by Kayla Morgan
Michi’s song ended with a final wail and thank kami-sama it was enough to force her back to reality since Emily was fairly certain her lungs couldn’t take the lack of oxygen for much longer. Her face was neon-red, and she quickly panicked. She knew that Michi would notice her blush as soon as she got off that stage. Emily grabbed some water from the pitcher in the middle and carefully dabbed it on her face, hoping it would hide things a little bit. Maybe she could blame it on the alcohol?
Hamada jumped up, finally tipsy enough to join in. “I want a turn!” he shouted, hopping up to take the mic. “Thank you, Michi-chan,” he said with a bow, “you were stunning.” Michi shoved him, but she looked a little pleased with herself. Then she jumped down and started swigging down the rest of her beer.
They filled up the night with song after song. Emily went back up and sang some more American songs with Michi, but she absolutely refused to look anywhere near Akio, for fear of freezing up and feeling those tingles again. Even Hamada sang a few more tunes— every single one of them either an anime opening or ending song, and Emily did her best to quietly sing along from the couch without Akio hearing.
The pile of beer cans continued to accumulate, mostly downed by Hamada and Michi. Emily couldn’t believe how much alcohol they could hold. But now that they were both so far gone, the two had become like best friends. All of Hamada’s shyness had melted away, and he had even decided to sing a few duets with her. Terribly-done duets, but duets nevertheless.
The two giggle-buddies’ latest monstrosity of a song came to an off-key end, and they both stumbled off the stage together.
“Akio-kun!” Michi whined. “Why haven’t you sang?”
Emily’s gaze swiveled to Akio, who was sitting happily in the corner of the couch.
“Why do I have to sing? You both are doing such a lovely job without me.”
Michi huffed. “Because it’s fun! Even Hamada-kun is singing! And Emily-chan!”
Hamada laughed and shoved Akio’s shoulder. “Yeah, come on! We can’t be the only ones doing all the work here!” he complained.
Akio just shrugged. “But you guys are just so much more entertaining than me.”
They continued to squawk their complaints at Akio, like a couple of irritated geese. Emily just sat back laughing at the display. Finally, Akio’s eyes shifted towards her and she could see that they were twinkling with amusement. He let out a dramatically sarcastic sigh. “Well, I guess if I have to.”
Her stomach didn’t like that look, but her heart loved it.
He walked up onto the stage and diligently searched through the song selection. He took such a long time that Hamada and Michi started yelling at him to hurry up.
“Hey!” he yelled back. “This is the only song I’m doing tonight, so I just need to make sure it’s the right one.”
“Yeah, yeah,” yelled Hamada, while Michi stuck out her tongue.
Finally the music started up. It was a slow ballad, one that Emily had never heard of before. But she heard Michi sigh, “Oh! I love this song.”
The music swelled. Akio took a deep breath and began to sing.
If Emily thought the tingles she felt before were bad, they were nothing compared to the feeling that came over her as Akio crooned out the lyrics to the song. There was something about love at first sight and always being the one, but Emily was too busy melting into her seat to take much of it in.
Michi scooted closer to Emily and whispered in her ear, “I had no idea he could sing like that.”
Never taking her eyes off Akio, she whispered back, “Me either.”
“You know what?”
Emily continued staring for a moment then finally realized she needed to reply. “What?”
“You guys would make the most beautiful singing babies in the whole wide world.”
Emily’s face flared and she glared at her. Michi was laughing hysterically.
“Shut up, Michi!” And then she shoved her as hard as she could. Michi tipped backwards, only laughing harder, and landed right in Hamada’s lap. His eyes widened with fear. He looked at Emily in a panic, but by the time they looked back down at Michi, she was already passed out.
Still freaking out, Hamada looked back up at Emily. “Should I—?”
Emily just shook her head. “Enjoy it while you can, Hamada-kun.”
