Haru's footsteps echoed through the staircase, pulling Aiko back from memory lane. She was so used to living alone, she still needed time adjusting to her new guest. Swiftly, she grabbed the paper bag next to her seat, took out a slim box, and carefully positioned it beside Haru's dinner bowls.

The boy paused for a moment at the sink and washed his hands before joining her. He glanced at the adorned dining table and bowed his head. "I've troubled you with my meal again."

"No trouble at all. When your mother and I shared an apartment, I used to cook all the time for us. Midori never said anything. Besides, you've been cleaning the house and cooking dinner for a while, so this time it's my turn." She gestured at the flat box, "Before we eat, please accept this gift. I bought it for you."

Haru accepted the gift with both hands and opened the box. "Nishii-san, these are truly beautiful chopsticks!"

"I know that your birthday was two weeks ago, but I thought it would be nicer to wait until you got to Tokyo to give you your present, instead of sending it to Yoshino."

Haru nodded, examining the new chopsticks closely. "There's a sakura motif on them."

"A symbol of spring, much like your name*. May this modest present bring joy to your new life here in Tokyo."

"I am genuinely grateful."

"You're most welcome. Now, let's eat!"

...

"Aiko, look at the guy!" Midori nudged me. "What the heck is he doing?"

My focus shifted to the young guy, who stood out conspicuously in the crowd. His sailor uniform, appearance, and demeanor drew attention. I could see right away what amused Midori: the man was handling chopsticks with his left hand. People in the sushi place couldn't help but whisper and sneak looks at him. Interestingly, the man seemed completely oblivious of the attention.

"I think he's a foreigner," Midori whispered.

"He definitely is."

"I feel bad," Midori sighed. "Should we tell him?"

"You do it."

"I forgot to put on lipstick. You do it."

It was clear to me that the sailor had trouble using the chopsticks. Once he manage in clamping the rice, his chopsticks snapped into two. People covered their mouths and giggled. The chef, busy serving guests, glanced at the sailor and shook his head in disbelief.

Okay. I couldn't let this to go on. I took a deep breath and approached him. "Excuse me."

The sailor looked up at me. "Yes?"

"You're not supposed to use your left hand for handling chopsticks."

"Ah, I'm left hand."

"I see. We mainly use the left hand in funeral rituals. If you're struggling with the sushi, you can just grab it with your hands. How about a spoon? Would you like one? I can ask the staff."

He frowned, looking confused. "Sorry. Japanese... not fluent. Please speak slow."

"A spoon..." I left with no choice but to use hand gestures to explain. "Would you like a spoon?"

He blinked for a few seconds before nodding in relieve. "Yes. Thank you."

I asked a spoon from the chef, but he just snorted annoyingly. There was only one waiter in this restaurant, and he was busy serving customers on the other side of the room.

"Just use your hand," I mimed the action of scooping food with my hand. "You can eat with your hands. That's okay."

"Can use hands?" The sailor's face turned red. "Didn't know. Thank you."

"No problem." Stains of soy sauce dripping splattered around his plate. At that point, it was clear that I had to teach him another lesson. "Forgive me, but you also put the sushi in the wrong position. It's the meat that needs to be dipped into the soy sauce, not the rice. If you dip the rice, the sauce will drip like that because the rice absorbs the sauce. You have to hold the sushi the other way around, with the meat facing down."

The poor guy blinked again. Oh, was I talking too fast?

Suddenly, a smile blossomed on his perplexed face. "I see. Thank you."

"Don't mention it." So he was translating my words in his mind. "Enjoy your food."

I turned around to head back to my table, but the sailor gently touched my arm.

"My name is Felix. What's your name?" he asked.

"I'm Nishii. Nice to meet you." I pointed to my table. "That girl over there is my friend, Sato."

Midori waved eagerly. "Ask him to sit with us."

For a moment, I could see Felix-san was also translating Midori's words in his head. With a familiar understanding dawning once again, he grasped his plate and approached our table, his steps light with relief and joy. As he settled across from us, we quietly ate while keeping a watchful eye on him.

At first glance, he appeared Asian, with muscular physique. His skin had a deeper tan than anyone else in the restaurant, and his lips were slightly chapped. His eyes were large and bright, framed by long, girl-like eyelashes. The contour of his face was firm and plump, unlike the typical Japanese moon face, giving him a manly impression. His sharp jaws added to his striking appearance. His hair was curly, resembling ramen.

I thought he looked rather attractive.

Under the table, Midori nudged my knees, signaling to start a conversation.

"Where do you come from, Felix-san?" I blurted, because Midori seemed determined to break my knees if I didn't start speaking.

"Indonesia," replied the man.

Midori let out an embarrassing "Aaah" sound to show she understood. It wasn't an odd thing, though. Yokohama was a port city, attracting people from all corners of the world. Felix-san probably had stopped in Japan before, considering his decent, albeit rough, Japanese.

"Sorry. So hungry," the sailor waved to the waiter and ordered another plate, "Just docked this morning. Want to eat some good food."

"They don't serve nice food on the boat?" Midori asked.

"Only basic food, because it's a boat for... delivering things."

"A cargo ship," I clarified.

He paused, contemplating the words for a moment. "Yes. Cargo ship!"

All three of us laughed.

"Nishii-san and Sato-san live where?" Felix-san asked.

"We work in that mini market," Midori pointed to our mini market across the street. "Feel free to drop by our shop anytime, Felix-san."

He smiled. "I'll stop by later."

The waiter arrived with a plate of sashimi. Felix-san immediately reached out to pick up the new dish with his hand.

"This is sashimi," I stopped him because I could feel some curious eyes already peeking out around us. "You'll need to use chopsticks for this one."

