"Ugh," I reluctantly got up from my comfortable position and went to the kitchen. Just as expected, my mum was stirring a pot while humming to herself. I tiptoed towards her, intending to be sneaky.

"Don't even think about it," she suddenly said. I froze then immediately pouted.

"How did you know what I was about to do?" I hugged her from behind and kissed her left cheek.

Mum chuckled, "Because I'm your mother. I know everything about you."

"Right."

She looked at me with one brow questioning my response, she didn't miss the patronizing undertone of what I just said. I gave her a peace sign and she just rolled her eyes at me. "Sit down, I know you're hungry."

Mum proceeded to serving me a steaming bowl of the arroz caldo. It had lots of freshly chopped scallions on top, just the way I liked it. Joining me, we ate in silence. A few minutes later, I was slouching back in my chair, patting my slightly rounded belly. I couldn't believe how hungry I was, I actually managed to finish two servings.

"I wonder how your subordinates will react if they find out that the youngest person to become the head of a department in their company behaves so unlady-like when full," mum joked.

"They'll probably act as if they didn't see anything," I giggled as I imagined how Ann and the rest of the team would look like.

Mum smiled then started clearing the table.

"Leave these to me, mum. You can retire now."

"But aren't you tired?"

"I'm good, don't worry."

After tidying up both the kitchen and dining table, I collected my stuff in the living room and went upstairs to my room. I took a warm, relaxing shower then grabbed the guidebook and English-j.a.panese dictionary I bought the previous month in preparation for my upcoming trip.

"Hmm.. Fus.h.i.+mi Inari Taisha[2] seems to be the most popular shrine in Kyoto," I mumbled to myself as I flipped through the pages of the guidebook. When I reached the eighth page, a huge photo of a sculpture caught my eye. I read the caption beneath it, it read: Kiris.h.i.+ma Kaname (July 6, 1539 – December 18, 1598) was a very distinguished feudal lord, warrior, and samurai. He is best known for having complete heterochromia, a condition wherein one iris is a different color from the other.

"Wow. He's just like you, Panther!" I rolled to my right and showed the sleek, black cat beside me the guidebook. Panther stopped licking his paw, gave the book a bored glance, and continued grooming himself. My mouth twitched, this old codger has become extremely difficult to please lately. Seeing him unceremoniously lift one of his back legs to clean his b.u.m, I was suddenly overcome by an impulse to pester him. I touched the toes of his raised leg and gave it a playful tug.

"You didn't just do that, human!" Panther's pupils dilated, accentuating his odd eyes. Without warning, he pounced at me and gave my nose playful nips, an 'attack' he's been giving me since he was a kitten.

I shrieked in surprise then burst into laughter when his 'attack' turned into sandpaper kisses. "Okay, I give up! You won!" I grabbed him then placed him on my chest. Like a sphynx, he laid there, purring as I scratched his chin. "My baby boy is almost eleven," I cooed at him. In response, he rubbed his cheek on my hand, purring louder.

When he 'got tired' from all the attention, he went to the left edge of my bed and started grooming himself again. A bit b.u.mmed that he's no longer as affectionate as when I first got him, I removed my gla.s.ses, turned off the lights, and went to sleep.

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The next few days went by in a flash, it was finally vacation time. After reminding me for the nth time to take care, mum handed me a list of items she wanted me to buy while in j.a.pan.

"These are essential, make sure to buy them for me," she said.

I gave the piece of paper a once-over. The items on the list were all skin care products. Vanity is mum's ultimate sin. Seeing the amused look on my face, she immediately turned defensive, "Don't judge me, I'm your mother."

"What? I didn't even say anything," I feigned ignorance. Before she could even retort, "Just kidding. I promise to get all of these. Gotta go, mum."

"Have a safe trip, call me as soon as you land."

"I will. Love you!" I kissed her cheek before dragging my bag to inspections. After checking in, I glanced at my my watch. I still had three hours of free time before my flight. This trip being a birthday present to myself, I splurged and booked the best ryokan[3] and plane tickets. I spent the remaining hours in the Mabuhay Lounge's library memorizing basic j.a.panese words and phrases.

Soon, it was time for my flight. The nonstop flight took four hours. As soon as we landed in Kansai airport, I adjusted the one hour difference between Manila and j.a.pan on both my phone and wrist watch. However, I was not prepared for the stark difference in temperature. The rain didn't help, I wasn't freezing but for someone who grew up in a country near the equator, seventeen degrees Celsius is already considered cold.

Thankfully, the ryokan I booked a room in had airport transfer services. The car was already waiting for me outside. The chauffeur was surprisingly young and spoke good English. After helping my with my luggage, we drove straight to Aras.h.i.+yama Benkei.

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[1] Arroz caldo is a hearty Filipino congee made with chicken and rice and seasoned with onion, garlic, ginger, and fish sauce and topped with crunchy fried garlic. (Source: seriouseats.com)

[2] Fus.h.i.+mi Inari Taisha is the head shrine of the G.o.d Inari, located in Fus.h.i.+mi Ward in Kyoto, j.a.pan. (Source: Wikipedia)

[3] Ryokan: a type of traditional j.a.panese inn usually providing meals as part of the stay. (Source: Wikipedia)