Chapter One
Asami navigates the crowded tokyo streets, bags in one hand, cellphone held to her ear with the other. Her best friend dramatically complaining on the other end.
“Your apartment is so much bigger than the dorms.”
“Obviously. Still not by much though. You’re just upset you have to share with another person.”
“I don’t even know how you got lucky enough to find an apartment as a freshman.”
Although her friend can’t see it, Asami unconsciously shrugs.
“Dead parents privilege?”
There’s a pause on the other end of the phone.
“Why are you like this Asami?”
Asami smiles to herself.
“Dead-“
The girl on the other end cuts her off.
“I swear if you mention your parents again. That can’t be your excuse for everything.”
Asami laughs out loud, noticing a few people around her giving her looks. She lowers her voice before speaking again.
“Sure it can. What good is trauma if you don’t make jokes about it to cope?”
“You’re hopeless. Anyway, there’s like no space for all my stuff.”
“I told you not to bring your whole closet with you.”
Her friend ignores her statement and continues.
“I asked my roommate if I could put a couple things under her bed and she said no. She’s not even using it for storage.”
“Maybe she shipped some of her stuff and it didn’t get here yet?”
Her friend sighs dramatically into the phone before putting on the sweet voice she uses when she wants something.
“Whatever. You have plenty of room right? In that big apartment all by yourself.”
“What do you want Shiori?”
“Me? Want something? What! Can I keep some stuff at your place?”
Asami internally sighs, giving in to her best friend since childhood.
“Fine.”
“Great! It’s not like orphans have much anyway!”
Asami stops in her tracks at her friend’s joke, causing several people to run into each other behind her. Shiori’s high-pitched laugh comes through the phone as Asami apologizes to the people behind her who just glare. Some mumble curses under their breath at her. One older man in a business suit stops and looks down at her.
“If you can’t talk and walk at the same time, get off your phone girl.”
Asami stares open mouthed at him as he stomps away without her apology. Asami spots a cafe in the distance with outside seating and rushes over. She sets her stuff down and sits before bringing the phone back up to her ear. Her best friend is still giggling on the other end.
“Fuck you, Shiori. Only orphans can make orphan jokes.”
“Aw, I’m sorry Asa. You’re not actually mad at me, your bestest friend in the whole world.”
Asami can hear her pouting without having to see her.
“No, of course not. I gotta go though.”
“We’re still meeting for dinner, right?”
“Yes, Ori.”
“Byebye love!”
“Bye!”
Asami picks her bags back up after a short rest and continues walking after placing her phone back in her pocket. Asami’s eyes scan the various shops before landing on a girl her age who seems to be on the verge of a panic attack. Asami’s eyes take in the state of the girl walking slightly to the side of her. Her head keep turning from left to right, looking up and down the streets with phone in her hand.
She doesn’t look like she’s from here. At least not from Tokyo. Is she waiting for someone? She’s trying pretty hard to ignore the older men obviously staring at her. The fucking creeps. She’s pretty, I hope she’s not getting stood up by a guy or something. Ugh, mind your business Asami.
Asami watches as the girl deflates and sulks over to a bench sat in front of a shop. Asami contemplates just walking away. However, seeing the girl sitting there pulls at her heart. Something she always tries to ignore but something about this girl causes her to hesitantly walk over.
What the hell. What do I even say without sounding creepy? I didn’t think this through at all.
Asami sits down next to the girl and clears her throat.
“Um, h-hey. Are you okay?”
The girl hesitates before looking up, tears streaming down her face. Asami panics as the girl’s gray-green eyes lock with hers, silently pleading for help.
“I-I l-lost m-my b-brother!”
“Oh fuck. Okay. It’s okay. Calm down. We’ll find him. Does he have a phone? Can you call him?”
“No. He let it die.”
Asami senses the malice in her words.
Boy, am I glad I’m not her brother.
“Did you two have a meeting place set in case you got separated?”
“No. In our defense, we’re new here. And we weren’t supposed to really go that far.”
Even more of a reason to have a plan or two as backup in case you two got separated. I’ll keep that to myself for now. She already cried. The last thing she needs is for some stranger to scold her as if she was a child.
Asami glances up into the street and the all the people passing by. This wasn’t going to be easy. Tokyo is huge. And very crowded.
“Do you remember where you were last with him? I’ll help you look.”
The girl laughs.
“I, uh, tried that already. I honestly don’t know where we got separated.”
Jesus Christ, these two are hopeless. Who raised them?!
“Wait! He has the air tag from one of my luggages!!! He took it out after we put everything in my dorm room!”
