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“The leaves are finally turning brown outside…”

I glanced outside my second-floor window as I set up for my final song. My instrument sat nicely on my shoulder, ready to make wonderful music.

The vibration of the violin flowed through my fingers with every rift passing through the strings. The flow of the music danced through my body. With each pass of my bow, rippling on the strings of my violin, the mood drew me deeper into the music. As gentle as the waves on a calm day on the sea, I matched the pace with the rhythm of the song. 

The wind took hold of my long light brown hair causing it to fly. The sun’s light trickled off its colored highlights. 

The scent of the wind caught my nose, reminding me of how long it’d been since I started playing… a little over ten years to this day. This talent was the undying piece of me that I would be able to bring along on this final… day. As I walked about the room, I imagined myself dancing in a warm valley. The music took my soul into this wonderful world, far away from all my problems. 

But then...

I opened my eyes and..

Caught my reflection, a taller girl with porcelain skin like a statue. As I gazed into my deep chocolate eyes, my white blouse and blue skirt danced in the wind and nostalgia took over.

There wasn’t a valley or a magical world... no, reality was waiting for me. Soon, this will fade away and I’ll have to go back to the world... that’s not as wonderful.

“I’m… going to miss this feeling.”

With the last crescendo of my favorite instrumental piece reaching its climax and end, I rest my body and put my instrument away. Nostalgia took over once more, and I leaned back into the pillows of my bed. My body vanished into the warm fluffiness of white sheets. Like a furry white bunny was engulfing me within its coat, I faded deeper with the comforting pillows. 

“Do I really have to leave?”

Uncertainty whispered from my lips, prompting me to rub my nose against the sheets even more. This bed has been mine since I was a child and I’ve nearly grown out of it. But it still held all the comforts I cherished buried deep within each wrinkle. 

“Ari! Are you finished packing already?”

My mother’s voice tickled my ear as I pushed off the sheets. I looked at the empty room, save for my bed, and stood up. 

“Yes, I’m all done.”

I opened the window wide, letting in the cool autumn air for the last time, remembering the faint smell of rain when it danced outside the doorway. Or the bristle of snow’s scent when it tapped on the window in the middle of a storm. 

I was going to miss this place, but I couldn’t stay if I wanted to. With my backpack in hand, I walked out the door, leaving the world I loved so dearly.

“Are you ready to go to your aunt's home?”

 

 

I nodded.

“Yes, I am, mom.”

My mom smiled at me with her bright white hair and brimming bright eyes. She’s been through a lot yet always stayed level headed. I couldn’t thank her enough for everything she’d done for me.

Together, we left our home behind, got into the car, and drove down the road together. I turned to see the sold sign waving us goodbye. The dream home we once had was nothing more than a memory in the past. 

“Ari, you should try and get some sleep. It’s a long way to your aunt's place.”

I closed my eyes, taking her advice.

"Sure, Mom…"

My chest tightened, and I called out to my mom.

“Mom…”

"Yes, Ari?"

“I hope our next place will be our forever home.”

Mom didn't say anything back and eventually, I drifted off to sleep. The slow roll of the tires and endless scenery of lights and streets pressed the view of the glass around me. Occasionally I'd open my eyes, and see the same lights and world around us before drifting off to sleep. 

 

---

 

The apartment we were heading to was small and only had one bedroom. My old bed wouldn’t have fit so we sold it with the house we left. I stepped out of the car only to be blinded by the light of the afternoon. After two days of traveling, we reached our new home.

“Ari, could you go knock on the door and get your auntie out here?”

I was a bit nervous because I had never really… met Auntie. Mom told me that they lost contact when she moved overseas for her job. But luck would have it, she moved back here just in time for us to be evicted from our home. 

"Sure Mom."

Sluggishly, I said as I made my way up the steps of the apartment building. It looked to be three stories and Auntie lived on the 2nd. Like a good daughter, I did as I was told and reached room number 216. The peeling gold number stared me in the face sadly. I worried if I knocked too hard the number would go from 216 to 16. Softly, I knocked on the door, and to my surprise, the 2 jumped off and hit the bottom of my feet.

“Eh?!”

Guilty, I picked up the faded golden number two and tried my best to put it back. The door opened out to me. It swung out so fast, I hit my noggin on it and nearly fell off the edge of the walkway behind me. Luckily, I caught the railing before I could have tumbled to my untimely death.

