my turn to shrug. “Of course. I’m a big fan of moms in general.” Well, all women, really, because we’re awesome. The corner of his mouth tugs up. It’s nice to see him smile again. It means something to me, making him happy. I look at my shoes. “You know, I thought, maybe it was your girlfriend calling you.”

He sounds amused when he answers. “Did you?”

I risk a glance up. Yep, definitely amused. “It’s not that it matters to me, per se. But I guess I should know if you have other commitments that might distract from your job.” I purse my lips. Scan the room. Act casual.

“A girlfriend wouldn’t distract me. I wouldn’t let it,” he explains. Probably true. “But for the record, I don’t have a girlfriend.”

My lips twitch, but I contain the grin.

“What about you? Do you have someone at home?” His voice is light, casual. “Someone that might distract from your imperial duties? I guess I should know that as well, just in case, for security purposes.”

Fair is fair. “No. I had a boyfriend, but we broke up a year ago. He took way too many mirror selfies.” For the record, one is too many.

He makes a strange expression. “I’ve never taken a mirror selfie.”

“Good to know.”

I’ve made a full lap around the room. I’m back in front of Akio now. On the wall behind him are photo collages of Akio at different ages with friends and teachers.

“I’ve never even taken a selfie,” he says.

“Even better.” Although my phone is full of them. Mostly Noora and me hamming it up, pretending to pinch Mount Shasta between our pointer finger and thumb. I study a green plane with a silver body and yellow stripes on the wings.

“That’s a Mitsubishi A6M Zero, flown during the war. The majority were converted to kamikaze aircraft toward the end.”

I am familiar with the term. Kamikaze. Divine wind. My mind fills with images of planes twisting from the sky like angry hornets from a nest, then exploding on impact, pilots still inside them. “Would you do that?”

He blinks. “Die for my country? Yes, I would.” It must be a requirement of being an imperial guard. The thought of Akio taking a bullet for me is too much. My throat is dry. I don’t want to talk about it anymore. “Mariko said your parents worked with hers.”

“Most of the imperial positions are legacies, handed down over time.”

“Like the monarchy,” I say.

“Yes.”

Another thing we have in common. We were born to play certain roles. Our destinies were predetermined.

We’re standing close now. For a long time, he stares at me. I wonder if he feels it, too, this wall of electricity. I start to get self-conscious. “Is there something on my face?” I wipe my cheek, searching out crumbs or a smear of blush gone wrong. What am I saying? Mariko would never allow that to happen.

A headshake. “No.”

“What’s the look for, then?” We’ve drifted even closer, chests almost touching. I stroke the inside of my palms with my thumbs. Our breaths have synced.

“I’m just trying to figure you out.”

Is that all? “Good luck. Better men than you have tried.” Not true. For a princess I’ve kissed a fair number of frogs. My voice lowers. “Let me know when you’ve got an idea.”

“I thought you were a bit silly at first.” Wow. Give it to me straight. “But I was wrong.… I think you’re very serious about the things you care about. I think you lead with your heart.”

We gaze at each other.

A throat clears at the door. Much like the night in the car, we spring away. The wall of electricity fizzles out. Akio’s father speaks in Japanese.

“Tea is ready,” says Akio roughly.

Tea is served in the living room, brilliant green ocha in a blue china glazed bowl. As we sip, I steal looks at Akio, blush, and turn away. His last words repeat in my head.

I think you lead with your heart.




THE TOKYO TATTLER

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April 2, 2021