Tokyo Hearts: A Japanese Love Story by Renae Lucas-Hall Page A

written all over her face.
    Jun reached for his rucksack and pulled out two presents, beautifully wrapped in distinctive orange boxes.
    ‘Haruka and Mrs Yoshino,’ he said. ‘I have a couple of small presents for you two lovely ladies.’ He handed each of them their gifts, looking at Takashi with a smirk drenched with self-satisfaction.
    ‘More gifts! This is too much,’ said Haruka, embarrassed but obviously pleased.
    ‘That’s very sweet of you, Jun,’ said Mrs Yoshino, opening her present.
    The so called “small” presents both turned out to be extremely expensive gifts.
    ‘An Hermès scarf!’ both ladies cried out in unison. They opened out their coveted presents, spreading them wide so everyone could appreciate the full effect of each scarf. The rose-coloured luxurious silks were very beautiful. Within minutes, they’d tied their scarves around their necks in fashionable knots.
    ‘How do we look?’ asked Mrs Yoshino.
    ‘You both look very stylish. Aren’t they nice scarves, Takashi?’ Yuriko asked him.
    ‘Oh yes, very stylish,’ Takashi stuttered back.
    Takashi shifted in his seat and Jun pointed at his foot, having noticed the hole in his sock.
    ‘Takashi, you need to buy yourself a new pair of socks,’ he said. Everyone turned to look at the hole in Takashi’s sock.
    ‘Yes, you’re right, Jun. Well, I have a long trip home. I better get going,’ blurted out Takashi, very embarrassed. He finished the last of his barley tea, stood up and walked to the door of the living room. Everyone said his and her goodbyes, but it was only Haruka that showed him to the door.
    ‘I can drive you to the station … wait for me while I get my keys,’ she said.
    Takashi waited for Haruka in the hallway, listening to the conversation between her mother and Jun in the adjoining room. Jun began telling Mrs Yoshino how he thought her home was lovely and how nice it was to see them again. Hearing this, angry feelings started to well up inside him and he imagined himself rushing in, breaking up this conversation and giving Jun a piece of his mind – but of course, this didn’t happen and it wasn’t long before Haruka showed up with her keys.
    ‘You know what, Haruka? You must be tired. It’s only ten minutes from here to the station, and I’d rather walk. I’ll call you soon. Thanks for today,’ Takashi stammered as he made a hasty exit, leaving Haruka, mouth wide open, in the hallway.
    Takashi walked down the short driveway and turned to head for the station. He couldn’t help but look at the house next door that belonged to Haruka’s friend Yuriko as he walked away. He didn’t know how he could have ever missed it before. It was a small fortress heavily guarded by huge hedges. Yuriko’s family was obviously extremely wealthy and her cousin’s family probably had an equally impressive estate. Takashi thought that if there was something going on between Haruka and Jun, she deserved to be with someone who could give her everything. He’d been conceited to think that she could have ever possibly seen him as more than anything but a friend.
    On the train heading for home, he did not hear most of the overhead announcements. Takashi was in his own small, unhappy world. He couldn’t stop wondering about this Jun he’d met today and how Haruka really felt about him. He thought that the silence during lunch was a bad sign and the whole day had been a series of contradictions. Thinking back, it seemed to him that her words had often been full of encouragement, but at the same time the tone of her voice seemed to discourage him.
    Halfway home, having played back over and over in his head the conversations at lunch and at her home between Jun, Haruka and her mother, Takashi started to feel a bit more positive. Surely Haruka preferred him, he thought to himself, and not this pretentious and conceited boy from Kyoto. Although he could not afford to buy Hermès scarves, he decided that he was definitely a better