“Ouch!”

“Oh my! Are you okay?!”

Confused and in a panic, I looked up to see a woman. She had deep dark hair and sharp black glasses. A tad mysterious is the first thought I had about her. She was slender, a bit toned, and had a half-eaten piece of bread dangling from the side of her mouth. With her hand out she helped me to my feet and finished her quick meal.

“Are you okay?”

I nodded still a bit dizzy. It had to be the low blood pressure from sitting in that car for the last few days. Doing my best to be polite, I bowed and introduced myself.

“H-Hello… Oba-chan. My name is Hayashi Ari… ah… your niece.”

 

 

She gazed at my bright brown hair with highlights and slowly worked her way down my entire figure. As if she was analyzing everything about me, she looked me up and down and gave a short “I see, I see.” before crossing her arms and grinning.

“Huh, you really do look like a clone of Akiko-chan! It’s nice to meet you, Ari-chan!”

Clone? I think she was being nice because me and mom don’t even share the same blood, let alone look alike. Oba-chan spotted my mother digging in the car below. 

“Akiko!”

Her eyes were bright like the sun as she screamed at the top of her lungs. She reminded me of someone out of those American movies seeing a soldier who just came back from war. With her arms waving like an eagle flying, my Oba-chan made herself look like a fool. 

But one could tell her excitement to see my mom was unmatched. 

“Ah, keep your voice down, Rena-chan!”

My mom said, screaming her head off too. These two looked completely different, but their mannerisms were so much the same that it was a bit intriguing. 

"Ah, Rena-san, what's all the commotion?"

Another girl stepped out of the apartment. She had a dark complexion, and dark hair that looked a tad unkempt. With sandals and sleepwear at noon, sluggishly she stepped out and stood next to me.

 

 

“Ah, Naomi-san. I forgot to tell you. Ah…”

My mom, holding her luggage, looked a bit confused too. It seemed that she didn’t know who this Naomi girl was. She was super slim and if I didn’t know any better, I’d say she was as slim as a stick on a tree. It was clear she was a foreigner, but I had no idea why she was here. 

“Come inside you two, I’ll make lunch, and we can talk about this arrangement.”

Oba-chan laughed like some crazed woman in a manga as she pushed Naomi back inside. She waved me to come with her even though my mom was in the car, screaming for us to come to help her bring the stuff inside. Eventually, Mom gave in, set the stuff on the side of the car, and made her way up the steps. 

“Akiko-chan, Ari-chan, meet Fishcer Naomi-san, an exchange student from Europe who will be living with me for her high school years.”

My mom got on her knees and bowed deeply.

“I am so sorry for barging in! If I had known you already had company I would have…”

“Hush Akiko-chan, I have more than enough room for you both.”

I looked around the super small apartment and wondered if there was a hidden section she planned to unveil. My imagination could go wild, but I slowly started doubting that there was… enough room.

A bit unsure, I turned to Fischer-san who was stealing glances at me every now and then. 

“Ah… my name is Hayashi Ari, it’s nice to meet you, Fischer Naomi-san.”

“Ahh…. yes.”

She whispered before turning away. I got the sense that she didn’t particularly care for me or my mom barging in suddenly like this. 

“Don’t worry about it, Akiko, these girls are around the same age. They can share the room while you and I sleep out here! Ari-san, just call her Naomi-san, she won’t mind!”

“Ah, okay, Oba-san. I’ll call her... Naomi-san.”

Firstly, Oba-san decided that it felt strange, and secondly… I knew she didn’t have any room for us! And the thought of sharing a room with this girl… who seemed to be glaring daggers my way caused my stomach to tense up with nervousness.

“Ah… are you sure that’s a good idea?”

I lifted my hands, tilted my head a tad dorky, and opened my mouth wide. 

“I-I wouldn’t want to b-bother and impose on Naomi-san.”

Naomi-san lifted her head up and turned to me.

“No, you won’t be bothering me at all, A-Ari-san.”

She stated firmly to my surprise.

“I usually just play my games and keep to myself. So… hopefully I stay out of your way.”

I tilted my head and leaned in, trying to hear her better.

“Ah… are you…”

“Y-Yes, I’m… sure.”

A bit clumsily, she stood up and rushed into the kitchen. 

