Chapter 75 – Visits for the night, again!

Sakamo Ryu shrugged. “It wasn’t that expensive, and I think those are semi-precious stones. The crystal may look simple, but with that colour and the properties it has, it could cost a fortune indeed, but the woman that sold it to me is a friend, and she gave me a very special discount.”

Tomiko gave the necklace to Sakamo, and as he was putting it around Hangaku Mae’s neck, he noticed she was still trembling. “What’s the matter? You seem awfully nervous.”

“What do you expect? You just gave me a necklace! It looks like a present that a boy would give to his girlfriend! Of course, I am nervous!”

Sakamo made a slight smile. “You were the one that told me you were introduced to your agent as my girlfriend. If I have the reputation, I better deserve it!”

Hangaku Mae made a big smile with her face all red and asked while looking deep into his eyes, “You mean I am your girlfriend now?”

“I don’t know, are you? Because if you are not, I want that necklace back!”

Hangaku hugged him with such a big smile that Tomiko Hari averted her eyes and asked Shubuyaky Tomoe, “Did he say he went to China? What for?”

“I bet it was something crazy. Ryu-kun, let go, or she will faint with all that happiness! Why did you go to China? I knew you went there, but your brothers refused to tell me why. They said it was a surprise, and you were the one that was going to tell me, and I waited until now because you always avoided answering me!”

Sakamo spoke while holding hands with the almost-blowing-in-happiness Hangaku Mae, “For a Martial Arts event, a Kumite. There were participants from several Asian countries that trained in Shrines like mine. Last year, the Kumite was in the Shaolin Temple.”

Shubuyaky Tomoe slowly shook her head. “I knew it… How many styles did you learn? And how did you rank?”

“Ten, actually. I ranked first in my weight class. I didn’t learn ten styles at once; no need to look at me like that! I stayed in the Shaolin temple for six months, and I learned with the monks that live there.”

Tomoe was indeed frowning at Sakamo, and Tomiko Hari asked because she seemed to be the only one finding that amazing, considering that Hangaku was still frozen in her smile. “I never heard that the Shaolin Temple organises events like that! Did you participate? How?”

“There are several Martial Arts events unknown to the public, and this one that I attended is one that it’s happening for thousands of years. It serves to test the training routine of the Martial Arts Shrines. My father, the Head Monk, used to live and train in Shaolin when he was younger, but when he returned to Japan, he brought with him all the techniques that he had learned. That Kumite also serves as a gathering for older students that have become Masters in their area.”

Shubuyaky Tomoe waved at Grandma Takechi-san, calling her to order their food, and she then asked, “Why didn’t you tell me you were going there? I could enter as well!”

“No, you couldn’t. Shrines only. You don’t live, and you never lived in a Shrine. Besides, you were on a tour at that time, remember?”

Tomoe gave a big smile. “Talking about a tour, I have a concert next weekend in Nakanojo! Want to go?”

“Another concert? Nah, I will pass.”

Shubuyaky Tomoe winked at him. “Not even if I tell you that there will be a new singer in the opening act? Someone that you know very well and is wearing a pretty necklace?”

“What? Hangaku-chan, you are…”

Hangaku Mae timidly nodded. “Yeah, my agent told me it would be a great opportunity for me, and since it will be a smaller concert, there won’t be as many people as the last one. It would be the perfect place to start. That’s also why I have to work hard during the entire week to practise and record the album. If I can’t finish in time, or if I am not ready, Tomoe-chan will have to find another opening singer, and I will have to wait for my next break. Who knows when that might be…”

“In that case, I will definitely go! I may need to reschedule some things because I have to work next weekend. When is the concert, Tomoe-chan?”

“Saturday night, at eight. Are you going to visit your father?”

“Yeah, it has been a while since the last time I went home.”

Tomoe smiled and said, “I thought that your classmates could go as well, like last time, but we need accommodation for all of them. Do you think…”

“No, the Shrine is not a hotel, you know that.”

“I was about to ask if you could call the rental flats near the station, stupid! If I call them, they are going to inflate the prices for sure. I think your classmates won’t mind paying for two nights, considering everything else will be on us. I mean, concert tickets and meals.”

Sakamo frowned. “You want me to invite my classmates so that they can go cheer for you and pay for their meals? Anything else, my lord?”

“I don’t know, train tickets and a few hours in the sauna, for instance? Or would that be too much to ask from you, you tightwad? And they are also going to cheer for Hangaku-chan, moron!”

Sakamo grabbed the fork to take a piece of meat from the plate that Grandma Takechi brought for him. “You are calling me too many bad names for someone that wants my help. At least we are going to split the expenses? Or is it all on me? Considering that you are earning a tonne of money with all your work lately, you could give a hand with the expenses!”

“We can do that. I will also take care of the tickets for the concert. You just need to tell me how many of your classmates will go. By the way, guess who got invited to be the lead star in a new upcoming movie? Yeah, yours truly will be Tomoe Gozen in a movie! Thanks for your help, Ryu-kun; the people of the studio loved what we did! And did you see my fan club website? My fans went nuts because no one knew I was a fighter!”

