THE CULPRIT'S VERDICT

Scrolling my phone up and down -like a boomerang- with my mind lost in space, had been my state since I woke up from sleep. I had been waiting for a reply from my uncle, but he hadn't sent me one.

My hands got fringy, so I dialed his number again. I hoped he would answer the call, because I didn't have a good sleep thinking about what had transpired after I left.

A heavy weight was taken off my chest when I heard a click, an indication that he answered the call.

"Uncle, my goodness! I have been texting you for ten hours now since last night. Why didn't you send a message? I was so worried. I'm really sorry about what happened, I know that I disobeyed your order, don't worry I'll try my best to stay away from them just let me know that you're okay," I said continuously.

"U-uncle?"

("Max, ") I heard his voice from the other line.

"Uncle? Are you okay?" I asked.

("I am. Don't worry about me.") he said in between an eerie line.

"Thank God. I'm sorry about last night. I-"

"Uncle, are you still there?" I asked, as all I heard was the swirling sound of the wind.

"U-" I cut off upon hearing an end call from the other line. I tried calling him again, but his phone was out of coverage already.

My worries disappeared knowing he was safe and sound.

I was just overthinking things.

Hours had gone by. Ryle and I attended a scheduled meeting. As expected from his secretary, I jotted down the minutes of the meeting and had an extremely tiring day.

"Irasshaimase! Douzo." (Welcome! Please come in) A lady in her purple kimono with hair neatly tied in a bun welcomed us as we entered an exclusive Japanese Restaurant.

The place emphasized simplicity and elegance and their culture was highly presented in this manner. We sat in a quiet and refined location overlooking a Zen garden with a man-made capillary. The sound of falling water served as music to our

ears.

"Menyuu onegai shimasu, " (Please bring the menu) Ryle said to the lady in the kimono, probably asking for the menu.

"Hai. Douzo." (Yes. Here it is.) The lady responded and handed over a menu.

"What do you like to eat?" Ryle asked me. I took the card from him; when I opened it to check for delicious food, frustration delineated on my face. I couldn't understand anything written on it. I pushed it back to Ryle and asked him to do the honor of ordering, which he did. I was just surprised by his fluency in the Japanese language.

He returned the menu to the lady with a matching smile. The lady then lowered her upper body down and started walking to get our order.

"So, you are good in Nihongo."

"Watashi wa sukoshi Nihonggo ga hanasemasu." (I can speak a little Nihonggo)

"Ahh..." I voiced out with a nod, convincing him to believe that I understood what he said when the truth is, I didn't. He chuckled a bit, aware of my foolishness.

"So tell me, where do you want to go after this?" he asked.

"Well, as if I'm familiar with the places here," I heard him chuckling again.

"Okay, let's go for a walk in some of the famous places here, later." I wasn't really comfortable with us eating together in a private room, I had a bad impression about it. Also, going somewhere didn't feel right at all, but I had to stick with this guy. Maybe I could pull something out of his mouth.

"Arigatou, "(Thank you.) We said in chorus as the lady placed the food-box on our table.

"Tanoshinde kudasai," (Please enjoy) she responded and left.

I opened the navy blue food-box. I couldn't help but adore the artistic food presentation of various kinds in minimal amounts. After we ate the first dish served to us, it was followed by another then another until the seventh dish. "Onaka Oppai, " (I'm quite full) Ryle blurted out after leaving the restaurant. His palm was on his stomach which made me conclude that what he meant was, he was full.

"Their food was really delicious," I commented.

"Of course, I will not bring you there if it wasn't," he said, his side facing me.

He smiled a charming smile that made my world stop for a while to witness the glowing lights that suddenly wrapped his face. His fade and taper hairstyle looked good on him as it revealed the skin around his ears, I just didn't remember the time he had his hair cut, it wasn't like that before.

He chuckled softly. His angelic voice calmed me and his smile suddenly became my solace.

We seemed to appreciate people and things when we spent time with them. Perhaps, time and shared bond expunged blindness within us.

"Hey," he snapped and it brought me back to my senses. A wide grin crossed his lips. I felt embarrassed, realizing that I had been staring at him. I hid my face on my chest, but he lifted my chin up with his hand, letting my eyes meet his.