“Rena-san, I’ll…ah... go... get... the... food you made and bring it... to the table... ah...”

Her slim body vanished into the kitchen like a mouse escaping from a den of cats. It was clear that she didn’t feel comfortable around us and that’s to be expected, we just met. It made me feel like I was an invader, taking over her safe place.

In a whisper, Rena turned back to us.

“Naomi-san is studying Japanese, so she is self-conscious about messing up with her words or phrases. That poor girl is really shy, so please do your best to be friendly, Ari, Akiko.”

“Sure… Oba-san.”

I agreed with a slight nod. If anything, I was quite interested in the shy foreigner that appeared out of nowhere. Mom and Oba-chan chatted idly about the area near us as I poked at my toes, waiting for the little bunny to come back with our food.

“The place is pretty rural but thankfully a few stops on the train and you hit the city. So, if the kids ever get bored, they aren’t stuck doing nothing.”

Oba-chan explained.

“Oh, and shopping is easy too I bet?”

Excitedly, they both nodded.

“Yes, the apartment is a little run down, but the convenience nearby is unmatched.”

Oba-chan turned to me, giving me a little jolt. 

“Ari-chan, after lunch… how about you girls go and find something fun to do?”

“Ah… we have a lot of stuff in the car though, Oba-chan.”

“Don’t worry about that. Your mother and I can get everything out!”

My mom scoffed.

“Speak for yourself, Rena! I rather my little girl pulled her weight!”

My wild Oba-san slapped my mom on the back playfully, causing her to squeal.

“Nonsense Akiko! We have almost ten years of stuff to catch up on! Let the kids have fun!”

It was clear to me that my auntie really took the overseas mentality and brought it back to Japan. I… giggled a bit though seeing them really act like sisters.

“Here’s the food.”

Slowly, Naomi-san made her way back into the room. A few plates on a platter and slowly set them down. Salmon, rice, miso soup, and water for a nice hot tea. It was a simple meal but that's all I asked for at least. With all the surprises, a little bit of simplicity calmed my heart. 

Diligently, Naomi-san poured us tea and made us feel welcome. She didn't speak much, likely a bit nervous due to still learning the language as Oba-chan mentioned. 

“Naomi-chan, after lunch would you do me a favor?”

“Oh?”

Confused, she turned to Oba-chan, eyes as big as saucers. It was strangely cute like a deer in headlights.

“If I gave you… ¥5000, no, ¥10000, would you take Ari-chan into town and have a girl's night?"

“Awasaawawawawaaaaa?”

It was like she was broken, only able to spew gargled messages from her thin lips. Like a machine she sparked back, trying to wrap her head around the sudden cash flow being pushed on her.

“Naomi-chan! Naomi-chan!”

Rena Oba-chan shook the poor girl, trying to snap her out of it. When she finally came to, she settled down and looked away, ashamed of the display she had just shown.

“Ah… you… want me to show Hayashi-san… around?”

“Well, you don’t have to show her around. You both can discover new things if you just go together. I know you’re new here too. The best way to have fun is just to get out there!”

Reluctantly, she took the ¥10,000 bill, put it in her purse, and nibbled on her rice. She accepted it, without saying yes. Every now and then she'd steal a glance at me as we both finished our lunch. 

 

---

 

 

“I need to get dressed; I’ll… meet you outside in a few minutes.”

Naomi-san whispered before escaping into her room. I was fine with what I had on and didn’t want to bother her even if I wasn’t. So, I paced outside, doing my best to be out of the way… without technically being out of the way. The glares my mom gave me for not helping were so hot, it could burn the sun away and replace it. 

“Akiko-chan! We have to get this together.”

“Ah, Rena-chan, don’t be so rough with that! It can break.”

Like sisters, they fumbled over each other. I put my hands behind my back and watched the wind blow the trees silently. In an instant, I was here in the boondocks. My friends from elementary and middle school were worlds apart and slowly it was setting in. 

I would have to start fresh, make new friends again, and hopefully…. Not mess it up this time. Maybe Naomi-chan and I can be best friends and I won’t have to worry about…

Being alone anymore.

“Hayashi-san?”

