Arrival
A voice startled the young boy who was staring at the airport floor, lost in confused thoughts. His name was Arthur Tanaka Ford, the son of an American father and a Japanese mother.
For reasons he still didn't fully understand, his father had forced him to go to Japan to live with his mother. He was only fifteen, and now he had to learn a new language and adapt to a new culture. The only thing he knew about his mother was that when he was four, she had left without saying a word. Since then, he couldn't remember much about her. His father would only tell him that she was a kind woman and that she had left for personal reasons—never specifying what those reasons were.
Grabbing his luggage, he stepped out of the airport. The man helping him was his uncle, Tanaka Masato, his mother's brother—a man dressed in a somewhat formal outfit, as if he had just come from work.
"Well, Arthur-san, I know it's very sudden that you have to come to Japan," his father had insisted. "No child should grow up without knowing the love a mother can give."
Arthur thought about that quietly. Seeing him silent, his uncle chose not to speak further, sensing how scared he must be to live in a completely different place.
Arthur's mind wandered through everything that had happened. He felt like an adult trapped in a young body, recalling fragments of memories from his previous life. One moment he was drinking with friends in Germany during Oktoberfest, and the next, he found himself in this boy's body, knowing nothing but pieces of Arthur's life.
Looking out the window, he saw picturesque sights—from tall buildings to ancient temples. He couldn't remember the last time he had been to a temple in his previous life, only recalling that he had stepped into one on his wedding day.
Arthur looked at his uncle and calmly asked, "Does mom miss me?"
His uncle, surprised, replied, "Of course! She doesn't go a single day without mentioning her dear Arthur-san. If it were up to her, she would have stayed in Texas with you."
Arthur simply stared out the window. "Then I guess I have to start school all over again."
His uncle nodded. "I know it can be confusing, but I assure you it's not difficult. When I was your age, I got into trouble a lot, but I still managed to be a good student. I had balance in everything I did."
Arthur gazed at him inquisitively. "Did you join the Yakuza?"
His uncle almost slammed into the car in front of them, braking sharply enough that Arthur nearly hit the seat in front.
"What kind of question is that, boy? That's not something to talk about lightly."
He continued driving, trying to evade the topic. At a red light, Arthur noticed him reach into the glove compartment and hand him something—a photograph. It was old, showing a large group of people with fierce smiles.
"Look, Arthur," Masato said, "I was in the Yakuza. Now, I'm just a man trying to survive."
Arthur studied the photo intently, looking for his uncle. "Where are you?"
Masato let out a loud laugh. "I'm the one in the middle—a confused young man who thought he owned everything."
Arthur saw a young man smiling happily at the camera.
"What happened to your group?" he asked.
Masato sighed. "Many of my friends died in fights. Those who survived are old now, but still powerful. So if you get into trouble, I can help—but I hope I won't have to call in any favors."
Arthur glanced at the photo for a moment and set it on the front seat.
"Thanks, uncle. I don't know if my mother knows about this, but I appreciate you telling me."
Masato chuckled. "Your mother knows more than you think. But our father protected her too much, and when she married your father… well, I guess that's something you should discuss with her yourself."
Arthur asked with curiosity about his grandparents—if they were still alive.
Masato sighed. "Yes, they're alive. Your grandfather is an old farmer with fierce health, and I hope he passed that strength down to us. Your mother, however, was always delicate."
Arthur, surprised, asked, "Why?"
"Well," Masato said, "she was born in a time when our family faced many hardships, but we never lacked a single meal. I remember my father carried my sister for almost two kilometers because she had a high fever. He felt that if he didn't help, she wouldn't make it. My father was a proud man, and I'm grateful for him, as he saved my sister."
Arthur remained silent. "So my grandfather still lives in the countryside?"
Masato nodded. "Yes. We come from a farming family, Arthur. But my sister and I stayed in the city, while your grandparents stayed in the village where we were born. It's a beautiful place; if we get the chance, I'll take you there."
As he spoke, he parked the car in front of a white house.
"Well, we're here. This will be your new home."
As Arthur stepped out of the car, his uncle carried his luggage. Observing the streets, he felt a calm only a quiet afternoon could bring. Looking around, he noticed a woman at the window, wiping away tears and watching him with a tender gaze.