The car rolled along and finally pulled up to a cozy guesthouse on the outskirts of Nagoya a little past 10 p.m.
"Luke-san, I'm afraid you'll have to make do with staying here tonight. With your status, checking into a hotel would definitely leak your whereabouts. This guesthouse is run by my family elders—I've booked the whole place, so no outsiders will bother us."
GAKKI-chan deftly opened the door and invited Luke inside.
But just as she stepped through the doorway, she froze for a second, then gently pushed Luke back outside. "Hang on just a sec."
Luke was a bit puzzled. What was going on?
Through the slightly ajar door, he caught a glimpse of GAKKI-chan carefully slipping off her black leather boots. She sat on the floor, lifted her foot, and gave it a quick sniff.
Seemingly satisfied that there was no odor, she patted her chest with a relieved smile.
"Come on in!" GAKKI-chan opened the door wider, welcoming Luke inside.
She reached into her backpack and pulled out a pair of men's slippers.
Whoa. She'd even thought to bring slippers for him.
So thoughtful.
Luke smiled and reached for the slippers, but GAKKI-chan shook her head and crouched down.
He immediately got what she was about to do and started to protest, but she cut him off. "If you turn me down right now, Luke-san, I'd be so embarrassed I wouldn't know how to face you."
So, Luke let her gently take off his shoes and slip the slippers onto his feet.
Now it was his turn to feel a bit awkward. He asked, "My feet… they don't smell, do they?"
GAKKI-chan laughed. "My nose isn't great—I can't smell a thing. Besides, with our friendship, who's gonna care about that?"
Her response hit Luke right in the feels.
That exchange… it felt so familiar.
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Warmth spread through his chest, like something inside him was melting.
"You must be exhausted. Why don't you take a bath to unwind?" GAKKI-chan led him to the bathroom door.
Then, from her stuffed backpack, she pulled out a full set of men's cotton pajamas… and a pair of underwear.
Her cheeks flushed slightly. "I figured you might've only brought a change of outer clothes, so I took the liberty of preparing some pajamas for you. I hope you don't mind."
Before Luke could respond, she turned and left.
Luke's emotions were a bit all over the place. He was always the one taking care of others, but today, being looked after by a young woman like this… well, he had to admit, it felt pretty nice.
So, he stripped down and hopped in the shower, the hot water washing away the day's fatigue.
When he stepped out of the bathroom in the pajamas, GAKKI-chan was already wearing an apron, waving at him with a smile. "Dinner's ready! You must be starving, Luke-san. Come eat."
Luke walked over and saw the table laid out with an array of Japanese dishes: miso soup, tempura shrimp, pan-seared mackerel, charcoal-grilled wagyu…
"It's a bit late, so I hope you don't mind a simple meal," GAKKI-chan said as she tied up her hair and took off her apron.
As she pulled her hair back, revealing her slender, pale neck, the teenage girl somehow gave off the vibe of a nurturing, devoted wife.
That kind of warmth could make any guy feel at home.
Simple? Hardly.
Luke couldn't help but recall a saying that was popular in America back in the '80s and '90s: The happiest life for a man is eating food, living in a Russian house, and marrying a Japanese wife…
Japanese girls really know how to make a guy feel special.
"You're the one who worked hard. Come on, sit down and eat with me," Luke said, pulling GAKKI-chan to the table.
"Let's dig in!" she said, following the classic Japanese pre-meal ritual.
In a relaxed, cheerful atmosphere, they enjoyed their meal. Afterward, GAKKI-chan refused to let Luke help with cleaning up or washing dishes.
She ushered him to his room, where she'd already made up the bed.
"You're tired! Get some sleep, okay?"
With that, she left the room.
Luke could only chuckle and climb into bed.
The night passed uneventfully.
…
…
The next morning, GAKKI-chan drove Luke back to Akira Toriyama's residence.
Ding-dong!
As the doorbell rang, Toriyama, who'd been waiting eagerly, came out to greet them.
"Luke-san! It's been a while!"
"Long time no see!"
Though they often talked over the phone or emailed about fight scene choreography and camera work, it had been months since they'd met in person.
This time, the two, no longer strangers, skipped the handshake and went for a quick hug.
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"And this is?" Toriyama asked, noticing the tall young woman next to Luke.
"This is my assistant, Yui Aragaki," Luke said, introducing her.
"Welcome, Miss Aragaki! Please, both of you, come in," Toriyama said with a smile, leading them inside.
As usual, the three settled in Toriyama's sitting room, where his wife brought out tea and snacks.
Luke placed a gift on the table. "West Lake Dragon Well tea and a Jingdezhen tea set. I hope you like them."
Unlike last time, when he'd brought a Longquan sword as a gift, this time he chose West Lake Dragon Well tea, knowing the Japanese love green tea—it should suit Toriyama's taste perfectly. The Jingdezhen tea set, handcrafted by a master, was exquisite.
"You're too kind, Luke-san!"
"No, you're the one putting in the effort. Drawing a serialized manga is tough work."
"By the way, you mentioned on the phone about delaying the manga's serialization until May next year?"
The manga Luke and Toriyama were collaborating on, Insect Sword, followed a human martial arts master who accidentally ends up in an insect world for an adventure.
This wildly imaginative world was right in Toriyama's wheelhouse.
The manga's biggest draw was how the martial arts master faced off against insect warriors, each with unique fighting styles tailored to their species—rhinoceros beetles, bees, praying mantises, all with distinct, fascinating combat techniques.
Designing such fights would be a near-impossible task for most manga artists.
But with Luke's involvement, Toriyama only had to bring Luke's ideas to life, making their collaboration smooth and enjoyable.
Toriyama already had five issues' worth of drafts ready, enough to start serializing in Weekly Shonen Jump.
But Luke suggested holding off until May.
"Next May, my movie King of Espionage comes out, and I'll be riding a wave of buzz. Launching the manga then will let both projects feed off each other's hype for maximum impact," Luke explained.
"Makes sense. That gives me time to stockpile more drafts. You don't know how rough it is getting hounded by editors for deadlines when you're not happy with your work," Toriyama said, agreeing readily.
Next, Luke confirmed Yui Aragaki's role as his assistant, letting Toriyama know she could handle coordination tasks.
Sometimes, Luke got so busy he couldn't keep up with everything, so having someone like Yui to stay on top of communication and logistics was a big help. She was eager to take it on, so he handed it off to her.
After wrapping up work talk, they chatted casually for a bit before Luke said his goodbyes to Toriyama.
Back in the car after leaving Toriyama's place, GAKKI-chan said, "Last time, we talked about visiting three temples to pray. How about we head to Todai-ji in Nara this time?"