The rest of the night, Kenji hung out in my room. By now, we’d figured out that Kanshisha-san didn’t check in on us at night. The subject of Jiro inevitably came up. There was no avoiding it.
“I can’t believe it,” Kenji said, his mouth agape as he sat beside me on my bed. We had our backs against the wall, legs stretched out. “You and Jiro were boyfriend and girlfriend? Wait, I thought you said you didn’t have time for a relationship.”
“I didn’t. I mean, I don’t now. But this thing with Jiro happened back when I was in university.”
“So, what was it? Like a fling? A few months at most?”
“Um…a little over three years.”
Kenji whipped his head around to face me. “Three years? You dated that asshole for three long years? Oh my God, Akiko. I can’t believe this.”
“Kenji,” I said, rolling my eyes, “you’re overreacting.”
He shifted to fully face me, his expression serious. “Did you love him?”
I hesitated, but there was no point in lying. “I don’t know. Yeah, I guess. I mean, three years is a long time to be with someone without a good reason.”
His reaction softened, but I could still sense the tension in his jaw. Beneath his shock, I caught the faintest glimmer of something else… Jealousy.
I looped my arm through his and rested my head on his shoulder, hoping to ease his mind. “Look, he means nothing to me now. Trust me. I broke up with him. And from what I heard later, he was walking around brokenhearted.”
Kenji raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t look brokenhearted over dinner. He came across as vengeful. And just to go on the record, I don’t believe you’re here because of your father’s relationship with Chef Sakamoto. But the others…they’ll think exactly what Jiro told them.”
“I know. It’s the one thing I wanted to keep under wraps.”
“Were they really that close? I don’t remember Chef Sakamoto ever visiting when I lived next door to you.”
“We were kids,” I said with a shrug. “I highly doubt you paid much attention to people visiting my father. Even my memory of him is vague. But I do remember enough to know they were very close, and both were rising stars in the sushi world.”
“Do you think he knows what happened to your father?”
“I’m not sure. I’ve been tempted over the years to reach out to him. I did hear that my father’s disappearance affected Chef Sakamoto—he almost gave up his career.”
“Really? We wouldn’t be here if he had. This all wouldn’t exist.” Kenji gestured around.
“I know, but apparently he pulled it together, and look at him now. King of the sushi chefs. Success beyond belief.”
“It could have easily been your father; he really was a rising star back then. I knew that much about him.”
It was true. As a little girl, I heard it all the time: that my father was destined to become the best, the kind of legend whose name would be whispered in reverence.
“Did you know they were each other’s only competition? My father told me they trained in the same apprenticeship program, pushing each other. He said they always joked about who would claim that crown.”
A look of concern appeared on Kenji’s face.
“I know what you’re thinking: Did Chef Sakamoto have anything to do with my father disappearing? The police cleared him, so no. And I believe it. When my father spoke about how he and Chef Sakamoto had plans to conquer the world of sushi together, I believed him. They were best friends.”
“You’re probably right. You lost your father; he lost a best friend. Kenji paused and turned to me. “You know, Jiro could end up being a real problem for you, Akiko. Especially if you have other secrets he knows about.”
“Trust me, that’s the only one.”
“We still don’t know how this program will play out, but if we’re competing against each other, I wouldn’t put it past him to sabotage you. He strikes me as the kind of guy who holds a grudge.”
“I know,” I admitted. “That’s what worries me too. But if he tries anything, I’ll be ready.”
Kenji snapped his fingers, and his eyes lit up. “If he goes after you, it’ll be psychological. Mind games. Guys like him love toying with women. He’s a fuckboy.”
“It’s a good thing I have you around to make sure I don’t get screwed over by the fuckboy.”Again.
