It Is Hard to Find a Good Place to Go on a Date, and Your Friend and His Father's Restaurant Is Definitely Not on That List

The situation repeated itself twice more, but at least Hikaru could inform the girl personally. And the messages in which he had to postpone the meeting yet again seemed impossible to write. He tried to convince himself that he was not refusing because he did not want to see Hortensja, but because he had to.

The girl, although she didn't hide the fact that she was sad, didn't feel angry or offended. She understood that she appeared in Hikaru's life out of the blue, so she had no right to demand that he make sudden changes for her, much less neglect his duties. Of course, she regretted that they couldn't spend time together, because she didn't really know what to do with herself during the day and was eagerly awaiting the next opportunity to talk in-person. She tried to keep the conversation going on the app, but it wasn't the same, and when fatigue was added to it, the exchange of words ended before it even gained any momentum.

Hortensja was already asleep when Hikaru, with the last of his strength, wished her a good night. However, the first thing she did after waking up was to send him a message with sincere hope that today would be a nice day. This simple act actually brought a smile to his face until his abusive superior with a fake one on his mouth appeared on the horizon.

Yes, the Pole was moving further and further away from the hotel, exploring the city, but she didn't feel confident enough to feel comfortable doing so. She was reluctant to go into shops or smaller restaurants, although everything seemed incredibly interesting to her. However, she would have preferred to have someone she knew with her, and that would help to limit the curious glances of passersby. Despite everything, she was a stranger there, and she couldn't shake that feeling, especially when she was suffering from significant loneliness. The girl had short chats with the hotel staff, especially the older security guard, but that wasn't it.

She looked through guidebooks and websites with recommended places to visit, making a list, hoping that Hikaru would help her with the details, or agree to accompany her sometimes. She had the impression from time to time that when she thought of him, she felt a faint longing in her heart, but she quickly drowned it out. Hortensja told herself that she had simply grown attached to the first friendly person in this foreign country, and she didn't allow herself to think that something else could be hidden behind it.

The second time, she was already waiting in front of the company. Hikaru's superior seemed to sense that the young man was eager to leave, so he threw additional work at him just a few minutes before he had to quit. The first time didn't hurt as much, but when there was so little time left, the weight of lost hope finally overwhelmed her. She sat down with a sigh on the same bench that had become an unexpected haven, wondering what she should do.

A coworker who had helped her a few days earlier noticed her and wanted to take it upon himself to give her yet another piece of bad news. The Pole managed to notice him approaching her and waved her phone that she already knew. He smiled apologetically, as if he had some influence on this, having his own responsibilities. All he could actually afford was silent support and keeping his fingers crossed for them.

Hortensja looked at the building with grievance. Her gaze was unconsciously directed to the window, from which Hikaru could watch the girl slowly leaving. She felt that she wanted to be somewhere familiar but different from the hotel; only she didn't really know where that could be. So she went to Matsuo and his father's restaurant. Through the window, she noticed that it wasn't crowded, but they were quite busy. When she entered, she drew attention to herself and for a moment wanted to retreat, but Hikaru's friend caught her eye and pointed to the table she had occupied during her previous visit. She sat down, hoping to exchange at least a word with someone, but at the same time she had a bad feeling that some of them might want to pester her, so she pretended to be busy on the phone.

Matsuo put the bowl in front of her, smiled, and immediately went back to his duties. The Polish didn't even have time to thank him, and then her face fell when she saw her wooden enemies. The owner of the restaurant wanted to give her some cutlery but gave in, snapped up by more guests and a growing number of orders. Once again, he thought it might be time to hire some help.

His father, however, found a moment to come to Hortensja with help and a normal spoon for her. The old man sat down opposite her and watched carefully. He laughed to himself when she had already dipped it in the food, but suddenly remembered the gesture she should have made. The girl didn't know what she was doing, she only imitated as much as she remembered from observing Hikaru. She ate undeterred by the presence of the old man, even if they didn't talk, she felt better having company while eating. She just didn't expect him to put his hand on her head and start stroking her hair, encouraging her to eat.

This parental gesture made her freeze. She didn't think she would ever experience it again, and it only caused a huge wave of longing for her parents, who had died in an accident a few years earlier. They were celebrating that she had passed her last high school exam and were returning from the lake, and unfortunately, they came across a drunk driver. She barely survived, but her parents died on the spot, and the perpetrator suffered the least. The old man, guided by his paternal instinct, asked her to look at him.

“Alone in this world?” he asked and showed one finger, hoping she would understand what he meant. She nodded uncertainly, sniffling. “Mom?” She shook her head negatively. “Dad?” She denied again.

The old man became sad. He knew that for a child, losing parents is a terrible experience. After all, he watched how his own son was badly affected by the death of his mother and his beloved wife. Although he should have helped Matsuo, he did not want to leave the side of this unknown girl, so he grabbed her hand and smiled.

“You are not alone here,” he announced, extending three fingers in front of him. “You know three people here. Hikaru, Matsuo.” He pointed to his son with his finger, then proudly patted his chest with a wrinkled hand. “And me, Akiyama Yasuhiro.” He smiled broadly and received the same answer from her. He felt that she understood perfectly what he wanted to tell her. “Now eat, child.”

Matsuo glanced at the scene from the corner of his eye and looked questioningly at his father, who gave him a disappointed look. The young Japanese sometimes didn't know what the old man was thinking, and he didn't always deign to say directly what accusation appeared in his heart this time. He shrugged amusedly and got back to work, ignoring the old man's teasing snorts, but that evening they didn't stop for long, so he asked what was going on.

“Hikaru is a good boy, and you're not bad either. Ask later if he has any free friends.” He nodded at Hortensja. “You, young people don't know how to fall in love properly now, let alone get married and start a family. Before I die, I'd like to see my grandchildren, yours and Hikaru's. I won't even be picky about their nationality, as long as they have good hearts, and…,” he continued to mutter to himself, leaving his son in no small shock.