I turned to see the slim short girl to the side of me. She was dressed up in a surprisingly preppy outfit like something a fashion buff would wear. With her hair wrapped in a quick ponytail, a blouse and a dress, platform shoes to make her just a little taller, and white stocking up to her thighs, she easily outshined me in the idol category… if I were into idols. I’m more of a boyband kinda girl though. Like Hasu-kun, love that guy.

“Are you… ready to go?”

Slowly, she asked, being very diligent with her words. I nodded and kicked off the walk. Together, we walked down the steps. 

“Are you girls off?”

Rena Oba-chan asked, and Naomi-san nodded.

“Yes, we are, Oba-chan.”

I said, waving at both of them.

“Be back before 9pm. Don’t stay out too late you two.”

Mom warned me, and I annoyingly accepted, trying to get on her good side. I could tell she was super annoyed that this happened. But hey, I had ¥10,000 to blow so I was a happy high school girl.

With that, the journey was off as Naomi took the lead, heading towards the south of this rural town. 

“Is the station this way, south?”

“Yes.”

Simple and to the point, she said that while leading the way. For someone with short legs, she was speeding, and it took all my effort to not run to keep up with her. 

“Naomi-san, maybe you’re going too fast?”

I suggested. But she didn’t seem to hear me as she continued at her quick pace. I didn't want to be rude but there was no way I was going to run the entire way there, be sweaty on the train, and suffer for the rest of the day smelling like I had just got out of the gym.

“Ah, hey.”

I touched her hand, trying to hold her in place.

“Ehh!”

Naomi-san jumped and surprised me. She pulled her hand away from mine and looked at me. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you, but you walk waaaaay too fast for me.”

“Dadada... Ahhh… S-sorry. I’ll… slow… slow.”

Her words were broken up and I couldn’t really understand her. But thankfully she did as I asked and fell to a gentler pace. 

We sat at the station waiting for the train to come and whisk us away. There were old people with children around, but it looked like nobody around our age was here… then again there were less than ten people around. This place felt just as rural as it seemed. 

“We take… the train to Keiyuu.”

Naomi-san muttered trying her best to turn toward me.

“So, what do you like to do, Naomi-san?”

She froze at my sudden question. Trying to gather her words she fumbled and looked away, without answering me. Maybe I was too strong and startled her? Or probably I spoke too fast, and she didn’t understand me? I was at a loss for what to do.

“Write…”

In a whisper, she answered me. I turned back to her, and we looked at one another. Her eyes darted to the side as she spoke up slightly.

“Write… I like… writing. Ah… you?”

I kicked my feet like a little girl waiting to get a treat. It felt like a victory, connecting with Naomi-san just a little bit.

“Music, I like listening and playing music.”

“Music?”

She parroted and I nodded with excitement. 

“It takes me away from all the stress, and I can just enjoy myself, you know? I play the violin and used to be in an orchestra in school.”

I turned back to her and caught a super confused look. Maybe I spoke too fast again and she was trying her best to piece everything together… or Naomi-san might just be the kind that answers slowly. I don't know her well enough and shouldn't judge her either way. She turned away and kicked her feet a bit like me. But the difference was… she could probably pass as an elementary schooler with how short and petite she was compared to me.

“I… don’t like music.”

Coldly, she said as the train rolled up in the station. I was a bit confused if she meant to be so blunt about it or if it was just her way of speaking. She stood up and made her way to the train and I lagged behind. It was a strange interaction and suddenly it felt a bit… colder between us.

Maybe that was just my imagination? In a bit of a daze, I followed her and found a seat on the train with her. 

“That’s sad to hear…”

“Hm?”

Timidly, Naomi turned back to me as if she just erased the last conversation we had out of her memory. I pressed it a bit, trying to understand her reasoning.

“That you don’t like music.”

She shrugged.

“Yes.”

“I play the violin, and it’s always been my go-to when I need a break from everything. Do you… not like playing music? Maybe I can play you a song some-“

Annoyed, she shook her head.

“No… I… I really don’t like music, Ari-san.”

Her words were a bit jumbled, but Naomi-san was firm, almost robotic and that told me to drop the subject. It’s sad that one of my biggest passions, she wouldn’t be able to share. But that shouldn’t stop me from trying my best to be friends with her. 

I nodded my head, preparing myself for the upcoming battle. Operation, looking cool in front of Naomi so she’d think I was cool!

