Izuna

God, Tokyo was amazing! 

I had planned on having an early night in my hotel suite, but I found I was way too excited to relax. 

So I decided to head out. I took a quick shower, washed and dried my hair, then got dressed in black cargo trousers and a black sweater with a harness on top. I put my beanie on and headed out into the buzzing city. I was glad I spoke the language in case my GPS failed me; it was a safety net that made me less scared.

I walked through the shopping streets in the dusk, buzzing with life and neon. I went to the food markets, so dense the customers had a wall right at their back. I bought vegetable noodles to eat as I walked along, then candied grapes, their tartness welcome after an oily dinner. 

Finally, I came to the park at the Tokyo Tower, sat down and just enjoyed it alongside the many people who had come to the same point of relaxation as me. 

I sighed, leaned back on my hands. This was heavenly! I also allowed myself to think about work that would start tomorrow. I would meet the client, Hakka-san, who owned the hotel. Together, we would discuss some necessary steps. But tonight, I was free to enjoy myself. I started to long back to my hotel suite; just as with the first-class transpacific plane ticket, the company had not spared any expenses on my accommodation, and I wondered whether Mr Senju was in the same hotel as me. Probably. The thought thrilled me. 

I closed my eyes. After I had woken up on the plane, things had been very awkward between us. He had not initiated any type of conversation, or displayed any interest in me. I cursed myself; why would he? He had listened to my watermelon story politely, then probably decided he had had enough of me, which was understandable. He belonged to a world of first class tickets and luxury hotels. I, on the other hand, did not. 

I wondered if Mr Senju would come to meet Hakka-san tomorrow as well. I had been thrilled to hear that he was on his way to Tokyo for the exact same reason I was. I had texted Imogen and Mae immediately, and Imogen had told me to be careful. But even if I was happy, I wasn't certain what I wanted for tomorrow. I wanted to work with him so badly, but at the same time, I was afraid I would become a nervous wreck, and I really wanted to make a good impression on Hakka-san.

My mind had started spinning at this point, so I went back to my hotel suite, changed for the night, tucked myself into the big bed, and fell asleep surprisingly easily.

I woke to a beautiful day, the sun scorching from outside my windows despite the early hour. I went down for breakfast, slightly jet-lagged, and had myself some toast with jam, yoghurt, granola and fruit before I went to get ready. I dressed in the baggy black suit pants and my green shirt I had bought with Imogen and Mae, brushed my hair, packed a change of clothes to change for dinner with Hakka-san, took my coat under my arm and headed out to go to Hakka-san's hotel. 

I took the train to the beautiful location of his, in a field close to the ocean surrounded by forest. I couldn't believe they wanted to tear this place down for a coal mine. I tried not getting personally attached to the cases I was involved with, but this was ridiculous. The hotel itself was beautiful, built in a traditional Japanese style. I went into the lobby, and wasn't disappointed; it was dark, moody, lighted by beautiful lanterns and decorated with realistic fake sakura trees in full bloom. 

"Izuna-san!" A man came out of the elevator. He was quite short but big, with a big smile on his face. His hair was jet-black and greying at his temples, and he wore a strict, black suit that contrasted his welcoming smile. "Welcome to Japan and my hotel!" he said in Japanese. 

"Thank you for your trust, Hakka-san", I answered in my mother tongue. "It's an honour."

"Consider yourself at home in my hotel."

"Is Senju-san coming as well, or shall we start?" I asked, trying to sound neutral.

"It's just you and me discussing this working day, Izuna-san." I felt my heart plummet. "But he will be joining us for dinner." A rush of excitement passed through my body. Dinner! With Tobirama Senju! "I have booked us a table at my own restaurant this evening at eight. I hope to have you there."

"I would be delighted, Sir."

Before we started discussing the case, Hakka-san showed me the surroundings, and it was so breath-taking, I could forget my nerves about tonight's dinner for a bit. I couldn't help it, but I took an immediate liking to Hakka-san. He seemed to be a genuine soul filled with life-joy, and as he told me more about his work, I liked him even more.

"It might not look it, but the area is full of wildlife at risk of going extinct." He gestured towards the vast area around us. "I bought the grounds in the hope of preservation. But now, they want to dig it up for coal. I thought that because I owned it, it would be protected." Hakka-san sighed. "But apparently, they can force me away." 

"That's terrible", I said, meaning it.

"Trust me, Izuna-san. I have so much money I could just build a new, better hotel somewhere else. But it's not about that. Coal! Really?" For the first time, Hakka-san displayed anger. "We're Japan! We're supposed to be one of the most technically advanced countries in the world! They're going to ruin the environment here for dirty electricity. It will have serious consequences for the local ecosystem as well as the global environment."

"And that is where we come in, I suppose?" I asked as we walked back to the hotel. 

Hakka-san sighed. 

"If you can find a hole in the documents stating I am to be forced away. If you can find a flaw in the Japanese law system that can help me in any way..."

"How come you use a foreign company for this?" I asked, both out of curiosity but also because it was important for me to know his motives. "Don't get me wrong; we will get the job done. But a Japanese law firm would know the laws by heart." 

Hakka-san shook his head.

"My own lawyers have been at this case for a year now. That was why I turned to Tobirama and his team." Hearing his first name did things to me that I tried to ignore. "He's the best in the world. We need someone extraordinary. Despite, the research shows there are benefits of using foreign companies to find loopholes in local law. They are not biased by the belief that they do not need to look up details.

It made sense. 

"You're doing the right thing to trust us", I said.

"There's one more thing", Hakka-san said, looking serious. "This is a rural area. My grounds are populated by hundreds of people living on farms." I started to grasp exactly how large the area we were to protect was. "But they despise me."

I frowned.

"Why? Shouldn't they be on your side in this? They shouldn't want coal mines here, either."

He smiled sadly.

"I hate to say it, but these people despise change. They hate that I own their land, even if their income isn't affected by my ownership. I have even decreased their rent. But as long as they're not affected, they see it as a positive thing to get rid of me, even if it means a coal mine close-by. They are not happy about my presence here. It does not help my case."

"I see."

Hakka-san showed me the rest of his hotel, and we discussed some details. 

"Well", Hakka-san finally said. "It's five, so your time is up. I have booked you a hotel room so you can spend some time there before dinner. Free of charge, of course, both the room and the dinner. Our friend Tobirama will arrive just before eight."

I thanked Hakka-san for the day and for the room, then went to the room that had been dedicated to me, in dark blues and golds, all very modern with a traditional touch, and showered and washed my face before dinner, slathering myself in the many creams and lotions available for the guests. I put on the clean trousers and shirt I'd brought. 

Then, with only minutes to spare, I went down for dinner with Tobirama Senju.