Who Lives and Who Lies

With Minami-san’s and Makoto-san’s departure, our group was reduced down to four.

“So you two… you find anything interesting on your solo adventures?” asked Misha

“I don’t even know where to even begin Misha-nee…. It’s like everything we’ve known so far, but…..more lifelike” Mai replied

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure that is the point of the whole VRMMO thing” Misha pointing out the obvious

While those two are bickering on the side, Meguru happened to notice me being occupied elsewhere

“Something wrong Nii?”

I had my eyes glued towards my interface “You’d think that they would actually have the social functions up and running at the launch of the game… I don’t even see anywhere on the menus that those functions could even fit”

I inspected every nook and cranny of my interface…. Inventory, weapon maintenance, resource tracking, and many other options are all there….. but even its as if all the menus and sub-menus are all filled up. Is it really a bug? I find it hard to believe that something this major passed Sacchan’s notice.

“Well, the party function still works….I already added Onee-chan onto it… However it auto-disbands when you end up too far from each other or after a couple of hours though.” said the ever observant Meguru

So this is a design principle? Talk about a disaster at launch….But a blackout of social features for a game that relies on team play? Could this be a starter puzzle or an event? It has to be the case…. Like Makoto-san said, the auto-localization is working full gear…. Why would that be working and not any other function?

But my train of thought got interrupted as I was flicked in the forehead…. Even with lowered pain, it still stung enough to snap me back to reality….or virtual reality in this case.

“Hello ... .Earth to Junichi Kanie…. Anyone home?” remarked Misha

“Am now”

“Daydreaming was never your thing Jun… why start now all of a sudden?”

“Nah, I was just confused about how auto-localization works and not any other social function…. If my intuition is right, I’d say they did this on purpose… Maybe an event?” I let her in on my deductions

“Hm? Now that I think about it, you may be onto something. In that case, why don’t we clan up?” she asked

“Clan up?”

“See the counter where the line is more packed than the rest. I overheard that you could make a clan even with a very large group of people. If there is an event soon, might as well form a unit” Misha informed me

Clans…. For a casual player, that is something new. The closest we had in that regard are teams but those are for competitors. Maybe there will be more social features after we do clan up… Then what is the point of the party system? Where are you going with this, Sacchan?

“You could actually let me know what’s going on in your brain instead of spacing out you know?” said Misha

“Actually there are too many contradictions at this point…. Might as well go with your idea and see if that unlocks something”

“Come on…you are stressing way too much about this Jun. It’s a game, you are supposed to be having fun”

I accepted defeat and sighed “Yeah, you are right. We’ll cross that bridge once we get there” I took a look around only to notice something

“Where’s Mai and Meguru?” I inquired

“You really expect those two to be in one place, especially today of all days?”

Now that I think about it, she does have a point. This is pretty much the equivalent of two kids going to a theme park for the first time

We started to walk slowly towards the clan counter in the Guild.

“By the way, you seem way too concerned about not being able to add friends…. Were you that keen on making a move on Minami-san?” Misha teased me

“You know I’m more of a story seeker than a participant. And besides, they seemed like good people.” I replied

“Come on now, I saw your face when you heard that Minami-san was already taken. Go on, you can tell me”

“It was nothing like that, I was just disappointed that I didn’t get to see it unfold myself” For some reason, I was feeling evasive and embarrassed about it

Misha stood silent for a moment…….

“Tsundere” She muttered

“You got something to say, Sakuragi?”

“Nope, nothing” She said averting her gaze

We managed to finally reach the line for the clan counter and what followed were a few minutes of waiting

“Speaking of the feats of the romantist…. You think we might run into Tadashi or Matsuri-chan?” Misha asked

“I think that was the intended plan, before all this no fast travel or social features thing….. I still find it hard to believe that something this major got past Sacchan.”

“Did you talk to either of them before you today?”

