220 6.14 Reminiscing The Past As A Lesson For All.. (1/2)
As soon as we receive reached the riverbanks, there were several couples with their teeny weeny lanterns on their sides or they hung at the branches of trees, as they fished or seems to be fishing and were also entangling themselves with the fishing lines and lure as they tried to get the lures out from their lips somehow.
That's what a kid like me would be telling their parents if their siblings and partners were caught engaging with the hot pursuit of each other's slithery unagi. Hehehehe.
We chose a spot away from those engaged couples as Izumi was blushing as she took peeks at them and walked hurriedly towards an empty spot some distance away from the nearest couple. We do not have a lantern but we burned twigs and bits of dry wood to rid of the gnats that were trying to suck us dry.
With the smoky fire we made, some of the couples that behaved like gnats moved further away from us and carrying their small oil-filled lanterns. Maybe the idea of carrying these lanterns means they are engaged and do not disturb something like that. Or else why should they be carrying lantern that can hardly lit their way right... Right... Right...???
Like us kids, we are different from those adults. We are so innocent and pure and we lit fires and smoke them gnats away. Hahahaha. I looked at my tackle in hand and decided to catch some fishes as Izumi was snuggling next to me on the riverbank.
I had broken off a branch and made it like a pole and had cut off a piece of the string and tied it to the end of the stick. In a short moment, we had landed several trout and Izumi picked it up and pierced a stick through its mouth and stick it on the ground near the fire.
The radiated heat from the small campfire slowly sizzled and cook the fish. ”Are you lonely, Himura? Do you wish to have someone to take care of your needs, like a girlfriend or something?”
”I'm a bit lonely, of course. I wished to have a girlfriend and you had made your first move on me the day before I leave for the expedition.”
”Yeah, it worries me so. I thought that you'd never return and left me behind.”
”Haishhh... What nonsense are you talking about? If I leave you, means I leave Sensei and the corporation behind. Wealth is actually nothing for me but friendship matters most.”
”You know what I liked about you, Himura?”
”I don't know, you tell me. Other people like me because I've got a sharp tongue, others like me because I have a wide vision, others like me because I'm a cute kid. Hahahahah.”
”I like you because if your maturity, Himura. You are an 11-year-old kid in everyone's eyes, but to me, you are just the same age as me or even older. I'm 16, Himura... I lied about my age because I'm too tall for my actual age and because of my hideous background, I try to act like I'm past beyond a teenager.”
”Doesn't matter if your 16 or 19 or even 29. Age is just a number and most importantly is you do not pin too many hopes on someone and that someone doesn't show too much hope for the other party. You know what I mean?”
”Not quite, Himura... Are you trying to push me away from you and reject me totally?”
”GULP...!!! Wrong choice of words that might lead to misunderstanding....” I thought aloud and spoke, ”It's not what I meant, Izumi. I have to put Fasuto Japan KabushikiGaisha and Fasuto Japan Airways ahead of me and places the person that I love on the third list. If Sensei didn't save me 5 months ago, I'd be eating those corpses around me like a vulture or be a vulture already. You know what I mean?”