Chapitre 57: Sumiko Inn

Kei's Blended Beauty crept behind human-paced rickshaws, cyclists and citizens strolling casually along a strip of the paved road towards a crowd of buying or browsing patrons and civil workers in smart navy suits and French-style caps the distance ahead.

Unable to drive further, Kei parked the car to the curb near a sweets shop, which made Hans mouth water at the artistic and scrumptious display of candies from its window. He eagerly stepped out of the car to closely examine the shop's wares. Eiji thought it was funny seeing a grown man ogling candy like a kid.

"Just one smidgen?" Hans begged Tyne, batting his eyes bashfully.

Tyne sighed and flicked his hand for a go.

"You're coming with me, darling." He teased Kei as he grabbed his arm and forced him through the shop's blue-white noren strips, ignoring the man's grumbles and foul protests.

Tyne and Eiji waited outside the shop, easing curious glances with cordial tips of their hats or a bow.

"Looking forward to a rest," Tyne spoke in Deutsch, which seemed to further ease the remaining attention on them.

Eiji carefully released a sigh of relief, having spotted the dark-navy cap of a policeman across the road behind a gossiping group of ladies in kimonos. He noticed the tip of its visor had been pointed their way before it turned an angle and disappeared. He felt more twitchy standing next to Tyne in his own country than when they were at Iwo Jima or on the US escort carrier.

Another sigh was released when Hans and Kei returned with pretty brown paper bags smelling of floral-scented sweets. Eiji's eyes glowed at the artistic calligraphy of the shops' name on the bag that was sealed with a red ribbon.

"Let's keep the ribbon for Tama's collar," Tyne said when he gently patted the cat's sleepy head from the basket bag.

"You're not going to eat them now are you?!" Kei scoffed when he saw Hans fiddle with the ribbon's knot.

"I'm not a barbarian Ito-sensei. I know my manners." Hans pouted and stopped his fiddling.

"Gentlemen," Tyne said to prompt everyone into a walk.

Eiji kept his cool and a bit of distance when he followed behind Tyne. Hans made sure that his distance wasn't too wide, so he couldn't be lost in the bustling crowd they were weaving their way through. Of course, he was still their prisoner of war and asset until deemed otherwise.

They turned a corner into a wide dirt road where trams traveled up and down on tracks at the road's center and moved by civilians in modest kimono's, western suits, and civil service uniforms. Most people ignored them as they went about their business. Some passed glances but didn't think more of it. The slight stench of manure from the occasional horse and cart that trotted past would waft up their noses, dulled down by the fresh scent of blooming cherry blossoms.

Eiji followed Kei's lead past a couple of run-of-the-mill tea houses, dry goods stores, and grocers set up in French-colonial style buildings with figurine cornices and full pane windows, so the full view of the store's inside was visible.

Their short walk ended at a narrow lane supported a traditional-style inn nestled at the center between two dry goods stores of European quality. The inn resembled the types that were built in the Meiji period with the tier-layered triangular-shaped roofs that had bell rain-chains hanging off the upturn edges and white panel walls with brown trims. Two freestanding blue-white banner flags stood on either side of the inn's double security doors.

"Sumiko Inn." Eiji mouthed as he read the banner's kanji.

He yelped when a group of middle-aged local businessmen staggered out of the doors and into the lane with a happy look on their faces. It seemed they had gotten lucky.

They politely greeted them with curious looks to Tyne and Hans but dropped their curiosity when Tyne greeted them with a heavy German accent. Eiji wondered how long the German charade would hold before someone didn't buy it. They were getting passes for now, and he hoped that would last.

"Did you ensure our reservation, Ito-sensei?" Tyne checked with Kei.

"Yeah, yeah. Nishigawa-san said he had a room for us." Kei brushed off Tyne's concerns.

Eiji frowned at Kei's sudden politeness. A shiver ran down his spine with a bad feeling.

"This isn't a particular family establishment is it?" Eiji coolly asked and held back his reaction at Kei's smirk.

"I'll tell you this pretty boy. Stay too long in a bath, have your crack dirtied." Kei snickered.

Eiji sighed at Kei's crude advice, he felt it was also fitting.

They all followed Kei through the security doors and into the guest genkan.