Shioko's time with Danjuro

Shioko had to admit, she never bothered to watch many movies in her entire life, her horrendously restrictive upbringing and her workaholic habits leaving her with no incentive to ever go to the theaters or do much else for fun.

And now, here she was, accompanying Danjuro to watch the latest movie made by Japanese filmmakers: An action-packed movie centered around two detectives in the TMPD, rivals and allies as they worked to bring down the nastiest, toughest criminals around. Its name? Lethal Enforcers.

Shioko was dressed in a jeans, track shoes, a white T-shirt and green-and-red checkered shirt on top, shifting awkwardly on her feet.

'I didn't expect casual clothing to be so... comfortable.'

It was ironic that she felt far more at home in her restrictive, formal attire she always wore to work, feeling like a second skin to her nerves. This comfort, this casualness that so many young people wore these days? Completely alien in the ****.

And accompanying her was her nephew Danjuro, who was dressed in long grey cotton pants and a yellow jacket, his shoes a deep, earthy brown.

They arrived at the theatres in the nearby mall, paying for their tickets, snacks and drinks before quickly taking their seat in the theatre.

Shioko took the time to drink in her new surroundings; the huge, cavernous room with the large white screen at the front, the plush red seats all around them, soft as a sofa, the warm, bright-coloured wooden walls that offered a sense of welcoming, and of course, the soft carpet flooring that muffled her steps.

"Wow..." She muttered, looking like a kid in a candy store.

She slowly sat down on her theatre seat, still glancing around the theatre with childlike wonder.

"First time in a theatre?" Asked Danjuro.

"Yeah... first time in my whole life," Said Shioko.

"Just wait until you watch the movie, Shioko-san," Danjuro smiled, "Oh, you also gotta be silent while watching; not good if you make noise."

Shioko simply nodded.

Then they settled down into silence, just as the theater darkened and the screen came to life in a bright flash of white light.

Shioko was slightly disappointed that commercials and theatre rules played first before every movie, but Danjuro simply whispered to her to be patient.

And her patience was rewarded as the movie played for the first time.

Created by a group of talented, veteran filmmakers with three decades of experience, it conveyed the raw emotions of two detectives who both respected and hated each other in their drive to ascend the ranks of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, the capital full of gritty, mucky darkness home to filth and scumbags of every denomination. The struggles they faced when saving civilians, tracking and catching criminals and dealing with inter-department rivalries, not to mention having to show tact when either one achieved more than the other.

And that was not to mention dealing with corruption among their own department, with shocking twists when they are betrayed by their own comrades. Whether for money, to save their own hides, or to curry favour with those bigger than them, they put the Lethal Enforcers through difficult crises that almost seemed impossible, until they were saved in the nick of time by their comrades.

And finally, at the end of the movie, both were promoted to the rank of superintendent, and they would be transferred to other cities to take up their new positions. They would shake hands and embrace each other, as frenemies who drove each other to achieve greater heights.

Shioko found herself smiling and crying as she wiped her tears, and she had to go to the toilet to wash her face.

"Sorry, that was just... I didn't think a movie would make me so emotional," Shioko said to Danjuro as they left the theatre.

"No, I found it quite a tearjerker myself," Danjuro smiled embarrassedly, "I remember sniffling quite a lot when I watched it the first time."

Shioko smiled and looked at her watch.

"Oh, it's almost time for dinner. Anything you want in particular?" She asked.

"Ah, how about we go to that steak restaurant?" Danjuro suggested, "I checked the reviews online and it's apparently quite good."

"Online?" Asked Shioko.

"Here, take a look," Danjuro said, showing her his smartphone.

"Eh... I didn't think you could check a place's ratings like that," Shioko mouthed, "Let's give it a try, then."

"Mm, now this is delicious..." Shioko hummed appreciatively, taking another bite of juicy, tender steak, "To think we'd find such a nice place out here in a shopping mall."

"You haven't been to good restaurants before, Aunt Shioko?" Asked Danjuro, taking a bite of sausage.

"Not a public restaurant like this," Shioko clarified, "You know that I've been to all kinds of five-star restaurants for meetings with rich people?"

"Yeah, you told me a lot about that. You never liked the experience," Danjuro nodded.

"Well... it's nice," Said Shioko, "I mean it can be quite loud and noisy, but it's surprisingly inviting. The staff are quite nice too."

"Well, not every good place to eat is this packed and crowded, and sometimes the staff aren't that polite," Danjuro shrugged, "It's just that we needed some place nearby to eat, and I wanted to give this place a try since it just opened a month ago."

"Now that you mention it, I often see you looking at your phone and checking photos of restaurants," Said Shioko, "You like finding new places to eat?"

"Sure do!" Danjuro smiled, "It's always nice to find a great place to eat outside and try new stuff; makes the outing that much more enjoyable. And besides, I wanted to make your first dine-out experience as good as possible."

"Oh, uh... thanks," Shioko mumbled, her cheeks slightly flushing red.

It was so strange, having this young boy willingly put so much time and effort into making their outing as enjoyable as possible. It flustered her, caught her off-guard, much more than any and every criminal case and stressful meetings with superiors and rich, entitled assholes.

They finished their dinner and Shioko and Danjuro patted their stomachs with satisfaction.

"Thanks for the food," Shioko said, "Whew, I feel so full. You mind if we take a walk first?"

"Sure, Aunt Shioko," Said Danjuro, "You want me to recommend somewhere, or do you just want to explore?"

"Maybe..."

To her embarrassment, she could not think of any leisure spots to take a walk.

"I think I just want to explore," She said.

"Sure!" Danjuro smiled.

Shioko blushed again upon seeing Danjuro's cute, innocent smile.

The evening sun set in the sky as the streetlights began to turn on. Salarymen lucky to finish early would take a cab or public transport home, or visit one of the countless restaurants, izakayas [1], shokudos [2] or cafes for dinner. Those not so lucky would be chained to the office for hours more or quickly dash to order take-out.

The quiet humming of engines as vehicles passed by, the clacking of heels and shoes on concrete, the blaring of traffic lights, all of it was a sight as old as time to Shioko. Yet for some reason, it felt completely different, as if she were walking into a concrete forest of glittering stars and glaciers.

Danjuro's hand was so soft and warm in hers, thin and delicate, and she feared that if she let go, she would lose sight of the young boy.

She felt a slight tug on her hand, and she saw Danjuro point towards a specific street.

"Hey, Aunt Shioko, can we go somewhere please?" Asked Danjuro, "I wanna spend the evening there before we go back."

"Sure, but where do you have in mind?" Asked Shioko.

Danjuro put a finger to his lips, "It's a surprise."

Shioko shrugged, willing to indulge in her not-nephew's childish curiosity.

The place Danjuro led her towards, however, was anything but child-friendly.

"Danjuro... you're sure this is the place you want to go...?" Shioko asked, pointing a trembling finger at the building in question with a stiff, twitchy face.

[1] Izakaya - A Japanese casual drinking establishment like a pub or tapas. A place for customers to drink and enjoy small platters of shared food after work.

[2] Shokudo - Casual Japanese restaurants or cafeterias serving a variety of inexpensive Japanese dishes.