Hamada blushed and gazed back down at the figure sleeping peacefully in his lap. Emily looked away, back towards where Akio was continuing to sing his song, but out of the corner of her eye, she could see Hamada raise a tentative hand to Michi’s head and softly brush a few stray hairs out of her eyes. It was such a tender, intimate moment that Emily felt bad for spying on them and decided to refocus her attention on the man in front of her.
He had totally lost himself in the song. Eyes closed, he continued to belt out the notes in a way that was making Emily’s heart melt all over again. She knew that she shouldn’t be letting this affect her. She knew the dangers of letting that sweet boy into her heart.
Maybe I can let him in for just a little bit. Just until this song is over. Then I’ll turn it off again.
And she allowed herself to be swept up in the moment.
The song ended far too quickly for Emily's taste, but true to her word, she shoved those unwanted feelings back down as soon as the final note had tapered off. Akio opened his eyes again and took notice of the scene around him.
“Uh, what happened to Mii-chan?” He pointed at Michi and dragged his hand through his messy hair. He cleared his throat and gave a nervous little laugh. “Am I really so bad that I put her to sleep?”
“I think it was the opposite of that,” Hamada replied. “I think it was your angelic singing put her to sleep, Casanova.”
Emily laughed at Akio’s embarrassed expression. “Well,” she added, “either that or it’s because I shoved her for being an ass.”
“Is that so?” Akio looked down at his watch. “Oh, hey, our time is almost up on the room. We should probably get going.”
“And what do I do about this?” Hamada questioned, pointing down at Michi’s sleeping figure.
“You’re just going to have to wake Sleeping Beauty up,” Emily replied. “It’s her fault for falling asleep at a karaoke bar, baka.”
Emily and Akio started gathering up all their trash and throwing it away while Hamada gently shook Michi awake. She stretched out gracefully and blinked a few times up at Hamada’s terribly embarrassed face.
“Oh! Hamada-kun? Hello!”
Hamada turned even redder, if that was possible, “Um, hello.”
“What happened?” she asked through her yawn.
“You’re a lush who can’t handle her beer, so you passed out in Hamada’s lap,” Emily barked, still irritated at Michi for her earlier comment.
Michi sat up and smiled sweetly at Hamada. “Well thanks for being my knight in shining armor then, Hamada-kun.” She gently placed her hand on Hamada’s face before standing up to join Emily and Akio. Hamada looked like he might implode on the spot.
“So what are we doing now?” Michi asked, as she gathered her long-forgotten jacket.
The others looked around at each other. “I don’t know,” Emily finally responded. “Probably just head home, right?”
“What?” she shouted. “No way! The night is young! We gotta do at least one more thing.” She looked pointedly at Akio and continued, “We can’t let Emily’s first nightlife experience in Tokyo be over already!”
Akio straightened up. “Well what do you suggest we do then?”
Michi paced back and forth, obviously deep in thought. Although I don’t know how deep her thoughts can really be with all that alcohol swimming around in there, Emily thought.
“I know!” Michi finally declared. “We’ll go to the top of City Hall! That way Emily can see the whole city!” Michi beamed.
“It would be nice if she could see the whole city,” he agreed, “but City Hall’s observation deck is all enclosed. I could never get th
e right pictures up there with all that glass.” He frowned and Emily could see the gears in his head turning. Then his eyes shone with excitement. “I know an even better place! And it’s just around the corner from here. The hotel’s owner is friends with my Obaa-chan. I’ve gotten some amazing night shots up there. No glass to block the view!” He grinned at Emily. “What do you think, Johnson-san?”
“Seeing the whole city at night does sound pretty awesome,” Emily replied.
“That settles it then! We’re going!” Michi sang. “Race you there!”