Sakamo stopped eating and thought for a few moments. Tomoe asked when he didn’t answer her enthusiasm. “Did you hear what I said? What’s in your head for you to be frozen like that?”

“No, I was thinking. Congratulations on that. Maybe there will be an increase in people following your lead and going after gyms to practise Martial Arts.”

He then took a card from his pocket and placed it on the table. “Maybe you could say something in that fan club of yours about these guys. I met them this morning with Hangaku-chan. Their Master has a gym outside of Tokyo, and they use music with plenty of rhythms to set the mood for their training. I thought your music could be used because some rhythms are similar. Maybe it could be a nice marketing stunt for you and them if they get new students and use your music.”

Shubuyaky Tomoe grabbed the card and looked at it. “Capoeira? I saw something about this Martial Art on the phone of my assistant. She was drooling over the muscles of one fighter. Are they good? What about the gym?”

“I am thinking about visiting the gym during the week, and since Hangaku-chan will be working, I guess I can go right after School.”

Tomoe delivered the card to Sakamo with a puzzled look. “You are thinking about something else, I can tell. You want to learn with them, right?”

“Yeah, they have some pretty moves. Instead of always going to my students, I was thinking about finding a place where I could take them. If this gym is big enough, I could try to make some kind of arrangement with the Capoeira Master to let me use the space.”

Tomoe nodded, and Hangaku looked with a puzzled face at Tomiko, who, like her, was wondering what they were talking about. Tomoe noticed and said, “I bet he didn’t tell you guys. He teaches some people during the weekend, mostly police officers and security guys. Yeah, it’s another way for him to earn good cash, and he still says that I must pay for his meal every time I invite him to eat out with me!”

Sakamo shrugged and said, “I am more interested in knowing how you intend to return to your hotel after dinner, instead of getting annoyed by your mockery.”

“Who told you I was going back to my hotel after all the work I had to escape with no one seeing me? Of course, I am going to sleep at your house, considering you didn’t show it to me yet. You have a guest room, right?”

Hangaku Mae raised her hand. “Then I will go as well! You can sleep with Tomiko-chan and I will be with Sakamo-kun!”

Sakamo choked on his food, and Shubuyaky Tomoe slowly shook her finger. “No, you won’t. I can’t sleep with the cute Tomiko-chan, and you can’t sleep with him, so we must change. I will be with Ryu-kun and you with Tomiko-chan.”

Hangaku Mae frowned. “Totally uncool, Tome-chan! Why can’t I sleep with him and why can’t you sleep with Tomiko-chan?”

Tomoe spoke while gently caressing the right cheek of the surprised Tomiko. “Because if we did as you said, none of us would sleep, and tomorrow I have work and you guys have classes to attend.”

Hangaku Mae kept on frowning. “I don’t see why we can’t do it. I can behave, but I can’t answer for him, of course.”

Shubuyaky Tomoe spoke after winking to Tomiko, who quickly grabbed her cup to drink. “I won’t be able to resist taking advantage of this purple beauty here. As for you, you can’t be trusted, and even if you say you will behave, I can perfectly see the suspicious smile that you are trying to hide.”

Sakamo Ryu grinned. “Did any of you think about the remote chance I might refuse to have you come over? Because it’s still early, you can very well grab a taxi or go to the train station.”

Tomoe put a piece of bread in his mouth. “Shut up and eat. I want to take a look at your house.”
…

After leaving the restaurant, Sakamo walked along the small street holding hands with Hangaku Mae, while Shubuyaky Tomoe was happily chatting behind them with Tomiko Hari and Takechi Hito.
Upon opening the door and letting them in, Sakamo gave a tour of the house to the smiling Tomoe.

On the upper floor, she stopped in the middle of the corridor and pointed to a closed door. “What do you have in there? A dungeon for you to torture your enemies?”

“No, that’s my office.”

Tomoe quickly opened the door and entered, and after turning on the light, she looked around with a big smile. “Oh, you made a gym here! Nice! The drawings add a nice touch as well. I didn’t see this one. Is it new?”

Sakamo Ryu looked at where she was pointing, a handmade drawing of him, his mother, and Shubuyaky Tomoe, posing as if they were a happy family, and said, “Yeah, I thought it would be cool if we were a real family. I hope you don’t think it’s weird.”

Tomoe gave a slight smile while staring at the drawing on the wall. “It’s not weird, it’s cool. I would have loved to meet your mother, Ryu-kun. She was gorgeous, and you resemble her a lot.”

“Yeah, my father and all my brothers used to say that.”

Hangaku Mae walked around the room, looking at the drawings on the walls. There was one with Sakamo’s mother alone, one with an old monk, probably his adopted father, she thought, a group of ten monks smiling, and one that made her turn pale. There it was for her to see in all its glory, a handmade drawing of a Mermaid that looked like Sakamo’s mother, lying on the ground near a pool of water and staring at it with a puzzled look, as if she was wondering how to take a bath there.

Sakamo noticed the way she was looking at the drawing and asked, “What’s the matter? You look as if you saw a ghost.”