by Kayla Morgan
Eventually, Nakamura-sensei dismissed the class. Emily continued to let out all the years of held-back thoughts spill out from her. She talked so long, in fact, that she hadn’t even realized that they were at the cafeteria until she spotted Michi waving at her with a suspicious smile.
She came to a halt and looked beside her. Akio was still there. He was staring at her now with a confused expression since she had just completely stopped talking.
She chuckled nervously. “Uh. I guess I’m headed to lunch now. I didn’t even realize we had left class.”
Good going, Johnson. Now he’ll really be attracted to you.
Not that she wanted him to be.
“Yeah, I guess I should eat now too, since I have a break between classes…,” he trailed off. Emily noticed that he was rubbing the back of his neck again. And he seemed to not be able to look at her anymore. Maybe she had freaked him out after all.
“Well, it was nice meeting you, Akio-kun,” she said quickly in order to break the tension.
Of course he didn’t want to talk to her anymore. She should have known better than to think she could spill her word-vomit all over someone like that and assume they’d still want to exist in the same air space as her.
She quickly continued, “Thanks for letting me talk to you. Sorry if I got carried away. I’ll leave now.” Her new hair hung in her face, covering up her embarrassment.
“No, no! It was nothing like that. I enjoyed listening to you talk. You certainly have a passion for your craft. I was just wondering….” Again he trailed off and looked away from her.
Emily caught sight of Michi, still in the cafeteria. She was frantically pointing at Akio and then at their table.
Oh! Did he want to sit with her?
The thought of asking him to join them was so terrifyingly forward that she wanted to sink through the floor and disappear instead. But she didn’t want to seem rude...and she did want to sit with him. With a rush of courage, she sputtered, “D-Do-you-want-to-join-us-for-lunch?”
His head shot up and he nodded. “Um, yes! I was, uh, hoping you wouldn’t mind. My friend, Hamada, might show up, too. Is that okay?”
“That’s fine! Uh, come on. I’ll introduce you to my roommate.”
Emily had known Michi for less than three days, but she already knew that she was in trouble from the ornery look that was plastered across Michi’s face. Her eyes glittered evilly even while she and Akio formally introduced themselves to each other.
Sprawling herself back into her chair, Michi’s wicked smile widened as she hyper-focused herself onto Akio.
“Sooo...Akio-kun. It was Akio-kun, right?”
Akio, oblivious to his oncoming doom, smiled. “Yup!”
“So how did you end up meeting my new bestie?”
Emily’s eyes, which had previously been eyeing the very interesting napkin holder in front of her, shot back up to look at Michi. Her stomach twisted. On one hand, she was mildly excited to actually have a “real-life” friend, but on the other, she barely knew Michi. Sure, she had helped her through a tight spot on their first day of meeting, but it still made Emily uneasy. Was she overthinking things? She really needed to find a Buzzfeed article on making friends or something.
Akio didn’t even bat an eye. “We’re in 2D Design together. I’m a third-year photography major. We ended up sitting together in class, and Johnson-san’s drawings were just so inspiring, I had to strike up a conversation with her!”
Michi’s excitement visibly grew, and she sat forward in her chair. “That’s right! The sketchbook! So you saw it then?”
She recognizes him from the drawings. Abort! Abort!
Now Emily understood why Michi was being so weird.
Akio started to reply, but Emily cut him off. “Well, I’m super hungry! Michi-chan,” she practically growled as she grabbed her arm, “you’re coming with me.” And she yanked her over towards the cafeteria food.
“Oh my gosh, it’s him!” Michi hissed under her breath the second they were out of earshot.
“Yes, I am perfectly aware of that, Michi-chan,” she growled back and placed herself and her new “bestie” in the American food line.
“The boy you drew love-pictures of all over your sketchbook!”
“‘Love-pictures’? Really? Don’t you think a bit of an—”
“You run into him on your first day of school!”
“So what?” Emily grumbled. Kami-sama above, she really did not want to talk about this.
