4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

I'm still buzzing even as we head back to IS-Halls. Who was that guy and what was he doing taking on six men on his own? If I hadn't needed some air and unlocked that door, who knows what would've happened to him.

I stare out of the window as the doors hiss closed and the subway rocks into motion.

I jumped in without thinking, my body dying for some action after a few weeks of no time for even the gym. Should I have done that? But those dudes had guns and he didn't… I wonder what happened to him after he got out of the club.

I rub my eyes, groaning quietly. Why do I care anyway? I did my nice guy part. What happened to him once I prevented him from getting murdered in an alleyway is none of my business. I squint at my reflection in the opposite window and worry my lips. On that note, should I have even helped him? I mean, with that luxurious dark gray suit he was wearing, he didn't look like a criminal… but then again, that's never really an indicator, is it ?

I mull over my actions, replaying the fight. The men he was fighting looked like mafia goons. Did I unintentionally get in the way of the yakuza collecting from him? Was he in debt? And more importantly, did they see my face? Were there cameras?

Man, I hope not. This is the last thing I need on my head when I barely escaped the Hell back home.

"Yo, Leo, you good?" Naomi says, poking me in the side. "Don't tell me you're gonna be sick."

Ah, yes. I kind of freaked out after playing savior to that stranger, so I told Naomi I wasn't feeling well. She offered to take me home when it took three explanations before I sort of kind of understood how to get to the subway.

"Yeah, just… I think I drank too much. Sorry." I feel bad that she has to babysit me, but I'm also grateful. I really don't think I'd have managed to get back to the accommodation on my own.

She grins. "No worries. But you owe me one."

"I thought you said you had to call your dad anyway?" I lift an eyebrow at the flicker of mischief in her eyes.

"Well yes, but that could've waited until after I had some fun," she counters, making a circle with two digits and shoving the index finger of her other hand in and out of it.

I snort. Naomi is kind of funny. She's got a bit of an ‘I don't give a fuck' attitude going on and I think some people find that intimidating if the side-eyes I caught when we were heading out are anything to go by. But I'm a bit of a weirdo too, if I say so myself, so we are getting along just fine so far.

"Next time we go out, the drinks are on me," I promise her, propping my head against the cold glass .

"Sure, that works."

I close my eyes for the rest of the ride and try not to think about the guy from the club. I fail, the slightly lopsided smile across his face flashing in front of me. When he leaned against the dumpster, he looked so relaxed, like he was out there for a smoke and hadn't just dodged a beating or worse.

Who was he?

There was something about him that I can't quite pinpoint. Something about his… aura, for a lack of a better word. Because it was dark, I didn't get a good look aside from his asymmetrical smile and the expensive gilded watch peeking out from under his sleeve, and part of me regrets it. Also, I don't think he realized it, but I opened the door just as he punched the first guy, so I saw most of the fight. His style was elegant, his movements measured. Efficient. He knew how to move his body in a way only someone who's trained martial arts does.

Still, he was being reckless to go up against that number of men. And that's not counting the dozen more that almost overran us.

Fortunately, Naomi and I don't have to wait long for a bus once we get off the subway. A girl with pigtails and sparkly make-up lets us into IS-Halls, jogging back to the entertainment lounge the moment she gets the door open. Naomi and I look at each other, confused, but as we pass the long desk with the computer monitors, the reason becomes obvious—Pigtails is all decked out because she's in the middle of streaming.

Naomi claps her hands. "I knew I've seen her somewhere!"

I blink at her, then glance back at the girl. "You have? "

"Yep. A friend back home is into the game she plays. I don't think she's that big yet, but all the gamer dudes are simping hard."

As if on cue, the girl squeaks and thanks someone for their generous $200 donation.

"Damn," I say with a low whistle, unable to help myself.

"I know, right? I tried to do it too, but it didn't work out," Naomi shares, pausing at the base of the stairs.

I lean against the railing and give her a once-over. She attracted the eyes of more than a few guys as soon as we walked into the club, so I can't imagine why she wouldn't be popular online.

"Why not?" I probe, suddenly curious.

She flashes me her wide grin. "Let's just say I didn't have the right attitude for it. Or the range of facial expressions." Pulling out her phone, she unlocks it. A frown slides across her face. "Right. I'm gonna go talk to my folks. See you in the morning."

"Yeah, see you. And thanks again."

She waves me bye and retreats to her room. As I head to mine, I wonder why she seemed adamant about the call with her family. She's a nice person, so surely they are the same, right? Then again, that's not necessarily always the case. My parents died, so I got thrown in the system and had my share of shitty parents until I turned eighteen.

Chasing away the irritation such thoughts bring out in me, I quickly shower and go to bed. Once I've reminded myself how awesome I turned out despite my tragic backstory, I close my eyes and dream of fighting mobsters in dingy alleys .

I wake up feeling more myself the next morning. While I get dressed, I have a hunch I dreamed about more than the guy from the club helping me clear the streets of Nagoya from gangsters, but I can't remember what it was. I don't dwell on it. Once I make my bed, I walk over to the balcony. It's just past eleven and the humidity is already making me want to dip in a pool of cold water. Or maybe the sea? Nagoya is next to it, so maybe there are beaches I can enjoy.

A shiver racks through me as I remember the group of armed men rushing at me from the dark alley by the club. Adrenaline threatens to flood me, my body ready for a repeat fight. I think I really needed that scuffle for my mental health. With all the shit I had to take care of before coming here, I've been neglecting training and exercise, which means I have too much energy. I'm also jumpier, so really, I shouldn't be surprised at all that I charged in where I had no business butting my nose.

My reckless behavior aside, I'm pretty sure those men saw me, but the good news is that no one came in the middle of the night trying to kidnap me like I feared might happen, so whoever they and the dude I saved were, they probably don't care about me enough to come knocking at my door.

Speaking of which.

I run a hand through my damp clumps of hair and trudge out of my room. My stomach churns as the smell of toasted bread reaches my nostrils, reminding me that I definitely need a food run today. Maybe after the beach? Granted, someone who's better with directions shares my enthusiasm to check it out.

Naomi and Chris wave me over to a table with toast, butter, and jam as I climb down the stairs to the first floor .

"Bet you got nothing to eat," she says, nudging the plate toward me when I sit down. "Help yourself."

I'm gonna cry. Why the hell is she so nice and where has she been my whole life?

Offering her my most grateful smile, I snatch a piece of toasted bread and butter it generously before I drench it in jam.

"Thank you for making sure I don't starve to death," I mumble in-between chewing.

She looks and shrugs at Chris, who's already in his signature goth make-up even if he's opted for more casual indoors clothes. "Looking after Leo feels kind of like looking after the human version of my labrador, Billy. It's filling the void I carry in my chest because they didn't let me bring him here."

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 are not 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!"