Chapter 30

The festival in Chinatown was in full swing. All throughout the district, illuminated chords hung lamps, paper lanterns, and red LED lights which dyed the streets of Tokyo's largest Chinese community in red. Two lantern dragons dancing in the night sky could be seen above. Shops, stalls, food vendors, and games lined the streets, and everyone was in bright spirits, Akane and Caleb especially.

"Everything is so pretty," Akane beamed happily as she walked alongside her boyfriend, clinging to his arm tightly. "I can't remember the last time I went to one of these."

He smiled at her and nodded in agreement. "Festivals are some of my absolute favorite traditions in Japan. I wish we had more cultural celebrations like this in the states."

"So what do you want to do first?" she asked excitedly. "Maybe some games? Or a walk around the district?"

"Are you hungry at all?" he asked.

Akane nodded. "I could eat."

"Then we should do that first," he decided.

"We should get takoyaki!" she insisted excitedly.

"That sounds pretty good actually," he admitted while looking around for a vendor, spotting one a couple yards away. "That one looks promising. You wait right here, babe. I'll get us something to snack on."

Akane sighed wistfully while watching her man walk away. Caleb was such a gentleman. He was polite to everyone they passed, always let her walk on the inner side of the sidewalk, opened doors for her everywhere they went, and even stood in line for her so she didn't have to come into contact with people who might be sick.

But more than that, he was also so assertive to. Something she never thought she could come to like in a man, but found was one of her favorite things about Caleb. He respected and valued her opinion even in moments where she didn't really have one. But he also wasn't afraid to take control and make executive decisions while they were out together.

Honestly, as handsome as he was, Akane felt her boyfriend's confidence was one of his most attractive qualities. Caleb always seemed to be in control when he was out in public. He was calm, collected, and polite in every single interaction, but also completely unafraid to take charge and make the executive decisions when they needed to be made without coming off as domineering or overly controlling and aggressive.

She watched as he patiently made his way to the front of the line before digging into her purse, where she pulled out a small touchup mirror and flipped it open. Akane pretended to inspect her eyeshadow, while secretly checking over her shoulder for the man in the strange hood who'd been tailing them from her house. Sure enough, he was still there. She then put the mirror up and smiled at her boyfriend again.

Whereupon her smile slowly vanished into a cold glare.

"So that's one shareable takoyaki for you and your lovely girlfriend over there," the rather cute vendor girl manning the stall spoke in Japanese with a bright smile on her face and full blush on her cheeks. "Will there be anything else?"

He offered a charming smile of his own and shook his head curtly. "No thank you. Just the one takoyaki will be plenty."

"That's a very nice coat, by the way," she complimented while passing his order off to the cook. "Where did you get it?"

"It was originally my father's," he explained.

"Well, I think it makes you look very handsome. Your girlfriend is a very lucky woman."

Caleb chuckled in a good spirited manner. "Thank you. Thank you."

Fury began to build in Akane's being. Her darling Caleb was just being polite. He was trying to be a respectful customer while waiting for their food and this man stealing hussie was taking it way too seriously!

A lightbulb went off in her mind and she grinned maliciously before discreetly making her way behind the stall.

"My grandfather is the owner, but I did do the decor for our stall. I enjoy decorating," she admitted bashfully, her cheeks turning red again.

"Well you've done an incredible job. It looks wonderful."

She giggled and bowed to him. "Thank you. I worked very hard on it."

Her grandfather finished dressing up their takoyaki with mayo and other condiments before passing it to his granddaughter who in turn gave it to Caleb.

"Here you are, one fresh takoyaki to share with your..." Her voice trailed off as she looked for the girl in the yukata who was standing a few yards away. "...that's odd. Where did she go?"

Caleb turned around. "Strange...I could have sworn she was standing right over..."

"Here I am!" Akane declared in Japanese, walking up to Caleb and taking him by the arm, a bright smile on her face. "Sorry, Darling. I had to find a private spot to blow my nose."

He smiled at her. "It's no trouble."

"Do you have our snack?"

"It's right here," the friendly vendor girl offered. "You have a very nice boyfriend, by the way. He's so polite."

Akane's eyes turned slightly cold despite the smile on her face as she took the takoyaki from her. "I know I do..."

An awkward tension formed in the air. Caleb caught a whiff of something off smelling.

"Is something burning?" he asked.

The vendor girl picked up on the smell as well. From the corner of her eye she saw smoke and her eyes widened in horror.

"Oh God! Grandpa, the stall's on fire!"

They evacuated the area while the stall became engulfed in flames. Akane calmly tugged Caleb away from the chaos, munching on takoyaki without a care in the world.

"Mmm, good choice, Darling. This definitely hits the spot."

Caleb looked back towards the active inferno that had become the takoyaki stall before turning back towards his girlfriend.

"Did you...have something to do with that?"

She giggled at him sweetly before swallowing her bite of takoyaki and taking his arm again. "Oh, Caleb, you should know by now. My love for you is like a candle. It burns bright and warm when you're near..."

Her eyes grew wide as did her smile.

"...but forget about me for too long and something's bound to catch on fire."

Caleb swallowed reflexively, a chill running down his spine as he glanced back at the burning stall once more.

"Duly noted..."