Thank fuck. I thought I was gonna have to take her to the police station to report a missing person. I wonder if she’s going to my university. Probably a freshman like me considering it seems like they’ve never been here before.
Asami peaks over at the girl’s phone as she loads the app to track the air tag. She has to stop herself from laughing as they watch the tracker dart across the screen.
This is not the appropriate time to laugh. At least we know he’s noticed her absence as well. Can’t be too sure with these two who had no backup plan if they got separated in a large, crowded city they’re in for the first time.
“Alright! Let’s go find your brother!”
“Right!”
They get up, the lost girl seemingly encouraged once again now that they found a way to locate her brother. The girl pauses, fidgeting with her clothes.
“Oh, I’m Himora Izumi! Thank you for helping me!”
Asami has to stop herself from pulling the girl into a hug.
God, she’s so adorable. I’m so glad she didn’t wander into the wrong people. They would’ve ate her up.
“Nakashima Asami. Of course! Better me than some creep!”
Although I did consider just leaving you there, but I’m not gonna tell you that.
Izumi reaches out her hand and gestures towards the bags Asami is carrying.
“Are those your things? I can help carry them. Honestly, I don’t think anyone else would have helped me to begin with.”
“Oh, thanks.”
Me either but you looked so sad and defeated on the bench. I can’t say I’ve ever gotten lost like this, mainly because I don’t have any siblings. Anyway…
Asami splits the bags between the two of them, giving Izumi the lighter bags. They set off, Asami following close next to Izumi, the tracker gradually slowing down. It’s stopped when Izumi sets down the bags and calls out to a man pouting and facing the wall as if he was in time out.
“Makino!”
Asami breathes a sigh of relief as she picks up the rest of her bags again. She stands back smiling awkwardly as the two siblings hug.
Fucking finally. Wish I had someone to care about me that much. This isn’t the time to sulk. God, Asami, stop making everything about you. You did a good thing today.
The two continue to argue back and forth as Izumi smacks her brother for being so distracted by a pretty girl of all things that he didn’t notice his sister was gone. Izumi turns from her brother and walks off, not saying anything to the girl. Her brother scratches his head and addresses Asami.
“I-um. Thank you. For finding my sister. She’s a bit angry right now, but I’m sure she appreciates it.”
Before Asami can say anything in response, he rushes after his sister. Asami sighs, looking in the direction they went.
Kinda rude but whatever. Not my problem. I want a drink. It’s hard being a good person. I need to finish the rest of my shopping before I meet up with Shiori at her dorm tonight.
Asami heads off, window shopping and buying essentials for her small apartment and school. Once it starts getting dark out, she swings by her place to drop off her stuff and then makes her way to her best friends dorm. Asami meets the blonde in the lobby. They hug and ride the elevator up to her friend’s floor together.
“I did a good thing today.”
“What was that?”
“I helped a girl find her brother.”
“Oh? Like little kids?”
“Not exactly- What in the fuck is that?”
Asami can hear the screaming before the doors to the floor even open.
“Right, them. That’s been going on since this afternoon. Some freshman. It’s annoying as fuck, I hope they stop soon.”
Shiori continues to her dorm but Asami stops outside the open door where the screaming is coming from. To her surprise, she sees Izumi and her brother when she peaks in. Asami backs up quickly into the hall, as neither one of the two noticed her intrusion.
Huh, what a small world. Surprised no one has told them to shut the fuck up yet.
Asami looks up to find multiple people glaring towards the room as they walk by. One in particular is standing outside his dorm, watching.
“Ever heard of mind your business?”
“Sweetie, it is my business. The whole floor can hear them. Probably the floor above and below too. Why don’t you mind your business freshman?”
This motherfucker.
“Suck my dick.”
“Pull it out sweetheart.”
“I- What?”
He folds his arms across his chest.
“Wow. I’m disappointed. You offered and have nothing to deliver.”
“W-who the hell..?”
He smiles and offers his hand. Asami hesitantly takes it.
“Ito Ryunosuke, call me Ry. I’m a junior.”
From down the hall someone yells over the screaming.
“Also know as a whore!”
“And proud of it, baby!”
He looks back down at her.
“Anyway, you are?”
“Nakashima-”
Shiori sticks her head out of her dorm room.
“Asami! What the hell are you doing out here?! Come on!”
She looks back at the taller male.
“Go ahead, honey.”
Asami nods before heading over to enter Shiori’s dorm, a night full of takeout, alcohol, and gossip ahead of her.
