The Cursed King

Loriel and Elise arrived in Japan and were greeted by the cool atmosphere of the country. The two of them checked in at the five-star hotel prepared by the tour company that was engaged by the Sanderman Group before they went around to tour the city of Tokyo.

"We have a lot of places to go to, Loriel," Elise sighed and looked at her phone. Several landmarks were saved in her phone, along with many spots and activities that caught her attention. 

"You don't have to worry about it that much, Elise." Loriel smiled broadly. He knew Japan like the back of his hand.

"The tour company provided all the flights and hotels,  but they didn't give us a tour leader or guide," Elise furrowed her brows and turned to look at Loriel. "It's like they think we will be able to find our own way here. Don't you think it's a bit strange?" 

Loriel intentionally asked Mars to leave the tour guiding to him since he knew Japan like the back of his hand. He didn't want some people intervening his holiday time with Elise. He wanted it to be an exclusive trip, where he spent quality time with his wife.

The man cleared his throat. "Maybe there is an error somewhere. Well, it's okay though. I can show you around. I've been to Japan many times."

"You have?"

"I have."

"Ah… okay. Then, I think we'll be just fine." Elise nodded. "I'm not sure if we'd be able to leave Tokyo and visit other cities though, but let's still try it."

"Of course we will," Loriel nodded with a smile.

"Hmm, how about we get some authentic ramen, sushi, and other Japanese dishes?" Elise suggested excitedly. The shop in NYC was great, but actually eating from where the dish originated was also inviting.

"Hold on a second, let's ask someone here." Loriel watched a person walking by and immediately talked to them in Japanese.

The person stopped in their tracks and looked at Loriel in surprise for a second. This man who looked like he was from a western country knew how to speak Japanese fluently? 

Within minutes though, the person already suggested the best places to eat their local cuisine. The man gave Loriel a smile and said something to him. The man seemed to be carrying something in his hand but he was willing to let it go.

Soon enough, the two of them arrived at an amicable agreement. Loriel shook the person's hand before the guy left, his mission now accomplished properly.

Elise looked at Loriel and asked, "What did he say?"

Although Elise had the app, she hadn't been able to use it as she was taken by surprise. She spent a great portion of their time around Tokyo by taking photos of them and saving them.

"Oh he offered to take us there," Loriel chuckled. "The man seemed to be rushing to get home though, so I told him that we could handle ourselves."

"He's so kind, I didn't think some people would go that far for complete strangers."

"Well, you'd be surprised. Tokyo is not New York. The people here are some of the nicest people  in the world." Loriel smiled. "Now let's go, Elise."

Elise later realized that Loriel was right. Compared to when Elise was in NYC and met people who looked at her funny before for not knowing how to use Google Maps, the people in Japan were the most polite and respectful she'd ever met.

There were people who were willing to go the extra mile and help someone out.

Elise was reminded of Loriel when they first met, and she was unused to the kindness and hospitality that he gave her. Now that they were in Japan, the country was abundant in it.

That day, both Loriel and Elise spent their time hopping around from different restaurants in the city. They visited an authentic ramen and sushi bar, enjoying high-class dishes and the freshest ingredients.

"How about the street market too?" Elise said right afterward.

Loriel looked at Elise in surprise but soon nodded. Elise seemed quite eager to sample every dish available here. They had tried delicious, seared and skewered chicken known as yakitori.

"Try this, Loriel. It's still a little hot." Elise held onto the small container of takoyaki and offered Loriel one of the balls. It was a savory snack made from octopus and garnished lavishly with herbs and spices.

A smile formed on Loriel's face as he accepted and chewed the food. "There's yakisoba too if you're interested to try them. Now that I think about it, there are also those very neat vending machines near the train station."

"I read that Japan has those bullet trains!" Elise said. "Can we try them?"

"Sure. In Japanese, they refer to it as the Shinkansen trains, by the way," Loriel told her. "You'd be surprised at how fast these trains can now go, back in the early 2020s, they were around 300kms/hr but we've reached the point where a train can reach nearly 500kms/hr."

"That's so fast."

"I think we can visit Kyoto very easily due to these trains." Loriel smiled. "They're quite convenient. While the nightlife and metropolis in Tokyo are amazing, Kyoto is its own capital for the culture of the country."

Elise listened to Loriel in surprise. While she read about them online, it seemed like Loriel knew this information right from the heart.

"I'd love to go there. I've read that there are multiple Shinto shrines, imperial palaces there and I think that most of the houses there are still wooden?"

"Mhmm, they made sure to preserve the history and tradition by keeping them."

"That's amazing, it's a shame for some cultures to suddenly just disappear over the course of time," Elise said. "Somehow, I can't help but think we've lost quite a number of kingdoms that didn't deserve to die out at all."

Loriel gazed at Elise's face and wondered if it was her suddenly remembering something about the past. And yet Elise didn't seem to have that look on her face, instead, she simply looked thoughtful.

"Other kingdoms simply change over time and focus on other things," Loriel said.

"I guess so, still I find it a shame." Elise sighed. "I would have loved to go to someplace like Atlantis if it were real. For now, though, I'm thrilled to go to Kyoto once we're done here in Tokyo."

Loriel received a quick squeeze from Elise and he quickly returned it. "Me too."