The chaos that ensued had Emily gasping for breath, not just because she was horribly out of shape, but because she couldn’t stop laughing at her new friends, who were acting like total idiots— laughing and shoving each other, screaming about who would make it there first. Even though she should have felt terrible from the sudden physical activity combined with the peach drink sloshing around in her stomach, all she could feel was gratitude. That she had made it here to Tokyo in one piece. That she was finally getting a chance to dig her hands into the dream that she had been wanting for as long as she could remember. And gratitude that, for the first time in her life, she didn’t feel like an outcast. She had a new group of friends who seemed to genuinely like her, despite the fact that she was an awkward mess who didn’t really understand how to get along with people face-to-face. Michi liked her even though she was hiding her true identity. And there was certainly something to be said about that.
They rushed through the large gold-rimmed doors. A tall, well-dressed gentleman jumped in surprise at their entrance. “Gomen, Satou-san!” Akio gasped with a quick bow. “Would it be okay if we used the roof? My friend here has never seen the city, and I want to give her the best view!”
Satou-san smilied, seeming to relax now that he recognized who at least one of these “hooligans” were. “Of course, Kenzou-san. Just make sure you’re careful, like before.”
“Of course!”
The group shuffled into the empty elevator and collapsed against the walls.
“I’m so out of shape,” Emily gasped with her eyes closed in exhaustion.
Michi coughed out a laugh. “No kidding. How long were we running?”
Hamada checked with watch. “Only five minutes.”
“That’s pathetic,” Akio laughed through deep breaths.
They were all still huffing and laughing from the pure adrenaline of it all when the elevator door opened at the top floor. Akio led them to a “No Entrance” marked door, and they shuffled up the narrow staircase to the roof. As they all stepped out, the cool Tokyo air hit them. Emily shivered and drew her jacket around her a little more. Michi was already at the raised edge of the roof. She turned around with a wide grin on her face. “Well Emi-chan, what do you think?”
Emily took a few apprehensive steps forward and let the sight sink in. All around her the beautiful, blinking lights of Tokyo twinkled up at her, like the sea sparkling on a sunny day. The car headlights hustled below, only adding to the twinkling ambiance of it all. It was as if the stars themselves had settled down on Earth and were performing their own little dance for Tokyo. It was such a breathtaking sight that Emily forgot everything around her and allowed the moment to sweep over her. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath before finally looking over to her friend with a grin.
“I love it.”
Michi laughed. “I knew you’d like it!” And then she strode forward to lean on the railing for a better look. Emily decided to join her.
Akio came around her other side and leaned on the railing as well. “It’s a pretty amazing sight, isn’t it?”
“It’s absolutely breathtaking,” she whispered.
“Yeah...it really is,” Akio whispered back. She glanced over at him and realized that those brown eyes were staring straight at her again. The lights of the city only made his eyes shine even more.
Emily let out a nervous laugh and ripped her eyes away from him and back on the city. “You know I was really worried about coming here,” she started rambling. “It was a big risk coming to a place where I honestly didn’t know anyone. But now that I’ve met you, and Michi-chan, and Hamada-kun...I don’t know. Things just don’t seem so terrifying anymore. I’m just really excited to keep working towards my dream of becoming a mangaka knowing that...” She risked another glance at him. Her words started to slow as she got lost in his gaze, but she continued, “...that you’re all here with me.”
That warm smile broke out over his face again. “That’s what friends are for, Johnson-san. You can…” he paused, rubbing the back of his neck and looking away, “...you can, um, always lean on me, if you...if you need to.”
“And me!” Michi cheered, pushing through the two.
“And me, as well, Johnson-san!” Hamada added, squeezing his way into the group too.
Emily laughed. “You guys are such dorks.” Hamada and Michi grinned down at her, and Akio had a small smile too. He looked a little irritated with the other two though.
The four of them leaned against the edge and time itself stood still. It could have minutes, months, or years that Tokyo’s twinkling skyline washed over them. Emily could have stayed there forever. But eventually the wicked night winds pulled her from her daze, and she took a step backwards. Emily took one last look at her friends framed behind the gorgeous Tokyo skyline and allowed it to sink into her bones. It was going to make an amazing drawing later. She couldn’t wait to get started. She didn’t even need a camera, because she wasn’t going to forget this moment for as long as she lived.
