Chapter 160
The streets of Tokyo seemed like a blurry dream. Neon lights reflected off the wet pavement, creating a colorful glow everywhere. We walked carefully, in silence. Vincenzo led the way as if he knew every corner of that maze of alleys, and yet no one relaxed.
"Careful," he said suddenly, placing his hand on my shoulder and pulling me against the nearest wall.
The shock made me hold my breath. Nancy and the security guard flinched with us, and for a few seconds, the world seemed to stop. The sound of our footsteps faded, replaced by male voices coming from somewhere ahead.
Vincenzo nodded discreetly. I followed his gaze and saw two men in black suits talking at the intersection of the street, a few meters away.
"Are they Yakuza?" I asked, almost silently.
"Yes," he replied. "But they're not looking for us. Thank goodness."
He quickly turned around and led us down a side street, much narrower and darker. Even swerving, he walked confidently. He didn't seem lost for a second.
"How are you so sure they weren't after us?" I asked, still whispering.
"I understood what they were saying," he replied as if it were a common occurrence.
"You speak Japanese?!" My eyes widened.
He gave a slight nod, as if to say "of course."
"And... how many languages do you speak?"
He looked over his shoulder and answered softly, almost laughing through his nose.
"About ten."
My jaw nearly dropped. We were in the middle of a rescue operation, and I was still amazed by him.
"You never cease to amaze me," I whispered, half-thinking.
He gave one of those restrained, almost invisible smiles of his, which I had already learned to decipher. It was the kind of smile that meant, "Not now, but I heard you."
Suddenly, drops began to fall from the dark sky.
As soon as the rain began to fall, Nancy widened her eyes and blurted out,
"There! This is where we find a Pikachu in the alley and he'll guide us to Rafael with a treasure map hidden in his tail!"
I stared at her, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
"Nancy, are you okay?" I asked, trying to hold back my laughter.
"Hey, you've never seen a Japanese movie, have you? There's always rain, thunder, samurai, and a crazy clue!"
Vincenzo just sighed deeply and kept walking, as if he'd already gotten used to Nancy's mind trips. Me? I was starting to love it.
First thin, then thicker, until they turned into a heavy rain, the kind that gets you wet in seconds. Nancy shrugged and looked up, muttering something under her breath. The security guard looked around attentively, then pointed:
"Here, sir."
Vincenzo nodded and led us into a small door hidden between two old facades. It was a small, cozy restaurant, with the aroma of fresh food in the air. The walls were dark wood and the floor stone. Inside, the sound of rain hitting the awning seemed distant.
Nancy shook herself like a wet cat and glanced at the dishes the other customers were eating.
"My God, this all looks delicious. I'm starving."
"Me too," I confessed, sitting down on one of the low stools.
Vincenzo was already standing at the counter, chatting in Japanese with a middle-aged woman. He ordered three dishes and, when he returned, pushed one of them toward the security guard.
"Eat. I need you ready for anything."
The man nodded seriously.
"Thank you, sir."
I watched Vincenzo for a few seconds as he stood there, staring at the rain outside the restaurant. He didn't even sit down. His plate remained untouched on the table. It was as if his hunger had vanished along with his peace.
Nancy sat next to me and began to eat enthusiastically, letting out a "hmm" with every bite. I started eating too. The flavor was unlike anything I'd ever tasted, but I barely tasted it. My eyes were glued to him.
He looked like a statue.
His wet hair fell over his shoulders, sticking to his dark t-shirt. His jaw was clenched, his gaze distant. It was easy to see that, even inside, he was still on the battlefield. His mind was elsewhere. Probably with Rafael.
"Isn't he going to eat?" I whispered to Nancy.
She shook her head.
"Vincenzo doesn't eat when he's worried. I've seen it before. He goes into a silent mode and stays like that, like a closed volcano." Until everything was resolved.
I nodded, never taking my eyes off him.
There was something deeply lonely about that man. Even surrounded by us, even leading everything, even being strong all the time… he seemed to carry the world on his shoulders. Alone.
And I wanted so badly to ease that. I wanted him to look at me and tell me what he was feeling. But Vincenzo wasn't the type to let it out. He bottled everything up inside and carried on. As if he were invincible. As if feelings were weakness.
And maybe, for him, they were.
But I knew better.
—“Do you think he’s thinking about giving up?” I asked quietly.
Nancy looked at me with that serious look she rarely wore.
“No. He’s thinking about how to kill everyone if necessary. That man doesn’t lose. Not when it comes to someone he loves.”
Those words warmed me. Because no matter how tense the situation was, it reminded me that he loved. And that if he loved… he fought until the end.
I continued eating, trying to keep up with Nancy, but I still couldn’t stop looking at him.
Vincenzo seemed to be counting the minutes, the seconds… as if each one were a direct threat to Rafael.
The guard wiped his mouth with a napkin and stood up silently. He stood beside Vincenzo like a trained guard dog. No words were spoken. They just looked at each other, and Vincenzo nodded.
“We’re almost ready,” he said, his back still to us.
“It’s going to rain all night.” — I murmured.
He turned his face slightly and looked at me sideways, his eyes intense.
—Then let's get out wet.
The sentence was simple, but spoken from his mouth, it felt like a code. Something about facing whatever came, no matter what.
And I was with him. Until the end.
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