Michi started bouncing on her toes, making it very difficult for Emily to avoid the pieces of corn and French fries that started flying off her tray.
“Geez, Michi-chan! Will you please calm down?” Emily warned her under her breath. “I still have classes to get to today, and I’d really appreciate it if I didn’t have to change my outfit in between.”
Michi stopped bouncing but her eyes still sparkled while her brain continued to churn over whatever crazy thoughts she was still processing. Emily shook her head. “You’re enjoying all this drama, aren’t you?”
“Oh yeah! I grew up watching J-dramas with Mom. And this is just like one. Except it’s real life. It’s hilarious!”
“Well, I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. Because I am freaking out.”
“I wonder if he likes you,” Michi whispered with excitement.
Emily’s hamburger almost met an untimely death on the floor.
“What?” she shouted, as she wheeled around on Michi.
Michi laughed and repeated it again. “I wonder if he likes you!”
“Michi!” she shouted in exasperation, and then remembered to lower her voice. “I have only known the guy for two hours! Or at least this version of me is supposed to have only known him for that long. Will you please chill out?”
“Look,” she replied. “I’m not saying the guy’s in love with you. I just wonder if he’s interested.”
Emily shook her head. “Fine. Whatever. I’m headed back to the table. Can you please be normal now?”
“No! You can’t go back yet.”
She sighed. “What are you talking about? Why the hell not? I’m starving over here, and like I said before I do have other classes to get to today.”
Michi shifted her eyes around the cafeteria like she was looking for something. Finally, she spotted the ice cream stand. “You can’t go because you have to go get me ice cream.”
“What?” Emily’s voice dripped with irritation.
Michi groaned and marched closer to her. “Listen, will you just do this one thing for me? I helped you with that wig, didn’t I? You owe me, and I say go get me some ice cream.” She took Emily’s plate from her hand and walked back to the table, where Akio now sat with his own food in front of him. When she looked back and saw that Emily was still just staring at her like she had five heads, she mouthed the word at her, “Go!”
Emily spun and stomped off to the ice cream cart, all the while silently cursing Michi under her breath. She realized that she didn’t know much about non-online friendships, but she really didn’t think this was a normal way for “besties” to act. She wished this nutcase didn’t know her biggest secret, but there wasn’t anything she could do about it now.
She scooped a large hunk of whatever flavor was in front of her. She certainly wasn’t going to worry about getting Michi a kind that she liked. That whack job could have banana-and-cheese-sauce-flavored for all she cared. However, TIU’s cafeteria seemed to be fresh out of that flavor. Instead, she had to settle with some boring old vanilla. Emily heaved a heavy sigh and marched back to the table.
As Emily approached, she could see that Michi was chatting with Akio about something, which made Emily incredibly nervous. She still didn’t understand what Michi was up to. Michi flipped her long blonde hair and giggled at something Akio said. A knot instantly twisted in Emily’s stomach, and it forced her feet to slow down. Was Michi flirting with him? Right in front of her? After all that crap she had just spouted!
But Akio’s attention wasn’t on Michi. His eyes drifted around, searching, until he noticed Emily standing there awkwardly. His whole demeanor lit up, and he waved at her. Michi’s demeanor changed too, and she slid back into her seat with that wicked smile of hers beaming again.
The apprehension Emily felt from the whole situation was eating away at her. But when she sat down beside Akio, it was as if the whole thing she had witnessed had never happened. The three of them just chatted amicably about their interests and other classes, without so much of a hint of Michi’s obvious flirtation from before.
“Konnichiwa, Akio.”
They all shifted their attention to the new person standing with his tray behind Akio. Akio grinned up at the clean-cut, bespectacled guy with dark-red, dyed hair and pointed at the seat across from him.
“Take a seat, Hamada! Johnson-san, Tanaka-san— this is my friend, Hamada Haruto. The one I said might join us for lunch.”
He did a quick bow. “Hajimemashite! I’m sorry I didn't make it here sooner.” He pushed his square, thick-framed glasses back up his nose and continued, “I ended up getting lost again.”
