“WOW! Very good!” Manager breaks into applause. “You can do conversation with native speaker! Sugoi! Okay, thank you so much, Cybelle. Now, we will do Japanese interview. Please —” he flaps his hands at me toward the door. It’s fine. Without his insipid reminder I might have forgotten there was a door and hurled myself through the viewing window.

“Wait,” Zaniel says. “May I ask you something before you go?”

Manager’s and Bucho’s jaws drop. “Sure.” I sit back down. This ought to be interesting.

“I’ve just been wondering.” Zaniel leans forward, squinting a little. “Two things: May I ask where you’re from?”

“Oh. Canada.”

He looks surprised. “You’re Canadian?”

“Yeah?”

“Wow. That’s cool. And, um, can you tell me … hmm … what made you decide to teach English in Japan?”

It’s a good question. “I’ve always liked kids,” I say, “so it seemed like as good a job as any. As for coming here to do it … I don’t know, I’ve just always been drawn to the culture here. I especially love the fact that you’re not expected to grow up here the way you are in the west. I love the stamp rallies, the mascots, the point cards for everything … and, more than anything, I love how no one tells me to grow out of any of it.”

“And how has your perspective changed since you came to Japan?”

I snort. “My attitude toward people has definitely changed. You can’t get attached to anyone you meet here. They’re always coming and going, so nothing is set in stone like it would be back home. You kinda have to cherish every moment you have with people …”

Zaniel nods. “Ichigo ichie …”

“Exactly. But at the same time, my choices in friends are limited by being ‘foreign’ due to language barriers and gaijin fear. At first, I wasn’t picky about who I hung out with. That led to a lot of bad experiences. It took a long time to understand that I wasn’t permanently stuck with them. Eventually, they left. Whether it was to go back home or relocate to Tokyo. Everybody leaves.”

“Interesting. So, you might say you have an ichigo ichie attitude toward relationships.”

I give him a sideways glance. I think I’m smiling, too. “Are you interviewing me?”

“Well, kinda,” he grins back. “Not sure if you’re up to the job, though. It’s not an easy one.”

“Hey, as long as I earn enough to eat, I’m happy.”

He leans back with a smile, then blushes under Manager’s and Bucho’s shocked stares. “That’s all I wanted to know. Thank you.”

“Thank you.” I have no idea what the hell that was about, but it was a nice end to our interview. Maybe this won’t be such a shitty day after all.