“No, but I ran into the Nakamuras before we hooked ourselves in….. And I recall Akio telling me about meeting up with Tadashi before anything…. Eh, but knowing him, he could be getting carried away with all the attractions. You know how he is in front of Yuito-kun and Misuzu-san”

“Wait, wait, wait….. Misuzu-san is here as well? I thought she held something against the game after the Zero scandal” Misha surprise showed

“Well even so…. Your son being a standout player in the game’s most well-known team can be very persuasive it seems…. pretty sure Yuito’s stint in Junior league also helped…”

“Hold on…. Since when did…”

It’s only at that moment, I realized I messed up

“Ahhhhh…. Forget you heard that”

And in came the salt in the wound

“Huh? Yuito-san made it to the Junior League? He never told us about that” For all the times for Mai to overhear that

“No,no,no…I mean yeah but…..” I slumped my head down and accepted defeat “Do me a favor and please pretend that you did not hear that from me. Only the guys were supposed to know”

“Why’s that?” Misha was not letting down

But the receptionist saved my hide

“Next, please” and we had to wrap up the topic

“Long story short, Tadashi slipped up, and me and Hayato figured it out.. ANYWAYS” I abridged the whole thing and moved on as soon as possible.

I face towards the guy at the counter. “Welcome. Looking to create a clan for you and your group?”

“That depends, does that unlock the social menus by any chance?” I inquired

“Social? Menus?.... unfortunately I don’t know how to answer your query, Sir. However being in a clan does bring you other benefits which I could fill you in on”

“What do you mean that you don’t….”

But just before I pressed him further, Misha bumped me off the line and cut in “Hi, sorry about my friend here…. He just had his heart broken and is a bit slow on the intake right now” She completely took over my spot at being at the front of the line

“Is she one from your group Sir?” the receptionist asked

“Unfortunately” To which Misha reacted by kicking me in the shin, leaving me to flinch in pain

“Anyways, what are these benefits you told us about?” asked Misha

“Right…so first off, all rewards for PvP and PvE will be increased and every member will get an equal split of RP. Clans will have a Rels paid out to a clan account, which can then be used by any member at your own clan accommodation. Of course these are all over the spoils being split between party members…. In short, there will be no downside to being associated to a clan.”

“Our own clan accommodation? Well that’s new…. Where do we sign up?” Misha was jumping right into it

“You really did not even try to hear the other stuff didn’t you?” I asked

“Eh? It’s all about Rels, we usually have way more than we need by the end of day of playing anyways” Misha looked at me and replied

“And there you go, now all you need is a minimum of three members, and a name for your clan…And once I have all your credentials, you are all set.” He peeked over the counter and looked towards the side I’m at.

“From what I’m seeing here, there are only two of you. Do you have any other party members?”

I look around to see that the trouble double had disappeared once again

“Oh for crying out….”

“I don’t think that they would risk getting separated right now….Can’t be far” Misha assured

“Yeah, just ... .finish anything else you have to do, I’ll find them” I said and ran into the middle of the building.

The fact that less than a few hours had passed on Day 1, the crowds were not getting any thinner…..Proven by the fact that I was no longer able to move as freely as before without bumping into somebody. It made no sense to call out to them. Even if they heard me, I doubt they would be able to see me… So all I could rely on is my sight and my hearing. It also didn’t help that both of those senses started getting sidetracked the more I moved around the building.

Many counters were packed with people eager to try out PvE, but the one outlier was an infuriated group at one of the counters close to the middle.

“What do you mean that you don’t know where the respawn point is?! Are you telling me that my friends are teleported to some place randomly after death?” The man’s anger radiated to all that was near him, but drowned into the sea of chatter in the room

“Sir, I’m sorry for your loss…but I do not know how to answer your questions right now”

Locked off fast travel, no fixed respawn areas and lack of social features….. This is getting harder by the minute to believe that this is a bug.

However, the distractions had managed to keep me away for quite some time, as made apparent a moment later as I felt a light chop on my head.

“Man, I told you find them….not get lost yourself” Misha caught me by surprise appearing behind me

“What are you doing here?” and my question got answered as two I was looking for appeared behind her

“Sup” Mai cut the atmosphere with her carefree tone.

“We found our two people while you went and got lost in the crowds yourself. Come on now…. for one of the greatest mid-rangers, you do have a bad sense of direction, don't know.” And of course she is going to try to rub my face in the dirt

“How about you try figuring out which way is up in this crowd…. So, I’m joining the pack or what?” I asked while we all walked away from the busy crowds

“Hah, you have fallen to my master plan, Kanie-kun…. Now I will take Mai-chan and Meguru-chan with me and run away” She started fake laughing like a mad scientist, to which I responded by bonking her on the head

“Knock it out, Sakuragi” She held her head and let out a mischievous chuckle

A moment later, an invite popped up on my interface for the newly made clan

“Scarlet Knights? Really? Wasn’t that….”