An operation I failed hard at in my last school. The self-doubt in me rose up, but I pushed it away, there would be no way that-

“We need to get off.”

Quietly, she said and raced off the train, leaving me behind. 

“Ah!”

Before I could react and make it, the doors shut on me, locking me inside. We turned to each other. Eyes as big as saucers yet again, the adorable mouse pounded on the door but was forced back by a station attendant. The train kidnapped me as it raced on to the next train stop. 

(“Oh no, I’m lost!”)

Internally I screamed. Naomi had the ¥10,000 I was gloating about just moments ago. I had no pocket change because I’m a broke high school girl. The panic set in as I paced back and forth, disturbing the riders on the train. 

When the next stop came, I pushed my way out, making sure I wasn’t going to miss it again. But next lay the biggest problem ahead...

“The ticket gates.”

I stared at the enemy in front of me. The ticket gates will tattle on me for going one stopover. I didn't have the money to buy a new ticket and go over by one stop… it won’t accept my current ticket. I could even do one of two things…

Wait here like a sitting duck and hope Naomi-san comes to rescue me or…

Jump the ticket gate and escape before the station agents come after me…

I paced around, trying my best to calm down.

“I’m jumping the gate!”

A few of my not-so-savory friends used to do it all the time. People would give them horrible looks, but they wouldn’t care, they got a free ride. I had to let go of my pride and just jump the gate…

“Eh?”

I looked over and caught eyes with a sweet-looking old man. He wore a station outfit and was helping a young lady with her ticket. With a kind smile and a slight nod, he greeted me. He could be my grandpa… and I wouldn't want to cause trouble for Grandpa.

“I can’t do it…”

Defeated, I sat on the bench and put my head in my hands. I was too kindhearted and weak to give that old man a hard day. The next train rolled up and out of it, the dark-haired rabbit that I lost only moments ago.

“Ari-san, s-sorry, sorry, sorry!”

She begged me before rushing over, buying us both a ticket and giving me one to set me free.

“Oh, thank you!”

Tears were literally coming to my eyes, as I smiled and waved to the old station man. We hit the gate and like good little girls, we were freed on the other side with no troubles. I bet that old man will go home today and tell his lovely old wife that every high school girl made their way through the gates properly today. 

“I’m sorry… Ari-san. I… told you… late.”

“It’s okay, you saved me and that’s all that matters!”

“Saved?”

Naomi-san paused for a bit, put her finger on her lip and pointed towards the train... going the opposite direction. 

“I... waited for you... but...”

Her voice trailed off yet she said enough to make me realize... that I could have just hopped on the train and gone right back to the station I missed. My panic made me overlook such a simple yet effective... oversight.

“Arrg.....”

I crouched down and nursed my head. My mission just started and I already looked uncool to Naomi-san!

 

---

 

 

The city was bustling, and signs caught my attention. The first thing was an arcade right next to the station.

“You like playing games, right?”

I asked, pointing at the arcade. Naomi nodded blankly and like a zombie, she started walking towards it with a slight hum in her steps. Concerned more than anything, I followed her mindless steps as we reached the forest of crane games from the entry. 

“Ahhhh!”

What caught her attention was a stupidly large teddy bear. A bit concerned, she turned to me and asked me.

“Ah… change?”

At first, I was confused but she brought up the ¥10,000.

“Oh, yeah, I can go get change for this.”

I looked around and found a machine thankfully that allowed the ¥10,000 to be replaced with ¥1,000s. To make sure she didn't overspend on that teddy bear she clearly wanted, I gave her ¥2000, which still felt like way too much. Like a child, she bounced over and put the yen into the change machine to get fresh ¥100s to blow away.

The first round went just as I expected, she didn’t even grasp the bear.

“These games are rigged.”

I commented, only for her to tense up, focus more, and put in another 100 yen. To my surprise, the bear was coming out only after the 2nd try.

“Yay! [Yes! I got it! I really wanted this!!!]”

 

 

 

In a mixture of English and Japanese, Naomi-san jumped around with victory. I was shocked that she got it but… equally glad for her. Too bad we’d have to carry that thing around for the rest of the day.

“Hey, let’s see what’s upstairs.”

I guided her, still as happy as a clam with her oversized bear. It was almost bigger than her, making her disappear behind the fluff. When we reached the next floor, a bunch of arcade games were around. 

