In the morning of the departure, everyone from the publishing company came to take their own farewells from Anna. She knew half of them were there because of Henry, who was their boss, but half were simply doing something nice with no evil intention.
“We’ll miss you!” From the moment they walked out of the apartment, Rosie found vital to let Anna know how much she will be missed. Henry, on the other side, seemed annoyed.
“Call me when you land. If something happens, call me and I’ll fly there in an instant.” Anna rolled her eyes and patted his chest.
She hugged each person and waved goodbye to them. On the way to the plane, her only thoughts were about how much everything was going to change when she will get back. It was obvious something was going to happen and she was curious what and how much it would affect her.
Throughout the whole flight Anna read every article she could find about the two actors who were going to play her characters and the director. She found nothing bad about either of them and seemed to be satisfied with the information.
When the plane landed, she was truly happy. Though she didn’t want to admit it, she definitely missed Tokyo. She walked at a normal pace to get her luggage, which wasn’t much, and tried to reminisce the first time she placed foot on Japanese land. She chuckled when she remembered how scared she was. She was just 18 years old, a young age to start living on your own. Her parents gave her everything she wanted and needed and the only thing they wanted in return was for their daughter to follow her father’s steps. She enrolled into Tokyo University in a subject she wasn’t very interested in. However, that whole time she spent in Tokyo was fun. She made friends and eventually met him.
The memories of his face and the moments they spent together; that one day seemed like it never ended. When she returned to England, for the first two months he was everything she could think about and it hurt. He didn’t contact her and she didn’t try to look for him. They knew it wasn’t meant to last.
She seemed so occupied by her own Universe that she couldn’t see the small details around her. Those small details would have changed her life. A man in his mid twenties just returned from Europe too and he walked right past the thoughtful woman. They didn’t realize.
“I’m glad to see you, Anna-chan!” The landlady was more enthusiastic about her return than she was. Miss Tsubaki had always been a nice woman whom Anna could talk to about anything. She had seen Nao walking out of Anna’s apartment that morning and she had also seen how he hesitated for a few seconds. However, she never spoke a word. She couldn’t.
“Had there been someone who asked about me these few years?” Tsubaki thought for a few minutes. She was debating if she should tell her about the man whose name she didn’t know or about the small remnants.
“There was a guy who came by and asked me when you will come back. I think his name was Takeshi.” Anna smiled softly and nodded before opening the door and walking inside.
She left her luggage in the hall and walked further into the apartment. She tried to be happy that one of her best Japanese friends came by and didn’t forget about her. But, she was equally disappointed that he whom was far more interesting never turned his head to look behind.
A few hours later, after she re-accustomed to the surroundings, Anna went to her favorite place in Tokyo. As soon as she entered, the bartender called for her instantly. She walked to him smiling happily.
“Look who is back! The English beauty!” Anna laughed and punched his arm playfully.
"You know, when people say some things never change they definitely think back of lousy bartenders who are still in College.” The younger boy smirked and pinched her cheek. He knew how much she hated that. She caught his finger before it could reach her soft skin.
“I read your book.” She rolled her eyes “You finished business and you work as a writer. How poorly did you end up?” He spoke his words carefully as not to offense her. She knew he was just joking. He had been one of her good friends for a while and she knew him well enough.
“I changed my mind.” The bartender raised one eyebrow. “I did follow my father’s path and finished business in Tokyo but I choose my own path afterwards” The boy smiled and ruffled her hair. “What about you, Kyoya? Are you going to ever finish College?” He playfully glared at her and smirked.
“I started three and ended up with a fourth. I work my ass off for a raise so I can buy a real violin.”
Anna almost forgot her friend was a music prodigy. He had offered a few times to play for her but she never had the chance to agree. There was always some other problem she had to resolve.
She ended up spending the whole day talking with her favorite bartender. He had the talent to make people forget about their problems and simply enjoy the present. When she left, she felt lonely. The apartment was empty. There was no soul to accompany the owner.
“Now I remember why I agreed to let Rosie live with me.” She sighed and rubbed her back. Rosie reminded her of Kyoya. They were both loud and always whining. But at the same time, they had a big heart and never ceased to amaze her with their ideas.
The next morning, the phone was the first to ring. Groggily, Anna stuck her hand out of the comfortable pillow and searched for the device. Even though it was really close she couldn’t find it. For that, she opened her eyes to search for it.
“Is this Anna Bell? I am your manager." For a moment she couldn´t comprehend the new information. When she finally registered, her sleepy posture tensed and she fully opened her eyes.