"Oh," Felix-san sighed, looking at the wooden chopsticks as though they were a pair of samurai swords. "Chopsticks..."

Midori nudged me again. Alright, alright, I'd do it.

I took the still-joined chopsticks, broke them in two, and carefully positioned them into Felix-san's right hand.

"Here, allow me to teach you how to use them correctly."

...

"Nishii-san? Are you okay?"

Haru stared at her. She gasped, picked a piece of meat, and put it in her mouth.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Sorry."

"Something bothering you?"

"No. I was just daydreaming. How's your first week at the uni? Yuki walks with you to campus every morning, right?"

"Yeah, he does." 

"Good."

"It's just... his behavior. I don't know how to describe it."

"What do you mean?"

"One minute, he's all warmth and smiles, then suddenly, he's as cold as ice. I can't help but wonder if I said something to upset him, but he never brings it up. And when he's in a good mood, it's like he's firing off questions left and right, like a fireworks show..."

"I bet they're not easy to answer."

"You're absolutely right." Haru looked slightly frustrated. "I don't think he's really looking for a friend either. At first, I thought maybe he was just being polite to me, but later I found out that he's never shy about speaking his mind, so it's kinda confusing."

"He's just being careful. Making friends isn't his strong suit, especially considering he's quite a unique character, as you've probably noticed. It took a whole year for him to really open up to me. But once you get to know him better, you'll see he's a bit of a joker. So, for now, don't stress too much if his mood shifts. He's kind of... how do I put it? Delicate. Feels everything deeply. Some folks are just wired that way."

Haru slowed his chewing. "He thinks you set me up to be his friend."

"Everyone needs a friend. In this life, you need at least one buddy to survive, someone you can always rely on. Luckily for me, I've got Midori, your mother."

"I understand. But why Yuki?"

"Oh, no special reason. You know, neighbors are practically family, just living next door." She chuckled, pushing her plate aside. "And besides, young folks like you should be hanging out with people your own age, not old aunties like me. This time in your life won't come around again, so make the most of it. Be bold, take risks, go on adventures! Midori shared that advice with me years ago when we were housemates."

She studied Haru's face. He looked like he was wrestling with some thought.

"Was Mother..." Haru cringed apologetically, "...wild when she was young?"

"Not wild, but bold. Totally unlike any other girl I know. I guess that's why your father fell for Midori," she said as she refilled the boy's empty cup. "Have you made some friends at the uni?"

"I met a friend from Yoshino, Chie Maruyama. She moved with her family to Osaka two years ago. We hadn't talked much since, so it was a surprise to see her again."

"Oh, I know that name! Isn't she the short-haired girl who lives across the street from your house, who likes to talk? She's your childhood friend, right?"

"Yes, that's Chie."

"You should ask her to come! I'd like to meet her!"

"I'm a bit worried if I invite her. Chie has her own rules." Haru scratched his cheeks and smiled nervously. "When we were kids, she told everyone we were dating because Father used to joke that we were so cute, like lovers. In second grade, Chie made me promise in front of our classmates that we would get married."

She giggled. Haru was indeed a cute kid.

"We are the complete opposite, but I can trust Chie," Haru continued. "When I saw her first on campus, instead of saying, 'Long time no see,' she shouted, 'Hi, future husband!'"

...

"Aiko! Look!" Midori tilted her head from behind the shelf she was organizing and rolled her eyes towards the sliding doors. "Your future husband has arrived!"

Felix, the sailor, was peeking in. Our eyes met. His smile widened as he walked in.

"Welcome," I greeted.

He approached my cashier counter and bowed back. Behind the shelf, I could hear Midori snickering. He didn't have to bow back. Most people just didn't care.

"How can I help you, Felix-san?"

"I'd like to... umm, buy cigarettes."

"Sure. May I see your passport?"

"Passport?"

"To check your age." I knew he was old enough to smoke, but Father was very strict about the rules. "I'm not allowed to sell cigarettes to any customers below the age twenty."

Midori left her post and joined us. Felix-san reached into his pocket, took out his passport, and gave it to me. I checked his birthday. He was born in the year of Water Dragon. Wait, how did I know this?

"Wow!" Midori peeked over my shoulder. "Felix-san, your birthday is only six months apart from Aiko's!"

Ah, that's why. We were born in the same year.

Felix-san blinked. "Aiko?"

"That's my name," I returned his passport. "Aiko Nishii."

His eyes lit up. "Aiko..." he muttered. "Sounds better than 'Nishii'."

I didn't mind if he started to call me Aiko. Introduction with a family name was more of a habit than for the sake of maintaining good manners. "Which cigarettes would you like?"

He couldn't take his gaze away from me. My cheeks were pulsing with heat; nobody ever noticed me so upfront like this. Midori cleared her throat in the most noisy way, and Felix-san jolted. He pointed at the cigarette cabinet behind me.

"This one?" I wasn't sure which one he was pointing at. "Mild Seven?"

"Yeah, that's okay."

I didn't think this was the cigarette he wanted. I tried to guess his thoughts, but the sailor was no longer looking at the cabinet. His eyes had returned to me. When I caught him staring, he smiled and blushed.

Midori couldn't hold herself any longer. She ducked below the counter and burst into laughter.

I handed over the Mild Seven. "Two hundred and fifty yen."

He reached for the cigarette very slowly, as if he was afraid of missing something. He tapped it a few times on the counter and took a deep breath before paying.

"Thank you for your visit," I bowed.

Felix-san waved and strode to the doors. Suddenly he turned around.

"I need something else."

My heart was throbbing inside my chest. "Yes?"

"Would you like to go out with me this Saturday?"

---

*The name 'Haruki' can be written using 2 kanjis, 春 (Haru: spring), and 木 (ki: tree). With these kanji, 'Haruki' means a child who was born in spring.