“Naomi-san, want to go a round or two?”

I was no good at these games and always got my butt kicked with my middle school friends. But maybe I had a chance to show Naomi-san that I wasn't a pushover. She happily agreed, and we both picked a game to play. It was called: SUPER ULTRA FIGHTER X F Z.

The title went too hard for my taste but I didn’t care, it was the experience I was after anyway. We both put in our yen and the announcer screamed at us.

“SUPER ULTRA FIGHTER X F Z.”

It was getting old and fast. We both picked our characters. I went for a hunk of a man who looked a bit like Hasu-kun to me. And to my surprise, Naomi-san chose a vicious-looking alligator that didn’t fit how cute she was. That thing looked like it was hit with radioactive top-secret chemicals and broke out of Area 51. 

“Ready to get beat?!”

I teased.

“Mhhmm…”

Naomi didn’t tease back but she confirmed she was ready. The level started, and I rushed her with my Hasu-kun lookalike. I comboed her to death, and it looked as though she didn’t put up much of a fight. Without getting hit, I won.

“Eh?”

“Sorry… I’m no… good at these games.”

She rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. I wanted to show her that I was good at something; I didn’t mean to demolish her. 

"It's fine, as long as we have fun."

We both looked around and made our way up the steps to see what else this place had for us to explore. That’s when I heard it….

“Oh, I know this song!”

I rushed over to the rhythm game section of the arcade and what was playing was one of my favorite songs from Hasu-kun. The beat was slow, lovely, and passionate, the type of music I loved the most. I turned to see Naomi-san holding her teddy bear with a disinterested look.

“We don’t have to play…”

“No, let’s play. I… know you like music.”

Surprisingly she stepped up, put her bear to the side, and put in enough money for the both of us. It was a simple game, hit the buttons in front and play the music by rhythm. Should be easy enough for a violin player like me. That and I played a bunch of these games with friends in school and always scored the highest. 

“Okay, we’ll do one that’s easy and I bet you’ll love it!”

I hit my favorite song and we waited for the beat to come in. The violin started and I hit my first button, from there I literally became a part of the song. My heart connected with the strings and almost like I was serenading the cords, I closed my eyes and by ear, I hit the button on near-perfect timing. Soon the song faded away and I felt as though I was in a cloud, high in the heavens. 

“How did you do?’

I asked, and looked to see her low score at 5%. With mine a high 95%, it felt a bit bad as if I was bullying her.

“Hmm… sorry for making you play. I mean… you did say you didn’t like music.”

I felt strangely embarrassed. It was a feeling I couldn't put into words. Like someone was judging me and shaming me for making her suffer through something like this. I… just hoped that Naomi didn’t think bad of me for showing her up twice like this. 

“That was my favorite Hasu-kun song… Ahhh…. I at least hoped you liked it, Naomi.”

She gazed at me for a bit before looking away. Again, she set the bear down and walked up to the rhythm game. She selected the stage again and put it on the hardest difficulty, lunatic for the both of us. 

I was worried she was pissed and trying to bully me. I put it on normal the last time so we both could enjoy it, but she seemed to want to see me suffer.

“Let’s play on this... Ari-san”

“Ahahaha, are you sure? Ahh, listen… are you mad at me, Naomi-san?”

I asked but the music started and before I knew it, I was sweating, trying to keep up with the chaos of my favorite song. No human could do this, and I bet Naomi had already given up and was watching me hit the buttons like a fool trying to hack into a supercomputer. 

“Please be over, please be over!”

This was just torture until the end. My 45% was both a feat and an absolute defeat. But thankfully I didn’t lose out and reached the end of the song. I backed up and looked over to Naomi’s screen.

“Huh?”

A high score was set, 99.8%, and a new name hit the top of the leaderboard. It was… Ari, my name. Naomi put my name over hers.

“How did you… do that?”

Confused, I asked but she didn’t answer. She lifted that oversized bear and dragged it with her.

“I don’t like music…”

She whispered and walked away only adding to the mystery of who this strange foreigner was that I found myself with. Before the game could reset, I pushed the repeat button and… watched everything unfold for myself.

 

 

My eyes went wide as I tried to take in the magic of Naomi-san’s rhythm. The insanity of it wasn’t wrapping around my mind. It was like she’d practiced this game for eons and reached God's status. Or maybe it wasn't that…

Something about the way the buttons were hit, the rhythm was too on point, as if she heard the song once… and understood it.

