Page 9 of Who Said Mobsters Were Scary?
Both Chris and I snort. He squints at me and nods slowly. “I mean, I can sort of see the similarities.”
I swat him playfully, pouting my lips. “Not funny. I am fully capable of taking care of myself.”
“Uh-huh. Bet you’d have ended up in another city if I didn’t go home with you last night,” Naomi accuses.
I cut my gaze to her, batting my eyelashes. “Maybe.”
All three of us laugh, my chest feeling light. I like to make people smile and have fun, even if I’ve never really had any real friends. But these two… I have a good feeling about them. We will totally be best friends in no time.
“So, I was thinking…” I point my chin at the glassed-off garden where a few of the other exchange students are enjoying slushies under the hot sun. “There’s got to be a beach somewhere in Nagoya, right?”
“See, great minds think alike,” Naomi professes, waving her hand with a flourish. “There are, but we’d need to figure out the buses to get there. And most of them arenot actually in Nagoya. There is the Legoland Resort, but it’s closed for renovations.”
Bummer. None of us know Japanese, so working out the swimming pools and which one we can go to will be a bit of a pain. But I’m not about to give up on this. Pulling out my phone, I boot up my maps app and spend five minutes studying the subway.
“We could go to Nagoya Port?” I didn’t see any pictures of beaches, so there probably aren’t any, but it’s as close to the water as we can get on a Sunday afternoon.
“Sure, I’m down. Think there were a couple others who were talking about going there,” Chris pitches in, directing our attention to the group of people near the halls’ entrance. “Them, I think.”
I recognize a couple from the bus ride, but I don’t really have anyone’s name, so this makes it a great opportunity to introduce myself and charm them. The more buddies I make during my stay here, the better. If I’m busy hanging out, I won’t have time to stress about shit back in NY.
Stuffing the rest of the toast in my mouth, I get up from my chair. “I’ll go change and grab my wallet. Make sure they don’t leave without us!”
Chapter 5
Nagoya Port is alittle windy, but the scorching sun makes up for that. The smell of seaweed and salt clings to my exposed skin as sticky humidity, but it’s bearable enough so that it doesn’t ruin my excitement about being near the water.
We walk the perimeter in our group of ten, definitely looking like tourists. The museum is closed, but the small fair next to it brims with activity. We quickly check the attractions out and head over to the restaurant in the nearby office building. It occupies the first floor and looks like it’s on the expensive side with its wooden decor and ambient light, but the prices aren’t too bad.
“Wanna share the big ice-cream thing?” Naomi suggests, pointing at a massive vanilla and chocolate sundae with waffles, fruit and syrup.
“Hell yeah,” I say while Chris bobs his head approvingly.
We order that, chatting with the others about what places are worth visiting in Nagoya. There are quite a few,but we decide to speak to the three Japanese student volunteers first. Remi did mention they were going to show us around after induction, so there is no point going somewhere twice.
Between Naomi, Chris and me, we demolish the massive dessert in record time. I get brain freeze during the final stretch, making the two tables we’ve occupied laugh their asses off.
“Whoa, Leo. We thought we lost you there!” some smartass whistles at me, causing another round of giggling.
“I don’t lose to ice-cream!” I shoot back, flexing my arms. My fingers stick to my palms, chocolate and caramel sauce visible on them. “I’m going to the restroom.”
“You gonna be fine on your own?” Naomi teases, crossing her hands behind her head as she leans into her seat.
“Positive. I saw where they were on the way here,” I assure her and head down the corridor.
After I’ve washed my hands, I take a moment to study the photos on the wall across from the mirror. Some are from the fair and the rest look like they are from the museum. There seems to be an aquarium too, so I’ll be coming to the Port again to see it.
Once I’m back in the corridor, the carpeted stairs near the entrance catch my attention. I see some signs, but none look like they are trying to ward off visitors, so I climb up to the second floor, hoping it offers a nice view of the ocean. There are no people around, which gives me the courage to press on despite the stanchion with velvet rope that’s half-blocking the hall. Therefore, the area is technically only fifty percent off-limits, so as long as no one finds out I trespassed, I’m safe.
Smart Leo would’ve probably gone back and double-checked, but this Leo feels like attempting a risky adventure. The prospect of getting in trouble makes it more exciting, and besides, I just want a peek, so I’ll be quick.
Much like the restaurant, part of this floor is an open space with couches and chairs, while the rest comprises offices. The observation deck stands between the two, inviting me to head over there.
I’ve just gotten to the coin-operated telescope when I hear agitated voices approaching. On instinct, I duck down behind the nearest couch, my heart kicking a fit in my chest.Shit.Is this security?Are they here for me?Maybe I wasn’t supposed to come here after all. The signs I saw didn’t look like ‘No Entry’ ones, but the rope strongly suggested that this might not be open to the public.
The voices grow louder. I lower myself further, making sure I am well-hidden as I scan for cameras I might’ve missed. On a second thought, this does strike me like a space open to the public, but whoever these people are, they are too close for me to pop out and pretend not to be a weirdo whose default reaction was to squat behind furniture and hide.
The conversation heats up as the voices pass me. I have no idea what it is about, but curiosity gets the better of me, and I pop my head over the backrest. There are four men in suits. They stop by the elevator and one of the two wearing sunglasses presses the button while his buddy walks over to the floor-to-ceiling window and glances outside. This leaves the two who are talking in view. One of them, the slightly taller and bulkier dude with the casual man bun, is holding a clipboard with what I assume are documents, while the other one is looking at something on his phone. His hair is parted in the middle and slicked tothe sides like how K-Pop idols have it, and he’s wearing a gilded watch on his right wrist…