“The name of the group of Heroes in Matsuri-chan’s novel? If you remembered it, it would very much mean that everyone else will too” Misha replied casually

"You really are trying to get on my nerves today, aren’t you Misha?” I replied to her sentiment

“Today is all about having fun isn’t it… Let’s just say this is on my bucket list today.”

“Why the Knights though, we would have sufficed as Zero” I inquired

“You do realize how generic that name is right? And besides, I’m sure all the clans named Zero would be swarmed with fans and trolls trying to join thinking it is us. And I presumed that it would be a clue for the rest of the gang in case they are in Helios…. Especially Matsuri-chan”

“Yeah, I can definitely see her running to us if she ever sees that” I replied

It was only when I took a look around I realized that we had walked away from the Guildhouse during our conversation. And no wonder we had some peace and quiet since Mai and Meguru had disappeared out of sight once again.

“Just let them have their fun, they always find their way back to us anyways” Misha said, sensing my intentions

I sighed “I guess you are right”

But our attention was broken away as a loud alarm started blaring from the sky

“All players please gather to the central district of you closest cities in the next 10 minutes for a very urgent announcement, a very important message will be delivered to all players from the hub city of Typhon by our very gracious CEO”

“Message from Sacchan?” Misha reiterated, and looked straight at me…looking as puzzled as I was

.

.

.

. ’2 Months later’

.

.

.

I was down on one knee, applying pressure on the bullet wound. She didn’t have to point her gun upwards as I was down at her height.

“Your father? Kid I don’t…” but before I even finished, she let out another shot, the ricochets echoed through the alley and all I could do is pray that it won’t find it’s way into one of my vitals

“Don’t lie to me…. I saw you with that man. Dad went to see that man and never came back” She was clearly afraid of me, her aim was shaky and couldn’t even shoot someone a couple of meters away from her without missing.

First thing’s first, I got to get her to calm down.

“Alright, alright….I’ll help you the best I can, but you need to lower that gun”

She paused for a second “Tell me one good reason why I should do that?”

“Because ricochets are louder than you think and it’s only a matter of time until a group of players killers take notice…… and taking somebody’s life is something that could destroy you, even if you don’t mean it” Mixing in a bit of truth among my bluff, I try not to lose my composure

She looked confused…guess she was too young to understand anything I just said

“The twang sounds the bullets make, they can attract more bad people than we can fight off” I rephrased my sentence so she could understand

Her gun still didn’t lower but I could see her facing a dilemma with her aim getting less steadier

“Kid look, I know you are afraid. You want to care for your family, I’m the same.... We don’t have to….”

But as I started to talk her down, a loud rumbling sound presented itself. She suddenly looked embarrassed, and it wasn’t very hard to piece it together.

“You hungry?” To which she reacted by forcing more strength into a shaky aim.

“Right, dumb question…..So how about this, there is a place nearby I go often. How about we continue this over a warm meal? My treat” I offered, not averting my gaze from her in the slightest

“Dad told me about people like you….. and not to trust anything a stranger offers. You expect me to believe you?”

….I have to watch my words unless I want to meet my maker by someone half my size

“Alright, fair enough….” I raised my other hand up once I noticed the gunshot from before had closed itself and that I wasn’t bleeding anymore. “So let's start with introductions shall we? I’m Junichi. Junichi Kanie….”

“Junchy Kan…yeh?”

“I’ve heard many people butcher my name in the past, but this has to be the new low” My thoughts leaking

I sighed in disapproval “You know what, just call me Jun…. And you are?”

I could see the doubt in her eyes, and I didn’t want to antagonize her

“It’s alright, you don’t have to force yourself just because…. But this doesn’t have to be like this, I’m sure your dad is safe if he went to….”

“You saw him? You saw my dad?” She started becoming more assertive, closing the distance between us

“I don’t know what he looks like and no…. but if he went to the man that was with me moments ago, and didn’t get arrested by him, you have nothing to worry about…. He didn’t get arrested… right?”

“What do you mean?” she asked

“This is going to take a while to explain, it would be great if we did it away from here. Look, I know you have no reason to trust me, but it doesn’t take much for me to figure out you’ve been at this for days. But if you don’t take a moment to slow down….”