Emily replied with a chuckle, “I’m terrible at directions too, so I completely understand. Are you a first-year?”
Hamada’s face turned red. “Ah...no. I’m a third-year, which makes it even more embarrassing.”
Akio let out a laugh. “Yeah, I don't know how you manage to pull that off even after being here for two years. For a photography major, you obviously don't have a photographic memory. Maybe you should start taking pictures of your route or something.”
“Shut up, baka,” Hamada muttered. Avoiding eye contact with anyone, he began picking at his food.
Akio ignored his embarrassment. “Hamada, guess what? Johnson-san here is a mangaka major!”
Hamada peeked up from his plate. His eyes widened behind his glasses. “That’s awesome!” Hamada replied. Embarrassment fading, he was finally able to look at Emily. “Shoujo or shounen?” he asked.
Emily pondered for a moment before answering. “Well, I’ve always liked shoujo best, but there are still a few shounen I like watching. I don’t believe in the stereotype that shounen is only for boys.”
Hamada nodded his head. “Yeah, I agree with you on that.”
An awkward pause grew between them. Small talk was so not her forte. “Hamada-san, you’re a photography major?” Emily asked.
“Yeah.”
Emily looked at Akio. “Then how come he wasn’t in our 2D Design Class today?”
“Oh, I’m taking that class next semester. It was all full when I went to sign up,” Hamada answered for Akio.
Akio nodded. “Maybe someday, my poor procrastinating friend, you’ll realize you can’t wait until the last day to sign up for class.”
Hamada threw a straw wrapper at him and told him to shove it.
“Anyway, back to our introductions. This is Tanaka-san and…,” Akio paused, “ah, I'm really embarrassed to say that I haven't asked what Tanaka-san's major is yet.”
Michi had been unusually quiet, taking in the conversation going on around her instead. “I'm a business major,” she answered. “Also a third-year. I’m hoping to start my own hotel empire on the coasts of France.”
Two sets of surprised eyes stared back at her.
Michi let out a laugh. “Well, that's the plan anyway,” she continued with a grin.
“Wow, Tanaka-san! T-that’s quite a re-remarkable dream,” Hamada stuttered. He barely made eye contact with Michi before his whole face caught fire, and he looked down at his tray again.
Michi smiled at him. “Thanks, Hamada-san.” Emily was sure if Hamada’s face could have gotten any redder, it would have. “Anyway, Emily-chan, we'd better get going. We have more learning to do today, remember?” she teased with a waggle of her eyebrows.
Emily gave her a menacing stare before turning to the boys. “Thank you so much for sitting with us today. It was so nice to meet you both.” She bowed again.
Hamada smiled and gave a slight bow back. But Akio looked right at her and quietly stated, “Believe me, Johnson-san. The pleasure was all ours.”
All of the wind was booted out of her lungs and she desperately tried to think of a reply, but her mind was mush. Instead, she gave a stupid awkward wave goodbye and walked away before she could get a better look at the irritating twinkling in Michi’s eyes.
Still reeling from Akio’s last statement, Emily kept to her own thoughts. Eventually, not being able to take it anymore, Michi broke the silence.
“He totally likes you.”
“Yeah right,” Emily spat back, but she could already feel her face heating up.
“I’m serious, Emily-chan. My test worked! He passed with flying colors!” Michi insisted.
She turned to glare at Michi. “What test?”
“I flirted with that guy like it was my job,” she explained, “and the kid didn’t so much as even bat an eye. All he could do was look around for you. Trust me— that means he is definitely interested in you.”
She thought back to all that awkwardness she had witnessed while getting the ice cream. She had noticed that he hadn’t been paying much attention to Michi. And he did light up when he saw her, but that didn’t mean he was interested in her. “Okay, so you weirded him out with your flirting,” Emily replied. “That doesn’t mean he likes me.”
Michi stopped walking and grabbed Emily’s arm. “Emily-chan. I realize you’re a girl, but in case you haven’t noticed I’m kinda considered the “perfect type” to most of the world’s population.”