"Why do I need a manager? I have been sent here to witness the production right?" The chuckle coming from the other side sounded quite youthful which meant she was talking to a man who had less than 30 years old.
"Indeed. However, the producing company decided you should take part in the promotions. I would like us to meet and talk about your schedule for the next few months."
While the other part hung up, Anna’s mind went overdrive. Firstly, the single action of returning to Japan seemed to make her feel like she may not return to England/ Secondly, a manager would mean she had some gram of fame, which she definitely didn’t want. That single fact of having a manager meant she could already say goodbye to individuality. Realizing such information she groaned and placed the pillow over her face.
A few hours later and a few new phone calls later, she found herself in front of a restaurant across Tokyo Tower. The view was beautiful but her mood dropped in the moment she placed her foot inside the tiny building. It wasn´t hard to figure who she was supposed to meet since he was the only man in a business suit, waving and smiling brightly at her. The table was placed on the more private area of the restaurant meant for the rich and busy.
“It’s really nice to meet you in person. I hope I didn´t ask much.” She bowed politely and sat down. The smile her new manager had was very creepy. She wondered how he could put up such face for so long. “Let’s take it from the beginning.” She nodded and watched as he got up and bowed down to her. It felt a little overwhelming. “Hello, my name is Sato Yuji and I will be your new agent. Please take care of me.”
She was speechless. The man, Sato-san, sat back down and placed his hands on the table, business like.
“Now Anna san, I would be delighted if we could work well together. Your schedule, in fact, isn’t as busy as Kitagawa san or Matsumoto san’s. However-” He took a break and grabbed an agenda from his bag. “You are the author of Lovers in Tokyo that soon will be adapted into a movie. You have many Japanese fans even if you may not believe it.”
"Fans." That was a big word for Anna. Her heart started to beat faster and a little of her individuality dropped. Fans meant there would be people on the street who were most likely to recognize her and intrude in her personal space. She never wanted popularity and she was afraid of being idolized. She wanted to be an anonymous but surely enough that was not going to happen.
“And what am I expected to do?” Sato san chuckled and opened his agenda at one special page.
“There is a book signing tomorrow morning in Ginza. Prepare yourself because there are about 100 or more people planned to come.” When she heard the number of people who were supposed to arrive for her, she gulped. It wasn´t like she wasn´t grateful but there were so many people.
“It will take ages to sign all of their books.” She mumbled wprriedly. He smiled and patted the page. She looked where he placed his finger and gasped.
“Why am I supposed to go there? Aren´t this kind of promotions for the actors?”
On that page was written the name Shinjuku, a place in centre of Tokyo where most people go for shopping or different activities; that wasn´t what surprised her.
“I will have to talk about my book and about my expectations in front of wanderers and an interviewer.” She continued. That indeed was one step ahead towards her famous life. She didn´t expect that when she heard how praised was her book.
“Yes. I heard you are a woman of words. I´m sure you will impress everyone.” She bit her lower lip and sighed. She wasn´t sure about anything she had to do.
After she left the restaurant she wandered the streets until she found herself back at the bridge where she first met Osamu. She walked slowly towards the same place she stood 4 years ago. She placed her hands on the railing, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The memories surfaced.
She opened her eyes when she heard a faint click. For a moment she expected to see him but instead, there was a married couple making pictures. She took the time to watch them. It was all so bittersweet.
“Excuse me-” She blinked a few times and got out of the trance. “Can you please take a picture of me and my wife?” It was the man she was earlier watching. He wanted a picture with his wife near the water. She smiled and nodded.
“Say cheese!” She tried to make the couple laugh and liven up the whole mood. She wasn´t sure if she wanted the two to be happy or if she was simply trying to convince herself that one day she will also have the chance to do that.
On the path back home, she was deeply entranced by her selfishness. She wanted someone but at the same time, she didn´t want just anyone. She had a stable stereotype of her ideal man and she knew well there was just one man that could surpass it. She shook her head. It wasn´t healthy to think like that. It wasn´t healthy to even think about him.
“It’s all so wrong.” She mumbled and ruffled her hair.
“What’s wrong?” She opened her eyes widely and turned to face the newcomer.
“Takeshi-” She whispered. That was definitely a surprise. The man -who didn´t look a year older than her- was standing in front of the apartment building. His hands placed were deep into his pants’ pockets. He titled his head to the left and smiled boyishly.
“Well? Are you going to give me a hug and say how much you missed me or I may as well leave?” She chuckled and did exactly as she was told. When he felt her tiny hands wrapping around his slender body, he loosened up and returned the gesture. “You still didn´t tell me how much you-“
“Shut up.” He chuckled and ruffled her hair.
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