Two
937 Words
The dinner continued, but Amara found herself unusually distracted.
She tried to focus on the conversations around the table, laughing whenever someone made a joke, but every few minutes her eyes wandered toward Renji.
He sat near the head of the table, listening more than he spoke.
Unlike the other family members, he seemed perfectly comfortable with silence.
Yet whenever Keiko spoke to him, his expression softened.
"Renji, you haven't eaten enough."
His mother placed another piece of grilled fish onto his plate.
"I'm eating, Mother."
"You always say that."
"I am thirty years old."
"And I'm still your mother."
A few people laughed.
Renji sighed.
"Yes, Mother."
Amara smiled.
The intimidating man she had seen earlier suddenly looked almost ordinary.
Almost.
She watched as he quietly ate the food his mother had placed on his plate.
There was something strangely comforting about the scene.
He might have looked dangerous, but with his family, he seemed different.
More relaxed.
More human.
Amara lowered her eyes when she realized she had been staring.
Chidi noticed.
She leaned toward her.
"You're curious about him."
Amara nearly choked on her drink.
"I'm curious about everyone."
"Really?"
"Yes."
Chidi gave her a knowing look.
"Don't start."
"I'm not starting anything."
"Good."
Amara frowned.
"Why do you keep saying that?"
Chidi hesitated.
"Because Renji isn't exactly the kind of man you should get curious about."
Amara glanced toward him again.
"What does that mean?"
Chidi looked around the table to make sure no one was listening.
"Not here."
Amara's curiosity increased.
After dinner, the family slowly scattered throughout the house.
Some went into the living room. Others disappeared upstairs.
Chidi gently caught Amara's wrist.
"Come with me."
"Where?"
"Outside."
They walked through a side door into the quiet garden.
The evening air was cool.
Soft lights illuminated the stone pathway, while the trees moved gently in the breeze.
Amara folded her arms.
"Okay. What's going on?"
Chidi looked serious.
"You asked me earlier why everyone became quiet when Renji entered."
"Yes."
"There is a reason."
Amara waited.
Chidi took a breath.
"Renji is not just a wealthy businessman."
Amara's eyebrows lifted.
"I knew it."
"Knew what?"
"That there was something strange about him."
Chidi lowered her voice.
"Renji is involved with the Yakuza."
Amara stared at her.
For several seconds, she said nothing.
"The Yakuza?"
"Yes."
Amara gave a nervous laugh.
"You're joking."
"I wish I were."
Her smile disappeared.
"Chidi..."
"I've known about it for years."
"But he's your husband's cousin."
"I know."
"Does Kenji—"
"Kenji knows."
Amara looked back toward the house.
Through the glass doors, she could see the warm lights inside.
"Is Renji dangerous?"
Chidi didn't answer immediately.
That silence was enough.
"Chidi?"
"He can be."
Amara swallowed.
"Can be?"
"He's not some random criminal. Renji is powerful. Very powerful. People respect him because they're afraid of what happens when they don't."
Amara remembered the way the room had changed when he entered.
Now it made sense.
His confidence.
His silence.
The way everyone seemed to instinctively make space for him.
"Does his family know?"
"Of course. But don't misunderstand. His family isn't like him."
Chidi stepped closer.
"Kenji handles legitimate businesses. Most of the family stays away from Renji's criminal affairs."
Amara nodded slowly.
"So why did you bring me here?"
"Because I trust you."
Chidi's voice softened.
"And because Renji is still family."
Amara looked confused.
"You're telling me to stay away from him?"
"Yes."
The answer came immediately.
Amara looked down.
"I wasn't planning anything."
"I know."
Chidi sighed.
"I'm not saying he's evil. Renji has protected this family more times than I can count. He loves his parents and siblings. He would do anything for them."
"Then why does he scare everyone?"
"Because of what he does to people who threaten them."
A chill ran through Amara.
She remembered his dark eyes.
For the first time, she wondered what those eyes looked like when he was truly angry.
"I understand," she whispered.
"Good."
Chidi squeezed her hand.
"You're here to enjoy Japan. Finish your trip. Go back to Nigeria. Start your master's. Build your life."
Amara smiled faintly.
"That was always the plan."
"Then keep it that way."
Neither woman noticed the figure standing several meters away.
Renji had stepped into the garden looking for his mother.
He stopped when he heard voices.
He hadn't intended to listen.
But he had heard his name.
And then he heard Amara ask whether he was dangerous.
His expression remained unreadable.
He could have walked away.
Instead, he stood quietly in the shadows.
Then Amara spoke again.
"I don't think he's as frightening as everyone says."
Renji's eyes narrowed slightly.
Chidi stared at her.
"Amara, you don't know him."
"No, I don't."
She looked toward the house.
"But I saw how he treated his mother tonight."
A small smile appeared on her face.
"Men who love their mothers like that can't be completely heartless."
For the first time that evening, something changed in Renji's expression.
He looked away.
No one had ever described him that way.
People usually saw the Yakuza boss.
The ruthless businessman.
The man they feared.
Almost no one bothered to look beyond that.
But this woman had noticed something else.
Something small.
Something he had never considered important.
Renji quietly turned and walked away before either woman noticed him.
Yet for the first time in a very long while, the Nigerian woman in his family's garden had given him something he rarely experienced.
Curiosity.
And Renji Takahashi had a feeling that curiosity could become dangerous.
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