Emily’s jaw dropped. “Wow, I seriously think that’s the most arrogant thing I’ve ever heard.”
Michi waved off her comment. “Listen. I didn’t make up the rules. I just know how to use them to my advantage. Did you see how his friend looked at me? That's what normal, not-in-love-with-another-girl guys do.”
“He is not in love with me!” she denied.
“Fine, whatever. It's too early for love.”
Emily shook her head. “Yeah, no kidding. Look, Michi-chan. I really have to get to class.”
Michi rolled her eyes and sighed, grabbing Emily’s arm before she could get too far. “Fine, but before you go, I have to say one more thing. Even though I think this drama is going to be so much fun, I really need to clue you in. Since that’s what friends do.”
“What are you talking about, baka?”
Michi placed both hands on Emily’s shoulders and a serious look overcame her features. “Trust me when I say this— whether you want him to be or not, that boy is interested in you. However, that boy has also met the real you, which means he is dangerously close to knowing your secret. So you’d better figure out what the hell you’re going to do about it. And fast.”
chapter six
Crinkle.
Toss.
Crinkle.
Toss.
Emily threw herself back into another pile of her discarded, half-drawn disasters; her feelings were as tousled as the mound that she laid in.
She had decided to forgive Michi. Although it was weirdly executed, it did seem like Michi really had just been trying to help Emily. Not that Emily actually believed that one little incident proved Akio liked her. There was absolutely no way that someone as wonderful and attractive as Akio would even think twice about dating someone like her. Michi was stuck in a fantasy world if she thought that was true for even a second.
Still, Emily had kind of been hoping she could be friends with Akio-kun. He had been so easy to talk to when they were back at the inn. But whenever she thought that, Michi’s words would creep back in her head again.
That boy has also met the real you, which means he is dangerously close to knowing your secret. So you’d better figure out what the hell you’re going to do about it.
She wasn’t an idiot. Emily knew how dangerous the situation was as soon as Akio had walked into class yesterday. And she had done everything in her power to avoid him
! Which mostly just meant slouching awkwardly in her seat...but that wasn’t her fault! What else was she supposed to do?
Okay, say she avoided him from now on. How much weirder and more obvious would that be? Then he’d find her even more suspicious than before. And, besides, she didn’t want to hurt his feelings. It would make 2D Design so uncomfortable. And Emily hated uncomfortable situations more than she hated her mother’s lectures about fashion and proper etiquette.
“So I’ve decided that I’m going to stay friends with Akio,” Emily announced during lunch the next day, while it was still just her and Michi.
“Uh huh,” Michi mumbled. “And how exactly do you plan to pull that off when Mr. The-Pleasure-is-all-Ours is so incredibly smitten with you already?”
Emily stabbed her chopsticks in the air at Michi, which was considered rude, but whatever, she was pissed. “Just because you say he likes me, doesn’t mean he actually likes me!” Michi rolled her eyes but didn’t retort, so Emily continued on. “So anyway, we will just be friends and if he tries to take things further I’ll just...tell him no.”
“Right. But even friends have polite conversation about, oh I don’t know, their families, their homes, their pasts?”
“That’s the best part. He doesn’t know anything about ‘Clarissa-chan’s’ past. So I don’t have to lie about any of that stuff.”
“Mmkay. Whatever you say, Emily-chan.”
They continued eating in passive-aggressive silence.
“Johnson-san!”
Emily’s heart leapt, and she turned to see Akio and Hamada walking towards them. She immediately chastised her stupid wayward heart. There would be no “leaping-at-the-sight-of-him”. Apparently it was going to take time for that deviant to get used to the new “just friends” policy after so many nights of drawing his dreamy face without consequences. She tried to cover it up by waving back in a carefree “we-are-super-duper-definitely-just-friends” kind of way.
Akio slid down beside her while Hamada sat down hesitantly beside Michi, making sure to still avoid eye contact.