The Tutor

Chapter 28: Heaven and Bliss

Once the details were taken care of, the shooting in the manor house sailed by, so smoothly it was almost eerie. No mention was made of the soft condition stipulated by Murakami-sensei, and only Nick knew of the slight nausea experienced by Sumire when she started taking the pill.

"You know, you don't need to take them," Nick suggested after she'd been taking them about a week. They were sitting in the onsen one night after shooting, having a night cap of sake. "You don't need them, and no one would ever know, right?"

The ryokan had lit the outside with dozens of little lanterns, and their hot pool reflected them, creating a warm, intimate effect, like an old movie.

Sumire looked over at Nick, and he was taken aback by her beauty, as he always was when she was sitting in the hot, steamy water with her hair piled on top of her head. A few wispy tendrils curled around her neck, her cheeks had a little color, and her eyes were bright. The friendship necklace he'd given her on her birthday hung around her neck, emphasizing how fragile and delicate her jaw looked. She had to take it off every day for filming, but he knew she put it back on immediately every evening when they were finished. He found this very touching.

"I would know, Nick-san," she replied, picking up her cup. "I don't like to lie unless I have to, you know?"

"Understood," he answered, finishing off his sake, and pouring himself another.

"I got complimented again today on my accent," Nick told her.

"Oh yeah? By whom?"

"The script writers. They came around with some changes for next month, for the scenes that happen in the palace? You know, after we're trying to escape?" Nick smiled. "Yeah, one of them actually thought I spoke Japanese and tried to talk to me. She was shocked all to hell when she found out I didn't speak the language and couldn't understand anything she was saying."

Sumire laughed. "Oh yeah, but Nick, that woman? She was born and raised here."

"What, in Shikoku?"

"Not just in Shikoku, I mean in Ehime Prefecture," Sumire explained. "It's one of the most extreme accents in all of Japan. We're talking, like, someone from the Ozarks, you understand? Even I had a hard time understanding her."

"Oh, you sound so elitist, Mimi-chan," Nick said, laughing as he flicked some water on her.

"Please, I'm the least elitist person you'll ever meet, I'm speaking strictly as a linguist, you understand?"

"Yeah, right," Nick agreed, nodding ostentatiously.

"Nick! Stop!" Sumire flicked some water back at Nick, and in doing so, she caused the strap of her suit to slide down her arm, though she didn't notice.

She looked very winsome to Nick this way, though she was showing nothing but a bare shoulder and a tiny bit of cleavage; he'd seen entire platoons of women way more scantily clad than this. However, none of them looked half as charming as the young woman in front of him, with her slender neck and shy smile.

He knew, however, that she would not want to be displayed thus, so he slowly leaned across the space that separated them and slid his finger under the strap so he could lift it back over her pretty shoulder.

She looked down at what he was doing, showing him her profile; he watched her throat work as she swallowed, and observed her long lashes on her cheeks as she slowly blinked. She looked up and made eye contact with him as he slipped his finger out from under the strap.

"Thank you," she murmured.

"My pleasure."

They sat and drank their sake in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the relaxation, the warmth, the liquor, the company.