“Why does it matter to you what I do?” she asked with a stern tone

I paused for a moment to find the right words “Because I’ve seen too many people throw their lives away thinking that what they are doing is right.”

I managed to get her to calm down and give me the benefit of the doubt. She put her gun away and moments later, she ended up taking my offer as we sat on the same table

She might’ve held me at gunpoint earlier, but all I had to fear now was my Rels vanishing by the minute as the bill kept piling up. But considering how she wolfed down a mountain worth of food, it didn’t take me long to piece together that she had been running on fumes for quite some time now.

Made sense, since she looked too young to be able to fend for herself

“Now…. my father ... .What did you mean if he was arrested?”

At least sound grateful for the hole you punched in my wallet

I sighed “ The man who was with me, he’s like a policeman here. Where we are at is under his protection. Was your dad taken away by that man, or did he go there on his own?”

While the auto-localization was translating everything real-time, I’ve seen enough to deduce that she isn’t Japanese…. Even if I did tell her Senpai’s name, she wouldn’t likely remember it

“Does that matter?” she asked

I thought for a second before I replied “No, just would make it easier for me to help you”

I couldn’t tell her about the Trial of the Wolf…. That Yamori-senpai strings up people he has convicted for others to get used to taking lives. But if this girl’s father was put through that…..

“Dad had a very low opinion on that man. Said he isn’t who he wants others to believe….. I don’t know everything, but he said that uncle Damian, one of my dad’s close friends, went missing. And that he wanted to confront this policeman about it. He didn’t return since” she informed me

“How long ago was this?”

“I don’t remember exactly…around two weeks?”

“Two weeks?! Why didn’t you…”

“I was afraid….. Dad told me not to leave the house no matter what, and that he will be back no matter what even if it takes him a while. But 2 days ago, we ran out of food and….I had to try and find him”

This struck me as odd….. how could Yamori-senpai have slow days when people had been missing for weeks. What’s even more odd is that how did her dad disappear just as he was approaching Yamori….Hold on a minute

“Wait…. Did you say that your dad went to ‘confront’ the policeman? Are you sure he didn’t go to ask him about his friend?” I inquired

“I’m sure… He was even angry about it, I never see him mad about anything when I’m around”

So maybe his friend had been missing for longer, why hadn’t Senpai looked into any of this, or at the least ... .Let who they are close to, know about them?

….Nah, maybe the guy is swarmed with a mountain of cases…. Yeah, he is one man doing everything on his own after all

“Anyways, as much as I want to help you, I cannot in this matter… but I’m sure that the policeman would know. And don’t worry, I’ve known him for years. He’s a bleeding heart that puts others over himself, and one of the best people I know. If he can’t find your dad, no one can….. Tell him that Junichi….. that Jun sent you. You’ll have nothing to worry about under his protection”

“I don’t need protection, I can take care of myself” at least her overconfidence matches her age

“I’m sure you can…. But in this world, there are a lot of bad people here. They find happiness in hurting people and….”

“Dad taught me how to survive on my own. I can take it”

For her sake, I had to break her overconfidence

“The point is…. Just avoid others until you talk to the policeman ... .I might be willing to do what I can to help, but I can be sure many others are not. And I hope you know what happens if…. You lose all your health in a fight”

Her troubled expression answered that question without any words

“Your father wouldn’t want you to die trying to look for him. Just play it safe just for his sake”

She gave me a light nod of approval and got up. She stopped in her tracks after turning away from me

“It’s Huntley”

I looked at her in confusion

“You asked my name early. It’s Ann Huntley…..Thank you for everything so far” She started to walk away

“One more thing” she turned around as soon as she heard me

I shouldn’t care about the life of a stranger, but I decided to follow Yamori-senpai’s example

“Take this” I passed her the knife that Senpai gave me earlier

As much as it should be suspicious to pass someone a knife in a place of rest and recuperation, events like this has become the norm down here

“A knife?” she looked at me puzzled after coming back to the desk

“You go around alone, a lot of bad people will take the chance to hurt you. Best I can do is increase your chance of survival”

She took the knife into her hand and I could’ve sworn I saw it shrunk to fit her hand “I do have two guns though” she looked at me still unsure

“A great man in this place said this to me…. They always expect you to fight with two weapons…. Never three…. Keep that knife hidden, out of your inventory… and somewhere you can reach it easily. Someone grabs onto you, you take a chunk off them and run away”

She observed its shining blade and hid it under her clothes. “I’ll keep that in mind.” She walked backwards “Thank you again, Jun Onii-chan” she turned around and walked away

Onii-chan? That had to be the auto-localization…..right? I sure do hope so since I already got my hands full with two of them calling me that. The moment just forced a chuckle out of me.

