as well."
"Wait a moment." He snapped, and he must have placed his hand over the receiver, because I heard nothing for a couple of minutes, and then, "Son? I have passed on your message to the Kings, and they are most displeased, as they should be. However, after much apologising, they have agreed to return tomorrow night."
I let out a huge sigh of relief, as I thought he was going to insist that I come over until I caved in. "Right, thank you. I will be there. As I said, I'm sorry."
My father slammed the phone down before I finished talking, causing me to wince. I was gonna get a major dressing down tomorrow night. Something to look forward to.
My face was boiling hot and my conscience felt as though it had been pierced by a red-hot poker, but I returned to the kitchen and leaned against the fridge to chat with Nanako as she prepared dinner.
"Is everything okay?" she asked.
"It's all sorted," I assured her as I watched her pop small balls of fish meat into a saucepan bubbling with boiling oil. “Doesn’t Councillor Okada need you to translate for him tonight?” I asked.
“I told him I wanted the night off,” she said as she started peeling potatoes.
“And he let you?”
“Of course,” she replied, as though the answer should have been obvious.
“Do you mind if I ask how you can speak English so well, but he doesn’t?”
“I went to primary school in Inverloch,” she said. “My parents thought it would be good if I could speak both languages.”
“They were right. Imagine the trouble you and I would have trying to communicate if you only spoke Japanese,” I laughed.
“I don’t know.” She smiled. “You understand Japanese well enough.”
“Yeah, and that’s kind of weird.”
"Why's that?"
"Because I never learned it."
"Really? Then why do you think you understand it?" She studied my face carefully.
“Can’t say, to be honest.” Which was true, I really couldn’t tell her it may be because of my abnormal abilities. I decided to change the subject. “Hey, how did you know where I live?”
“Councillor Okada asked an official for your address. He said he wanted to drop by and say thank you.”
“I see.”
“That was okay, wasn’t it?” she asked, suddenly concerned.
“Of course.” I gave her an encouraging smile. “Hey, do you have any brothers or sisters?”
“One of each,” she replied. “My brother is ten, and my sister eight.”
I waited for her to return the question, but when she didn’t, I volunteered the information anyway. “I have two sisters, one twenty and the other twelve.”
She nodded as she continued cutting vegetables.
"What are you cooking?" I asked, my interest piqued by the appetising smells filling the flat.
"Oden," she replied. "It's a Japanese winter dish. I was lucky to find some of the ingredients in North End and most of the others in the markets. I had to make my own fish cakes, though. We normally eat rice with the dish, but we'll have to make do with bread rolls since Newhome doesn’t grow rice."
"I see. Hey, you're an amazing cook, you know. The obento you made was the best lunch I've ever had."
"Oh no, you are too kind – my cooking is nothing special."
"You're too modest," I laughed. "Where'd you learn to cook?"
"I’ve had a lot of practice."
Suddenly, I could contain my curiosity no longer. "Nanako, if you don't mind my asking – how old are you?"
Her dark brown eyes peered out from beneath her fringe. "I'll be twenty-one in a couple of weeks."
I was dumbfounded. She was years older than she looked and older than me as well. "You sure hide your age well. I figured you were seventeen at the most. In fact, you're a couple of months older than I am. I turn twenty-one at the end of February."
"Then we are virtually the same age," she said, rewarding me with another of her winning smiles.
“Yeah, amazing hey?" I laughed, before asking, "What do you do in Hamamachi, are you, you know, the town’s translator or
"Wait a moment." He snapped, and he must have placed his hand over the receiver, because I heard nothing for a couple of minutes, and then, "Son? I have passed on your message to the Kings, and they are most displeased, as they should be. However, after much apologising, they have agreed to return tomorrow night."
I let out a huge sigh of relief, as I thought he was going to insist that I come over until I caved in. "Right, thank you. I will be there. As I said, I'm sorry."
My father slammed the phone down before I finished talking, causing me to wince. I was gonna get a major dressing down tomorrow night. Something to look forward to.
My face was boiling hot and my conscience felt as though it had been pierced by a red-hot poker, but I returned to the kitchen and leaned against the fridge to chat with Nanako as she prepared dinner.
"Is everything okay?" she asked.
"It's all sorted," I assured her as I watched her pop small balls of fish meat into a saucepan bubbling with boiling oil. “Doesn’t Councillor Okada need you to translate for him tonight?” I asked.
“I told him I wanted the night off,” she said as she started peeling potatoes.
“And he let you?”
“Of course,” she replied, as though the answer should have been obvious.
“Do you mind if I ask how you can speak English so well, but he doesn’t?”
“I went to primary school in Inverloch,” she said. “My parents thought it would be good if I could speak both languages.”
“They were right. Imagine the trouble you and I would have trying to communicate if you only spoke Japanese,” I laughed.
“I don’t know.” She smiled. “You understand Japanese well enough.”
“Yeah, and that’s kind of weird.”
"Why's that?"
"Because I never learned it."
"Really? Then why do you think you understand it?" She studied my face carefully.
“Can’t say, to be honest.” Which was true, I really couldn’t tell her it may be because of my abnormal abilities. I decided to change the subject. “Hey, how did you know where I live?”
“Councillor Okada asked an official for your address. He said he wanted to drop by and say thank you.”
“I see.”
“That was okay, wasn’t it?” she asked, suddenly concerned.
“Of course.” I gave her an encouraging smile. “Hey, do you have any brothers or sisters?”
“One of each,” she replied. “My brother is ten, and my sister eight.”
I waited for her to return the question, but when she didn’t, I volunteered the information anyway. “I have two sisters, one twenty and the other twelve.”
She nodded as she continued cutting vegetables.
"What are you cooking?" I asked, my interest piqued by the appetising smells filling the flat.
"Oden," she replied. "It's a Japanese winter dish. I was lucky to find some of the ingredients in North End and most of the others in the markets. I had to make my own fish cakes, though. We normally eat rice with the dish, but we'll have to make do with bread rolls since Newhome doesn’t grow rice."
"I see. Hey, you're an amazing cook, you know. The obento you made was the best lunch I've ever had."
"Oh no, you are too kind – my cooking is nothing special."
"You're too modest," I laughed. "Where'd you learn to cook?"
"I’ve had a lot of practice."
Suddenly, I could contain my curiosity no longer. "Nanako, if you don't mind my asking – how old are you?"
Her dark brown eyes peered out from beneath her fringe. "I'll be twenty-one in a couple of weeks."
I was dumbfounded. She was years older than she looked and older than me as well. "You sure hide your age well. I figured you were seventeen at the most. In fact, you're a couple of months older than I am. I turn twenty-one at the end of February."
"Then we are virtually the same age," she said, rewarding me with another of her winning smiles.
“Yeah, amazing hey?" I laughed, before asking, "What do you do in Hamamachi, are you, you know, the town’s translator or
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