Your support makes Blue Moon possible (Patreon)Another day in beautiful Kyoto. Crystal Rowland had always wanted to visit Japan, but now…she was a student here for a whole semester! It was a real dream come true for her. The country was beautiful, its culture fascinating. And the language. So complex, and yet she had spent a good few years drilling her vocabulary and speech skills. She wasn’t as good as a native speaker yet, but she was certainly fluent enough to survive and make friends. She definitely stood out among her peers, standing at an average height with a creamy, fair complexion with long blonde hair and sky blue eyes. Though there were other foreigners like herself attending the Kyoto University of Art and Design, she seemed to be among the well-adjusted.
She was grateful to be away from the States for a while. Her parents had always criticized her fascination with Japan and when she informed them that she had plans to study abroad, they nearly lost it entirely, threatening to cut her off for good. Luckily, though she was still attending college, Crystal was a very good photographer and had made more than enough money to cover her expenses. While her mother and father continued to sling their bigoted barbs at her, she simply prepared to start the first day of the rest of her life.
It was late August now. School had been in session for a few weeks. She had her assignments, knew where to go on campus, and had managed to make a fair amount of friends. They enjoyed hanging out in between classes and after, often hitting the streets for a good restaurant or a place to go shopping. The cuisine was going to be a challenge for Crystal, but she’d eat anything when she was hungry enough. Just a little stroll north took her and her new friends to a small sushi restaurant. It was quaint and clearly a traditional place, but its charm and prices kept the girls going there. Of course…there was another reason.
A young man worked there, around her age. Handsome, rugged-looking, and very skilled at his job. She watched with amazement as he sliced fish meat with extreme precision and served up their dishes without breaking a sweat. Her friends had noticed her lingering looks on the man on more than one occasion and even teased her about it, but he couldn’t help herself. Of course, from what she always heard, most Japanese men preferred not to date foreigners, so it was likely a lost cause. Still…
Today had to have been at least the tenth time Crystal had visited this restaurant, but this time, she went alone. It was the weekend, giving her a chance to go to her dorm room and put on something other than her uniform. She had a feeling she might have accessorized a little too much, but she wanted to leave a lasting impression. She made sure her dress didn’t show off too much cleavage. That was a tip from one of her friends, assuring her that most Japanese men preferred a little modesty. Though she may not have stood out on the streets of L.A., she felt she looked good.
She entered the small restaurant, immediately spotting him at the sushi bar. She was surprised that there didn’t seem to be anyone else in the restaurant. This made things a little awkward. She offered him a smile and gave a slight bow, folding her hands in front of her and clasping her purse tightly.
”Good afternoon,” she greeted, speaking in Japanese, before making her way to the bar, taking a seat on one of the stools. Now that she was here, she was starting to chicken out. This was going to be humiliating…part of her knew it. She tried to stall. ”I’ll have…the amaebi and a cup of green tea, please.”
As she waited on the meal of raw shrimp, she took a deep breath before finally letting her blue eyes flutter up to gaze at his face.
”I don’t know if you recognize me, but I’ve come here a lot this month, usually with my friends from school,” she blurted, a bit of redness showing in her cheeks. ”It occurs to me that I’ve never heard your name. My name is Crystal…er…I mean, Rowland.”
Flubbed another culture thing. One is always supposed to introduce their family name.
”I’m sorry. As you can see, I’m a foreigner. I’m studying abroad here for a while, and since I really enjoy the food here, you’ll probably see me a lot. May I…ask your name, sir?”
She was grateful to be away from the States for a while. Her parents had always criticized her fascination with Japan and when she informed them that she had plans to study abroad, they nearly lost it entirely, threatening to cut her off for good. Luckily, though she was still attending college, Crystal was a very good photographer and had made more than enough money to cover her expenses. While her mother and father continued to sling their bigoted barbs at her, she simply prepared to start the first day of the rest of her life.
It was late August now. School had been in session for a few weeks. She had her assignments, knew where to go on campus, and had managed to make a fair amount of friends. They enjoyed hanging out in between classes and after, often hitting the streets for a good restaurant or a place to go shopping. The cuisine was going to be a challenge for Crystal, but she’d eat anything when she was hungry enough. Just a little stroll north took her and her new friends to a small sushi restaurant. It was quaint and clearly a traditional place, but its charm and prices kept the girls going there. Of course…there was another reason.
A young man worked there, around her age. Handsome, rugged-looking, and very skilled at his job. She watched with amazement as he sliced fish meat with extreme precision and served up their dishes without breaking a sweat. Her friends had noticed her lingering looks on the man on more than one occasion and even teased her about it, but he couldn’t help herself. Of course, from what she always heard, most Japanese men preferred not to date foreigners, so it was likely a lost cause. Still…
Today had to have been at least the tenth time Crystal had visited this restaurant, but this time, she went alone. It was the weekend, giving her a chance to go to her dorm room and put on something other than her uniform. She had a feeling she might have accessorized a little too much, but she wanted to leave a lasting impression. She made sure her dress didn’t show off too much cleavage. That was a tip from one of her friends, assuring her that most Japanese men preferred a little modesty. Though she may not have stood out on the streets of L.A., she felt she looked good.
She entered the small restaurant, immediately spotting him at the sushi bar. She was surprised that there didn’t seem to be anyone else in the restaurant. This made things a little awkward. She offered him a smile and gave a slight bow, folding her hands in front of her and clasping her purse tightly.
”Good afternoon,” she greeted, speaking in Japanese, before making her way to the bar, taking a seat on one of the stools. Now that she was here, she was starting to chicken out. This was going to be humiliating…part of her knew it. She tried to stall. ”I’ll have…the amaebi and a cup of green tea, please.”
As she waited on the meal of raw shrimp, she took a deep breath before finally letting her blue eyes flutter up to gaze at his face.
”I don’t know if you recognize me, but I’ve come here a lot this month, usually with my friends from school,” she blurted, a bit of redness showing in her cheeks. ”It occurs to me that I’ve never heard your name. My name is Crystal…er…I mean, Rowland.”
Flubbed another culture thing. One is always supposed to introduce their family name.
”I’m sorry. As you can see, I’m a foreigner. I’m studying abroad here for a while, and since I really enjoy the food here, you’ll probably see me a lot. May I…ask your name, sir?”