Well, today had been…eventful, any more surprises this day has in store for me?

I got up from the desk after the bill drained my Rels and proceeded to walk towards the exit through the massive clubhouse

“Never had you pinned down as a helping hand to others, Mr. Kanie….. or was it an influence by your mentor”

Speaking of more of the day’s surprises

There he was, all cowled up and hogging the most inconspicuous corner of the bar. I wouldn’t even have noticed him if he didn’t call out to me or if I didn’t know that earsore of a voice.

“Must feel weird to leave your hole in the ground. What do you want, Broker?”

“One of the golden rules of Arc Sanctuary, is that the ones who let others do their dirty for them while they keep their hands clean, are the ones who lose everything when they least expect it. I however, ain’t one who prefers to warm my throne” The broker turned towards me on his stool at the counter but did not reveal his face through his cowl.

“Also, if I did not answer this particular client’s call, an agonizing death would a mercy”

I chuckled “So the almighty Ghost Broker has a boogeyman, who would’ve thought”

“I assure you Mr. Kanie that I would much prefer dealing with the boogeyman compared to her…. But however, I was wondering if you gave any thought about my offer. Since our last encounter didn’t go as planned and you seemed to have had quite a few encounters with our wonderful Sheriff”

Make me drop my guard talking about something completely unrelated to what he had in mind… the very basics of social manipulation.

“I never agreed to betray Senpai’s trust….. There is nothing I can do to help you Broker, the sooner you get that through your thick skull, the better.” I sat down right next to him “You really thought I was considering it? That I would take your word over his? Guess you hold yourself too high in that matter”

I had no reason to be overly cautious around him this time. He is away from his base of operations, and there is no way he would be able to instruct his protection to take me out without drawing any unwanted attention.

“That is where you have gravely mistaken, Mr. Kanie…. You did give me what I wanted, you just didn’t know about it” he looked at me looking unfazed

“Huh?”

“Remember what I said about the information trade? It’s all the big game of mathematics… You chose not to give me the answer, but the question.” He said

“What are you talking about?”

“The Sheriff’s poker face is strong, but no matter how hard anyone tries to erase their vulnerabilities, it always lingers. Something like The Sheriff’s protector persona cracking away to reveal something more, violent….. or something like the fact that just like young Miss Huntley’s father having a face to face with Sheriff Nishigaki, and now that he has completely gone off the grid….”

“You were listening in?”

“My livelihood all rests on the competency of my network, Mr. Kanie…. Even if I am not present, I will know. Just like I know about your run in with Makoto Sawamura’s lapdog Roland…. even that you and your sister is not seeing eye to eye at the moment”

This bastard is dangerous….

“But you don’t have to be on guard my dear friend….”

“I’m not your friend” I corrected him

“For now…. But I can assure you that you might find me to be….an irreplaceable asset, in the near future”

“If you have nothing to say, then we are done” I brushed him off and got up to leave him behind as the more I stayed around him, the more he would manipulate me with his tailored words but after taking a couple of steps away from him, the more I started hesitating.

What Senpai told me was still burning hot at the back of my head…. As much as I don’t want to deal with the devil, I had a gut feeling that I had to do this……

Was it really my instinct, or had he already got into my head

I stopped and looked over my shoulder “Typhon….. You said you couldn’t talk about your clients, so let me rephrase my inquiry from that day” I turned around to face him “What does someone sitting at the throne of Morpheus have anything to gain by heading to Typhon?”

The broker's confidence turned into confusion “Typhon?” he paused for a second to regain his composure and to lean back on the counter. “I’m afraid you are sorely misguided, Mr. Kanie. There is nothing in Typhon”

“You said that you couldn’t talk about Tadashi…. I’m not talking about him, I could be talking about anyone in his group, what can possibly be there….” I got interrupted before I finished

“I understood you the first time around. Even in that context….There is nothing in Typhon. Because it doesn’t exist anymore”

“Bullshit… Stop lying and answer my question” I demanded him

“You got that wrong about me, Mr. Kanie….. I care deeply about retaining my customers, whether they pay for it, or they do me a favor. I never mislead and I only deal with confirmed information…. That fact you are this adamant about this means that you have been led down this non-existent path by someone you trust. Maybe someone out of my reach…. Someone like….”

