"I'm definitely going to meet her," Hiro winked. “I heard she makes great pie.”
“And this is why I’m not allowing you to come anywhere near her. You’ll be all up in her kitchen, begging.”
Kenji's voice cut through the conversation. "What about Rin?"
Kaoru answered.
In Japanese.
I frowned immediately and turned to look at him. "No, no, no. Speak in English so I can understand what you're saying. See, I knew that you knew something more and you just weren't telling me."
Kaoru kept speaking in Japanese while looking directly at Kenji.
Listening to the conversation, some of the men paused with their eating and looked up.
I frowned.
Damn it. What is he saying?!
I scanned the faces around the table, trying to decode their reactions. Toma's mouth was hanging open. Kaede's eyebrows had disappeared into his hairline. The twins were looking at each other with matching devilish grins.
Others widened their eyes like whatever Kaoru said was shocking or surprising.
Then, Kenji chuckled low in his chest, and I felt the vibration against my back.
"What did he say?” I turned to look at Kenji. "What's going on?"
"I have nothing to do with any of this," Kenji smiled.
"I want to know what Kaoru said."
"Tora, this is official Yakuza business."
I murmured, "Bullshit."
Hiro chuckled, “I’m just shocked that Rin swept. I didn’t even know he knew what a broom was.”
The twins laughed so loud they looked like they were about to choke.
Minutes later, Hiro poured me a cup of sake.
“Oh. Thanks.” I was about to grab it.
“Wait.”
I blinked. “Okay.”
Hiro rose from his seat and clinked his sake cup with his chopstick.
The sound rang out clear and sharp.
"Okay. Okay," Hiro said loudly. "You know what this moment is right now. You know what we do. This is when we honor all that fell."
Kenji put his chopsticks down. Everybody stopped eating, went quiet, and looked at him.
I put my gaze on Hiro too.
He cleared his throat. “First, we should thank Nyomi for the special meal.”
