Blue Summer

Chapter 5: The Confession

When Ibuki did not return for the whole night, Misao grew anxious. At the least, he could have returned home feeling distraught, but when she checked in, he wasn't at home. Maki had been sent to school, and Misao had to leave, too. But without finding Ibuki's whereabouts, she didn't want to. So, Rui stepped in. He assured her he would look for him while she went to school. Misao trusted her brother and agreed.

Rui, keenly analysing the situation Ibuki was in at the moment, thought he would probably be in a secluded place. As Rui had guessed, he found Ibuki at a park bench shadowed under a huge tree, hidden from passing eyes. He was lying curled up and asleep. Rui touched Ibuki's shoulder softly and tried to wake him up. Ibuki woke dizzily and saw Rui looking at him.

"Ibuki, come with me. I will take you somewhere."

Ibuki followed Rui as they walked out of the park onto the crowded Incheon highway. Rui, followed by Ibuki, slowly made his way through the traffic to the other side. From there on, Rui led Ibuki to a small shop. It was a wooden structure with a bare minimum capacity of ten people at a time, yet people loved coming there to eat and drink. It was so small that even Ibuki's house, with all its agedness, looked like a mansion in comparison. At that moment, the shop was filled with only four more people, fishermen they were. Rui led Ibuki to a seat in the corner to make him feel safer. When seated, a young woman approached them to take their order. Once the order was given, Rui turned to Ibuki and spoke, "Like the place?"

Ibuki looked about. It was beautiful despite its size. He nodded, "Yes."

Then Ibuki followed up with a question, "It is so small, but seems very popular among people. Why so?"

Rui smiled, "Very right to question that. You will see in a moment."

Ibuki went to the washroom to freshen up and returned to the table to find it filled with aromatic and savoury dishes.

He sat and asked, "Is it the food that makes it special?"

Rui nodded.

Ibuki ate to his appetite, and once he was content, he said, "Thank you."

Rui smiled softly, "If you had passed by this place on your own would you have stopped to eat here?"

Confused by the question, Ibuki gulped and answered, "Maybe not."

"Good."

Ibuki gave a perplexed reaction.

"But if someone told you the food here was as good as the most spacious and accommodating hotel in the world, would you go?"

"Yes, if I could find a place to sit."

"Fair enough."

Ibuki was puzzled by the questions. Why was Rui asking them?

He posed a question, "With such a small group coming and eating, how do they make enough money?"

"They don't do it to only make money but to make people feel at home when they are away from it," Rui answered. "If you are kind enough and in need, they will go to any extent to find you a place to sit when all the others are occupied."

Ibuki looked about again, and the place seemed even more beautiful with its dimly lit cash counter, and wooden walls ignited with the sunlight.

Rui said, "Ibuki, remember, sometimes it is not about how much one can accommodate but how much one can give to those one accommodates. If sometimes you feel you don't have as many friends as you see your counterparts have, then think of those you do have and how much love and care you give them."

Ibuki remained silent for a moment. Then he spoke, "Is it wrong to feel the need to have more friends?"

"This place would probably wish to have more customers. Obviously, with such a small flow of customers, they would have more free time than many other food outlets," Rui replied.