“Are you calling Senpai a liar?!” Next thing I know I was intimidating him in front of his face

“I never said anything about it was…..your words against yourself”

He played me once again, forcing me to back down

“It seems you have doubts about him yourself. But it also looks like your admiration of him is also blinding your judgment….”

I slammed the bar counter interrupting him “You know nothing about him, Broker” but it seems my fit of frustration went unnoticed somehow. “And you don’t get to judge him when you know nothing about what he had to go through to be the kind of man he is”

He backed off and faced away from me and towards the bar “Since nothing I say is getting through to you all I can give you is a bit of advice…. I’ve seen the innocent turn into the broken, and the broken who turned into monsters…. Noone is an exception to this rule, not me, not you and definitely not the Sheriff. The sooner you realize that, the….”

“Advice? You don’t give advice, you sell it…. Give me one reason that I should even consider listening to your drivel” I asked interrupting him and trying not to lash out

The broker paused for a second “Because no matter how much I want to even the odds with Ms. Sakuragi, I can’t seem to convince myself that the debt I owe her is repaid. Consider this my way making sure everything he had done doesn’t go to waste”

“Guess Misha should’ve left you to die that day…. Because all you do even now is hide behind her name and lie…. We’re done here”

The broker said not a word more, as I got up from my seat and walked away…. Until I found myself outside and moving away from all that, one step at a time.

I had a way to walk back but the Broker trying to get into my head was starting to work. Have people really gone missing under his watch?

No…snap out of it Junichi, you are doing exactly what he wants you to do. Yamori Nishigaki is unshakeable, even when I……. It doesn’t even make any sense

The Broker had to have lied, there is no other alternative….. Typhon doesn’t exist? Did he actually expect me to believe that? But if Akio really did hastily leave to Typhon, why did he agree to join the clan in the first place?

But it seems my train of thought had brought me all the way to the street around the corner of our clan house. And I say our, as I spot my two sisters hiding behind the corner right next to me

“If you two are looking to put me through a prank beatdown, you are doing a poor job at it” I said, approaching them from behind

Both of them let out a drawn out shush together, signaling me to keep quiet.

“Huh? What you two…” I look around the corner to the sight of a man standing in front of our door.

“He’s been standing there for a couple of hours now, knocking at the door at five minute intervals” said the analytical Meguru

“You think he’s going to be trouble?” I asked them

“I mean you are asking us, Nii…. It was your idea to let random people know where to find us” Mai hit me with a reality check

I sighed “Fine”

I emerged from around the corner alone, and approached our house acting natural

“Excuse me, Sir…. Are you lost?”

He turned towards me from in front of the door “Oh we meet again, good sir”

“I’m sorry, do I know you?” I asked

“Hm, oh right…I’m sorry, I…uh… realized that time didn’t really count as a meeting. Your friend almost punched me this morning if you…recall” He was stumbling over his words, as if he was unsure of them

After a bit of thought, I suddenly remembered. This was the guy who Yamori-senpai lashed out at this morning.

“Oh… I remember now. Apologies for that by the way”

He looked nervous and was trying to keep his calm “Don’t worry about it, I could see at that time even you were surprised seeing your friend like that”

“Uh-huh… Anyways, what are you doing here?” I brought the conversation back to it’s point after the whole casual runaround

“Hm? Oh yeah…. So this clan had put up a recruitment notice at the Guild and I was looking to answer it.”

I still feigned ignorance “Yeah, but… I heard that the notice was put up last week”

“It was yeah, but I got lost for a bit. I saw it saying ‘Decadence District’ but I didn’t know which layer that place was in.”

“Wait hold up, you went around every layer trying to find us?” I’ve seen obliviousness, but not to this extent

“Wait, it was you who posted it?” he asked

And only then I realized that I just gave it away.

“Uh…well…” There was no way I could backpedal on it now

“Uh…hello there” He looked around and bowed his head slightly “I hope I did that right, I’m exactly familiar with Japanese customs…. I hope that it didn’t offend you in any way”

“Just calm down for a second” I said

Just what the hell is this nervous wreck?