Chapter Seven: Lunch Among Friends:

The stew was the best that I had ever had. Noiz and her friends really knew how to blend the right amount of spice and food. At first, it took me a while adjust to it. The first bite made me raise an eyebrow.

“What is this?” I asked. Noiz turned to me with a grin on her face.

“It’s a taste of the rich sea,” she replied. “We made it with our own hands.”

“I see,” I replied. I picked up my spoon and take another bite. This was the first time I had seen the table so crowded with strangers. We literally sat shoulder to shoulder.

“Would you like more rice?” Mosh asked me.

“Sure,” I replied. He passed me the pot and reached to help myself.

“Sorry,” I whispered to the two men beside me. They nodded at me as I drew back my bowl.

“So,” Kyoko spoke up. “What does everyone plan to do this evening?”

“Go out to festival!” everyone cheered around me. I held my spoon in my hand, looking around.

“Festival?” I asked. Noiz put down her cup.

“Of course,” she said. “You have to go to one in Japan!”

“What’s happening tonight?” I asked. One of the men sitting next to me patted me on the back.

“Ow,” I mumbled under my breath.

“Why don’t you come out with us and see?” Noiz asked. I tilted my head at her.

“Huh?” I asked. I took another bite of my soup. A wave of shock came over my face. I dropped my spoon in my bowl.

“Crap!” I shouted. I looked up to see all eyes on me. A nervous chuckled slipped out of my mouth.

“I didn’t expect it to turn so hot,” I brushed off. A man sitting next to Kyoko at the far end of the table laughed at me. I wanted to yell at him to shut up, but I was too busy trying to catch my breath from the heat. Noiz clapped her hands together.

“That reminds me,” she said. “We didn’t properly introduce ourselves, did we? Who would like to start?” Nobody said a word at first. Kyoko raised her hand.

“I’m Kyoko,” she said. “I live here and I grew up here on this island.”

“I’m Makoto,” the man next to her answered. “I came from Osaka and this is my thirteenth trip to this island.”

“The name’s Yu,” the man on Makoto’s left said. “I also came from Osaka. In fact, I came here with Makoto and this is my first time on this island.”

“My name is Yui,” the woman said next to Yu. “I came from Kyoto and this is my second time on the island.”

“I’m Mosh,” Mosh answered. “I currently live in Tokyo with my girlfriend, Noiz and this is my first time on this island too.”

“I’m Tommy,” the man with blond curls next to Mosh spoke up. “I’m from Scotland and this is my third time on this island.” I nodded rather impressed. Scotland, huh? Wow!

“I’m Eddie,” an Asian man said to my left. “I came from Taiwan and this is my seventeenth time on this island.” A golf clap filled the room. I looked around when I realized that it was my turn to talk.

“Oh, I’m Brianna Mills,” I said. “I’m from Washington D.C. and this is my first time on the island and Japan.” The applause grew louder with low whistles. I gave them a strange look. It wasn’t that great, I thought.

“I’m Akira,” the man to my right said. “I too come from Tokyo and this is my fifth time on this island.”

“I’m Ruri,” a woman said between Akira and Noiz. “I’m from Hokkaido and this is my third time on this island.”

“And I am Noizchild,” my cousin finished with. “I too currently live in Tokyo and this is my fourth time on this island.” Everyone’s “ooooes” filled the room. My cousin put up her hands.

“I know, I know,” she said. “It’s an unlucky number, but may this trip won’t be so bad.” The chatter and laughter at the table make this lunch even better. It felt like we had all known each other for years. I didn’t even realize that my rice and stew were empty until I came to the last spoonful with shock on my face.

“Hey, this is really sweet!” I exclaimed. “Why is that?” Yui looked up at me with a smile on her face.

“It’s. A. Secret,” she said, wagging her finger. Yui gave me a wink before breaking down into giggles. I sat back with my arms behind my head.

“Heh,” was all that I could respond with. It was pretty, though.