My house. Err, wait. That’s not where we’re going. I’m just looking at my house. Please no one make a comment on that being my house.

Turn around Honzo. Do not keep staring at your house. Sooner or later, someone will comment on it. Stop. Please stop, me! Someone stop me! Anyone?

“Hey Honzo! Isn’t that where you live?” Nishi-chan said.

“No! I don’t think so.”

It was too late. Discussion was already made. Mission failed. I should’ve just turned around.

She bit her bottom lip and then laughed. That's strange. One might say even horror-film-like. Who bites their lips, to begin with? Do you want dry lips? That’s one way to get crispy lips. Wait, when did she have big lips? Am I imagining it? I must be, surely. It’s certainly not seductive.

Right?

You know what? I haven’t had a good tangent in a while.

Why do… well I guess males, generally like big lips?

Now, I’m not saying I like big lips, for one don’t actually care, but if you search this up, you get overarching reasons like ‘they make you look younger’ or ‘symmetrical’ but… that just seems wrong. Maybe I’m not the target audience of those posts. Half of those web pages are beauty blogs.

Tangent over. I heard an all too familiar voice belonging to a certain upperclassman neighbour.

“Hey! I’m pretty sure that nice house is where Honzo lives.”

Kazumi-senpai.

The girls in our groups almost went for a cheer instead of a greeting. Cheerting! Wait, the actual term should be cheering. On second thought, I think we should all change our words to say cheerting. Everyone knows how much I love wordplay!

I just realised I am rambling to avoid the discomfort of being in a ‘social gathering.’ I’m going to call it for what it is.

A small party.

Because ultimately, why am I even here? St Yusuke isn’t even here. No matter if I’ve known everyone here since at least middle school, except for I guess Minoru-san, sorry, I’m never going to be comfortable in a large group. This is too much for my brain to calculate which person is cool with which, and who’s talking to who. The relationships of every one to each other, this network is simply too much!

How do people cope? Is it automatic? Or do they not care? Chances are I’m betting the latter. So, why do I care? Am I the most rambly person alive? Yes to all.

You know what. Let me take a deep breath and accept things for what they are. Or at least lie to myself, making me feel better.

So here I am. Standing, well was. I might as well now be sitting with my back against the wall. Poetic, is it not? I digress anyway… like the one million times I’ve done with my thoughts.

Ignore that for a moment. Let me repeat it. Here, I am. Wait, let me just turn around to see what everyone else is seeing.

There laid a… well a simple building. Four windows per floor. Each floor was divided weakly by a skinny wall. Never mind a ‘wall’, it was more a shoddy plastic panel with no room for privacy. It completely disregards the concept of privacy at all. The building was sparkled with these small plain beige tiles. There was a little entrance to the right of us. Above us, the quaint gate was adorned with a simple ‘Urban Space Takabata’. Urban? Yes. Space? I suppose the designers’ side job must clearly be absurdist comedians.

Nishi-chan’s siblings were all running rampant in the building. You could hear the teasing from a mile away. Even my parents could probably hear and remember what conversation they had in a decade’s time. It was that clear.

It’s weird.

That’s her home. Just a simple apartment block, and one that she invited us all to visit. She also knew that I couldn’t deny it. Otherwise, it’ll be a bit awkward to say- never mind, I’ve already thought this in somewhat great detail.

Yeah. Let me rephrase calling it weird.

It’s reality.

Until you bring it home, there’s something a little bit poignant about coming to grips with poverty at your front door. Cramped households. When they say Japan is dying, I kind of chuckle. Yes. I am quite frankly aware that they’re referring to villages and not cities like ours ‘dying’. Besides, you don’t need to throw statistics at me since… I know Nagoya isn't growing that much.

I guess it’s nice seeing Nishi-chan succeed when I’m not succeeding. But then I’m lying to myself. Being born to a family who just so happened to own the house next to her flat that their family had rented for at least two decades.

I heard Nishi-chan say “So, you all want to come in?” The reactions from this ragtag group ranged from a weak Kikuchi’s ‘Yeah…’ to an almost fanatic affirmative screech from Mai. As for me? Well, Nishi and I locked eyes… and I nodded at her. That’s as good a confirmation that I’m entering.

Also that big lips topic? I’m pretty sure that unconsciously came from Nishi-chan.

Let’s enter, shall we? I mean we’re basically a crowd, right? Although I have to call Nishi-chan, ‘Erina’ when I’m at their house. Sometimes that even goes to my thoughts.

Pause again. I’m clearly losing my train of thought. Or that the train is dangerously too fast.

Take a deep breath. Everyone’s already walking up the staircase.

Nishi-chan inserted the key to the door. Her party was waiting as we entered the gates of the kingdom. Well, in this case, the ‘gates’ is a stubborn door that doesn’t open when you want it to… and the kingdom is her domicile. Home sweet home for her.

We all entered.

Even though I was at the back, I was basically run over by Yua, Nishi-chan’s younger sister. She’s like 10 years old but a literal bundle of energy. I think she might have had too much sugary food today. Next followed by the middle sibling - Itsuki-kun. He was 12 but was probably the smartest out of the siblings. He, too, can be an energetic ball.

Next came, well, my aunt. Not my real aunt, but you know, we’re basically family. Auntie Miho. Surprisingly, she wants me to call her auntie and not like ‘onee-san’ or something like I still do with people her age. Bear in mind, she's a 38-year-old. It’s a weird concept that I’m calling someone in their late 30s an aunt, but fair enough.
“Oh hi, Honzo-kun!” She greeted me with a very cheery voice. One active family. I gave a simple wave to Miho with reciprocity.

The spring afternoon had now just turned more into dusk. It was around 18:00 at this point. We might be here until the morning begins. Although Takabata Station, nay, the whole subway system is open 24/7. I don’t think that’s an issue for any of us.

Miho also hugged Nakamura. I didn’t realize that Nakamura was close to the Takanishis. Guess things change in a year. Good for Kaede. Same went for Kazumi. The rest of the group all reintroduced themselves, especially the ones who didn’t attend our middle school. Wait. That was basically Yamaki, Shibuya and Minoru only. Come to think about it, this was basically our middle school friendship group but reunited to celebrate Nishi-chan’s success.

Yippee.

I just gave some small thought to it, and I’m pretty sure I’ve been friends with this group for half a decade now.

That’s… sobering. I might soon get nostalgic over the first year of middle school.

Actually, cancel that thought right away. I don't miss anything from that period, at all.

Hey. You ever wondered that all of the things in the past led to this one moment where all of you are connected to this one part?

Say, for instance, you’re in the train carriage from Takabata to Nagoya Station, and you realise that everyone in the same carriage is forever linked to you in that, at that specific time, they were there in that specific place. Have you ever just thought about it? Seriously. No matter if you’re homeless but you decided to spare some change to go to the town centre, sitting on the same carriage as a billionaire who went to university and you all are linked for that moment.

It’s kind of like this. Not the exact same, but certainly similar.

I don’t care if I’m going to trigger a mild episode, it’s amazing that everything is profound and monotonous. Nothing matters and everything matters. So I might have realised something strange.

Reluctantly, I must say the beginning is the end.