Tokyo Seduction (Book 1 Of The Gaijin Series)

Chapter 16

The view of Minato from the twenty-ninth floor was amazing and the building was situated close to Tokyo Tower and they had the best view of it, as well as Shiba Park and Rainbow Bridge. The restaurant lights were dimmed, giving the space a cosy atmosphere and maximizing the full view of the city through the panoramic windows. They were seated at the back of the restaurant in a corner that was secluded; it had the best views and made it feel even more romantic.

"So you never really told me what you do, Hatori," Mimi said after he ordered a bottle of wine for them. She felt at ease with him; he had a way of taking control. This was something Mimi subconsciously craved, and once again found it easy to talk freely with him.

"It's quite boring, so I don't really talk about my work. I'm in charge of marketing the company I work for to other businesses and then procuring more investments. Really I'm a Jack-of-all-trades; I do lots of other things when needed."

Hatori stopped talking when the wine came, tasted it, and signalled to the waiter that he liked it. He poured her a glass and continued, not going into any real detail about his work.

"I'm lucky, really, because my job is on the marketing side of things. I can go to places like this and call it work, because the higher-ups are always looking for nice places to take their clients."

Mimi smiled as Hatori was explaining this, she loved being able to freely stare at him without looking like some lovesick puppy. She was completely captivated by his long lashes and the depth of colour in his eyes. When Hatori gave her a huge smile, her heart rate spiked through the roof and she had to take a sip of wine to get it under control.

"As my boss is such a good friend, he's known me forever," Hatori couldn't stop himself from smirking, "I'm left to get on with what needs to be done. He knows how hard I work so I'm not expected to stay late if I don't have to. You know that it's a custom in Japan for workers not to leave work before their boss, which means most businessmen and women don't leave work till late."

Mimi already knew this and thought it sucked. It was one of the things that she still could'nt get her head around ̶ the complete devotion the average Japanese person had for their employer. Unlike in western countries, where everyone seemed happy to go from job to job until they found the right one. In Japan, most business people stayed in the same job their whole working life.

"Well, you will have to thank your boss for me as this restaurant is very nice. You're really lucky not to have to stay later than needed at work. I keep telling Erika and Ritsuko they're in for a shock when they start their new jobs. Personally, I don't think I could do it. I wonder how Ritsu will cope," Mimi said, adding that last bit as a side thought.

Ritsu had never worked a day in her life and the decision for Ritsu to co-run her family's company had only just been made. This was mainly because Ritsu had been refusing marriage proposals and her father thought a taste of real working life would make her reconsider and agree to marriage.

"Tell me, Mimi, what brought you to Japan?" Hatori asked.

Mimi looked down for a moment as the old wounds, she tried so hard to forget about, began to sting. Even though she allowed herself to feel sorrow on that one day each year, she never allowed herself to really think about what happened for too long. Despite the fact that she was never close to her family, she had still loved them and it was still immensely painful that they had tossed her out like she was trash.

The last thing Mimi wanted to do was bring this date crashing down with her family drama. Instead, she reverted to telling half-truths. "It's a bit silly really. My best friend Heather was completely hooked on anime. On the other hand, I was a science nerd at high school so never had time for that stuff. Then at the start of my third year at high school my boyfriend broke my heart very publicly."

Thinking about it now, Mimi could see how she had been swept off her feet by the popular jock with the face of an angel but the heart of a demon. Who, she later found out, was only dating her because he thought she would be an easy lay and someone he could manipulate and control.

"I sort of had a meltdown and retreated into my own shell. Heather stayed by my side; she was always coming over, bringing anime with her, and I got hooked."

Mimi looked at her wrist for a moment, her wrist usually burned with an angry itch whenever she recalled the past. But there was only an annoying tingle that she could easily ignore. She looked back up at Hatori, reaching for her wine and downing it to ease the lump in her throat, and then continued to gloss over the truth.

"I stopped taking French and started taking Japanese. By the end of the summer that year, I had decided that the only way to really learn a language was to move to that country. So on a whim, I applied to a few universities in Japan and then, to be honest, I forgot all about it.

"When my final year of school started, I was back to my old self. Then I was accepted into Harvard and was all set to go. But out of the blue I got an acceptance letter from The American University of Minato and I thought 'What the hell, when am I ever going to get another chance like this?'"

Mimi gulped down more wine. She didn't like talking about this subject. It brought up very painful memories and the things she had to give up in order to be here.

Hatori seemed to catch her pained expression and changed the subject. "So you're a bit of an otaku then." He gave her a look to say he was teasing her and not trying to insult her. "Don't tell me you are into cos-play as well."

She knew the meaning of otaku in Japanese was totally different from the meaning in English. It had taken her awhile to adjust to the fact that otaku was used as an extremely negative term in Japan. It described someone who never showed their face to the light of day unless it was to go out to buy more anime or manga. They were also freaks with no social skills who avoided social interaction in favour of staying on-line, gaming and watching anime.

Back in America, otaku was a badge of honour to show how much of a diehard fan you were to watching anime and reading manga. Both Erika and Ritsu had told Mimi to stop referring to herself as an otaku when she first moved to Japan.

"Yeah, I'm not ashamed to say it. If I could, I probably would lock myself away and watch nothing but anime and read manga," Mimi said, then gave him a wink and a mischievous grin. "Then again, I enjoy getting out and about; I have a life, and real human friends too. So you could say I'm an otaku in the western sense of the word. And for your information, I have been to a few anime conventions, but no, I have not dressed up. I am not that much of a freak," Mimi answered, trying to sounding a little offended.

Hatori grinned. "You and my little brother have something in common. He's an anime nut as well."

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The song is 'You' off of Samurai Champoo it is one of the best anime there is right up there with Cowboy Bebop. I love this song and I wrote a lot of this book listing to this song as it goes. 

well hope you enjoyed the chapter and don't forget to vote. 

Thanks for reading Xoxo J