You Can Not Trust Older People, They Also Like to Joke Around

The security guard watched the young couple leave and had reasonable doubts whether they were really close friends. It was not for nothing that he had been addicted to crime series as part of his fervent study of English and claimed that they had only sharpened his natural, detective sixth sense. He knew they were lying, but since the girl had not communicated in any way that she felt threatened, he decided not to interfere further. However, to be on the safe side, he noted the time she left the hotel and the number of the camera with the best image of the young man leaving with her.

The old man didn't have any bad feelings, but he did his job seriously. His wife was proud of him when he managed to find a job in such a prestigious place after he had awakened a new passion for learning foreign languages, and he wasn't going to let her down. She believed that thanks to this he wouldn't become lonely, but she never told him that. The security guard didn't dare to lie, even when he could only talk to her through the stone pedestal of the grave. She looked at him with a smile from the framed photo that he always carried with him and placed nearby. He missed her and could only wish that young people would also find the right person in their lives.

Hikaru didn't think his plan would work, even though he hadn't really come to the hotel with any specific intentions. They were still acting out the scene they had started to improvise for the security guard. The adrenaline had stopped fueling him, giving way to the anxiety that had been lurking in the back of his mind. They weren't sure if the old man was watching them after they left the hotel, so the couple walked quite a bit before they finally looked at each other in embarrassment and didn't know what to say.

“Horutenishia,” the young man began, trying hard to say her name correctly, which managed to bring a slight smile to her face. “Thank you for helping. This security guard was scary.”

“No, he's very nice. I've talked to him often; he speaks English better than I do. I was afraid he thought something bad about you,” she replied in a worried voice.

“I didn't know your name.” Hikaru scratched his head nervously. “It was hard to call you.”

“I know, but you can call me whatever makes it easier and…” Her own stomach interrupted the word, announcing with a loud growl that it wanted to be filled with good food. “I'm sorry.” She blushed. “I was just going to eat something when…”

“Then let's go for dinner for real.” The Japanese straightened up. “I know a good restaurant, it's not far.”

Hortensja thought about his offer for a moment, but nodded and asked him to lead. He couldn't hide his joy, so he quickly moved forward, and she caught up with him right away. She didn't feel threatened by him. Since she had spent the previous week trying to find him, and after all, he had appeared before her again. She took it as a sign and decided to put a small amount of trust in him. She just needed someone in this unfamiliar environment.

Less than a week had passed since her escape. Until then, no one had found her yet or tried to forcefully send her back home. Day by day, the fear and nerves that were constantly with her began to torment her heart with less force than usual. Slowly, thoughts like: to first enjoy her stay abroad, and then slowly plan what to do next started to break through. So she was glad that for the first time since her arrival, she would eat somewhere outside the hotel. It had been a long time since she felt excited about something as small as going out.

Hikaru, on the other hand, had another dilemma: whether Matsuo's restaurant would be the best choice. On the one hand, he felt comfortable there, and the food was great; on the other, he knew that bringing a girl would only expose them to watchful observation. Another advantage was the distance, and if Hortensja had to return alone, it wouldn't take her long. His only objection was fear of his friend's unpredictable behavior. He decided that he would prefer this to taking her to a place where he could feel uncomfortable. Another thing was on his mind, but he had no idea how to address her so as not to offend her.

“Your name. How do I pronounce it?” he asked, still intimidated by her proximity. “I already said, whatever is easier for you. It could be Hortenia, Hortynia, Hortynka, Honia, Hosia…” She started listing, and her companion had the impression that she could go on like this for a long time. Until his head started spinning from the excess of possibilities, none of which he remembered.

“Horteni, please stop for now.”

“Horteni, I like it.” She smiled and immediately became serious. “I have to make sure. You are Hikaru, right?” He nodded, pleased with her interest. “When I ran away, I heard it and thought that it must be your name.”

Since they had established such an important issue as names, it could have broken the ice, but only made a crack in their relationship. However, the awkwardness seemed to give way to the atmosphere of curiosity that had been growing in the young couple since their first meeting. Hikaru was glad that he had trusted his intuition and refreshed his basics of English, thanks to which the conversation was relatively going, although he was sure that his statements lacked correctness and finesse.

Hortensja also had the basics, because despite some suggestions, she decided to practice language skills after finishing school, at least through applications on her phone. Now she allowed herself a little pride as she managed to even get along with basic knowledge and vocabulary.

They reached the restaurant, and Hikaru led her to the table he had occupied before leaving. Matsuo appeared a moment later, glancing expressively at his friend, who also reached for the menu. Hortensja stared at the items on the menu for a moment, in reality not understanding much of what was before her eyes.

She looked at her companion, hoping that he would understand and place the order on her behalf as well. Hikaru asked for two portions of ramen. The food was in front of them quite quickly, not because of his acquaintances, but because, as a result of Matsuo's brief observations and conclusions, the conversation between the two was not going well.

Hortensja looked at the unfamiliar dish for a moment, wondering if she could recognize at least some visible ingredients. She noticed that her version was slightly different from what Hikaru had in front of him. Her gaze wandered from one bowl to another, then she reached out and grabbed a green petal, probably some kind of plant, she guessed.

“In your version, it's not shaped like hearts, is it?” she asked, laughing, wondering what she had done to deserve this kind of food.

Hikaru turned pale and immediately began looking for someone to blame. He knew Matsuo was watching him, but now his friend looked surprised by his behavior. The old man leaned out from behind his son's back with a wide smile and thumbs up, silently said “good luck”, and then shamelessly pretended to have a lot of work.