Akio was the first to turn around. “Johnson-san?” he asked inquisitively.
Emily wrapped her arms closer together and gave him a warm smile. “Come on. Let’s go home.”
chapter seven
The next month flew by. Between all her classes and working nonstop on her portfolio, Emily was having trouble finding any time to hang out with her friends again. Sure, she saw the boys every day at lunch (and usually dinner as well), and she was roommates with Michi, but trying to hang out with them outside of school was basically impossible. Even though Tokyo had shed its pink April blossom and traded it for May’s bright green leaves, Emily spent her days with her face shoved in her sketchbook, trying to finish her assignments.
“This is getting ridiculous,” Michi complained again during lunch one day.
“Look, I’m sorry you guys, but I’ve just got a lot to do,” she apologized again. “Akio, you should get it! You have the portfolio from 2D class to work on too!”
He just shrugged. “Yeah, but collecting photographs isn’t nearly as time-consuming as drawing it all out like you.”
“See! Like you said, it’s time-consuming! And besides, it’s not like this is all just for some dumb elective. This is my major we’re talking about here.”
Hamada nodded and pushed his glasses back up. “Of course what you’re doing is important, Emily-chan, but this isn’t high school anymore. You don’t have to push yourself the way we all did back then.”
She raised an eyebrow at him. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure it was just you guys who had to work hard in high school. I just breezed by in the background, getting grades that were just good enough to keep my parents and teachers off my back. The stuff I’m doing now actually matters!”
“What we are trying to say is ‘Seinen kasanete kitarazu’,” Akio added.
Emily just stared at him. She had never heard that phrase before in her Japanese classes.
“It’s a Japanese proverb,” Hamada explained, “that means ‘The prime of your life does not come twice’.”
“So it’s the Japanese version of ‘YOLO’.” Emily nodded. “Okay, that makes sense.”
Now the other three were staring back at her.
“‘YeeOhLoh’?” Michi wrinkled her nose as the words came out, as if they left a bad taste in her mouth. “What the hell does that mean?”
Emily let out a long sigh. “Never mind. It’s a weird American thing. Listen, m
inna. I appreciate your concern for me, but I’m really busy. There’s no way I can get away to hang out right now.”
Michi pouted. The boys stared at her with concern.
“I really wish you could come out with us again, Johnson-san. We miss you.” Akio’s sad brown eyes looked like they belonged on the face of a begging puppy. Her heart flipped.
Maybe she could take a little time off. She had been in a bit of a “drawing block” anyway. Perhaps the fresh air would do her some good.
“Okay, fine. I’ll take a break.”
The table cheered so loudly that others in the cafeteria turned and stared.
“Oh my Osamu, guys. Be cool, would you?” Emily mumbled in embarrassment, but there was a hint of happiness mixed in there too.
Walking out to the edge of campus that Saturday morning to meet the others felt much more natural than last time. Emily had decided to skip Michi’s fashion choices and stick with her own clothes this time— a gray cardigan over a white blouse with black leggings and a black skirt. Sure, the outfit wasn’t to Michi’s level of “Tokyo Fashion,” but at least she was comfortable.
“And what’s with the beret, Monet?” Michi mocked her.
“Uh, I’m an artist?” Emily shot back. “I can rock a beret if I want.” She had gotten used to Michi’s sarcastic love over the past month. In fact, she had come to enjoy their witty banter.
When they finally met up with the guys, she was incredibly grateful that there were no declarations of how beautiful anyone was; although Emily did notice that Akio was looking particularly good with his camera dangling from his neck. They headed towards Shinjuku Station, Akio commenting on how crazy it was that Emily still didn’t have her IC card.
“I don’t know how you expect to get anywhere!”
“That’s the thing, Akio-kun, I don’t go anywhere!” she replied. “You know that!”
Suddenly, Michi stopped. When the others turned around to look, she dramatically threw her hand over her forehead.