“Ari-san… do you want to eat sweets?”

A bit jumbled, Naomi-san called out to me, causing me to break from my trance. The final part of the song played, and the spell was broken. There was something deep about Naomi that she wasn’t telling me. When I turned to her, those vibrant green eyes and dark hair caught me once more. Without a word, she waved me to come with her as she made her way down the steps.

“You… don’t like music, huh Naomi-san?”

I couldn’t grasp how someone so efficient in music… hated it.

 

---

 

We found a nice ice cream stand on the side of the street and a nice park to sit down at and just enjoy ourselves. I got matcha flavor and Little Miss Full of Surprises got plain old vanilla. I watched her feed both her and her new bear, doing my best to figure her out.

“How did you do that?”

I caved and asked. After a bit more bites of her ice cream, she finally opened up.

“Just luck.”

She lied without a hit of shame. The vanilla ice cream was smeared all over her and that teddy bear’s face, and she didn’t even bat an eye. Maybe it was luck, I thought for a moment before shaking my head and doing my best to let it go. As I continued eating… something rushed within me, and I blurted out…

“I’m curious about you, Naomi-san.”

I’m not sure what I meant by it, but it was the truth regardless. I was overly curious about this strange girl who lived with my Oba-san out of the blue. Tiny, shy, with an extremely cute side to her. Still learning Japanese so she doesn’t like to talk too much. Yet here she is, doing things like playing challenging songs on Lunatic of some random rhythm game and getting the highest score…

But claims to hate music.

“You… too.”

Suddenly, Naomi-san spoke up and looked at me with those bright green eyes of hers. 

“You’re… weird.”

Like an arrow hit my side, I felt like I was going to keel over and die on the spot. Out of everything she could have told me… my being weird was a horrible start. At this rate, I'd be treated like a sideshow at school again. My mind raced to Naomi-san spreading the weird rumor to all the kids at school. 

“Not again! Not again!”

I shook my head and started to panic. I couldn't relive it again, how the kids isolated me because of my… mistakes.

“Ari-san?”

Confused, Naomi-san spoke up and tapped my shoulder.

“Ah… you… how do you say…”

She waited for a bit, took out her phone, and started typing something. After what felt like a minute or so, she pointed to her phone screen…

In broken Japanese, she wrote…

“I want to get to know you a lot better, Ari-san.”

I bet she could have said that with words. Her Japanese is actually pretty good from what I heard so far. But my guess is she wanted to get her point across better but was worried that she might mess it up. This was such a strange… yet great day.

“Yes! Yes!”

I agreed with a bright smile on my face. Naomi smiled too, and for the first time today, it felt as though we connected just right.

 

---

 

“We’re home.”

We stepped through the door to see Mom and Oba-san sleep on the floor. They seemed to be exhausted and didn’t even bother to put covers on. Naomi-san walked into the closet, took out a few blankets and we both covered them. 

"Goodnight, Mom, Oba-san.”

“Goodnight.”

We both turned out the lights and stepped into our room. To my surprise, everything was set up, just organized enough for the room to be split into two. All of my stuff was set up, it wasn't like my old room which was much larger but in a way, it felt… like home.

“Sorry for intruding.”

Naomi-san shook her head and tossed her big teddy bear on the bed.  A new beast to her… abnormally large collection. I couldn’t even see her bed because it was covered with plushies and other monsters, manga, books, and video games spread around. 

Naomi-san… was a messy person and it didn’t bother her at all. 

“I guess we’ll take a shower in the morning, so we don't wake up Mom and Oba-san?”

I asked, only to be caught off guard but a cute little snore. She didn't even bother to take off her clothes. Naomi just knocked herself out defenselessly in front of me.

“Geez… what a wild day.”

I caved and hit the light, fell back into bed, and watched the ceiling. My consciousness was fading as I thought about the days before coming here. I closed my eyes, and the image of Dad came to mind. How he turned his back to me, got into the car, and drove away, leaving me for the final time.

“Tsk…”

I clicked my tongue, clenched my pillow and closed my eyes tighter.

“At least for a little while… Let this be my safe place. My new home...”

I whispered before drifting off to a fantastic dream, far away from reality.