by Kayla Morgan
About ten minutes later, Michi finally walked through the door and jumped in surprise. “Wow! You’re up early. Are you ready to go already?”
Emily glanced at their mirror and shook her head. “Not quite yet. I actually need your help with something.”
chapter twenty-three
Marching through the streets of Kichijoji once again, Emily caught a glimpse of her reflection in one of the building’s windows. From her shoulders down, Emily looked like a proper interviewee again, except for her art bag slung over her shoulder. Her shoulder-length brown hair, her real hair, once again shone with her purple stripe. Michi had re-dyed to its original state before Emily left. It was nice to see the little stripe again and look like herself after all those months as someone else. Even though not having her wig made her feel so much more vulnerable to the world. She missed her long-hair curtain. But, if she was ever going to feel comfortable with herself, she would have to start somewhere. Emily desperately wanted to feel comfortable with herself, despite everything that had happened. And yet, in a way, because of everything that happened. She wasn’t completely confident yet but maybe a little less of a mess than she was last time as she walked to her destination. Michi’s words rang in her ears:
You have to tell the internship. You can’t keep living this lie.
In her heart, Emily knew she was right. She needed to do the right thing. She wanted to do the right thing. But that didn’t make it any easier.
Mr. Nakamura’s building towered above her once again, and, for a second, she lost her nerve completely. Then, Emily took a deep grounding breath, forced a confident smile at her reflection, and walked up the stairs into the building.
Mr. Nakamura greeted her at the door. “Johnson-san. It’s so nice to see you again! Although I’m a little confused as to why.” He gave her a crinkly smile.
Emily didn’t even wait to walk through the door. She bent forward into the lowest bow she could manage. “Mr. Nakamura, I am so sorry. I lied to you about who I was in order to have my best chance at getting this job. But I now realize how incredibly wrong of me it was to hide who I really was. It was a low and despicable thing for me to do. And I completely understand if you no longer want to employ me. But I needed to apologize for my mistake. “
There was a pause. “What do you mean, Johnson-san?”
She refused to look up from her low bow. “I have been pretending all year that I’m half-Japanese but that’s not at all true. I’m just an American from Illinois. I have been hiding who I am, because I thought I wouldn’t be taken seriously as a mangaka. I didn’t want my nationality to get in the way. But I realize now how wrong that was. People in my life have gotten hurt because of my decision. And…I need to know whether or not I’m good enough for this job when you know the whole truth about me.”
The next pause between them was long and tedious. It made Emily’s heart squeeze so painfully that she was sure it would burst. She had sounded like such a basket case that she wasn’t even sure she had made any sense at all. After a few more seconds, Mr. Nakamura responded in a quiet calm voice.
“Please come in, Johnson-san.”
She peeked up. Nakamura was eyeing her strangely but not necessarily in an angry way.
Emily slowly stood up and followed him into his office.
“Please sit.” He gestured at one of the chairs.
Emily sat down. Odaka-san wasn’t here today. She must have had the day off. Nakamura was over at his desk, sorting through the mess, as if he was looking for something. She sat very still and respectfully in her chair while she waited. Not even allowing herself to breathe too loudly so she wouldn’t offend him anymore than she already had.
“Ah, here it is,” he finally mumbled. A small set of stapled papers were clutched in his hands. He walked over to Emily. “Here. I think it’s important that you read this.”
Emily accepted the paper with both hands. They were shaking so hard at first that she could barely read the words. She forced herself to take another deep breath and focus on the paper. It was her transcripts from her year so far at Tokyo International University. And there in the corner was her information:
Name: Johnson, Emily Marie
Birthdate: 18日3月1994年
Nationality: American
Heart hammering, she flipped through the other pages. There were transcripts from Middleton College and her high school as well. And there on the very last page was a photocopy of her passport. Her normal brunette self was smiling back at her. She didn’t even have her purple stripe yet, since this photo had been taken back in her senior year of high school. She had gone on a trip to Aruba with Grandma.
“Where did you get this?” she finally asked, although she was pretty sure she already knew the answer.
Mr. Nakamura sat down across from her in his chair. “My sister gave it to me when she recommended you for the job. It was the only reason you didn’t have to submit a normal application. I already had everything I needed to know. Except for your art abilities, which is why I asked you to bring your completed portfolio.
When it came time for the interview, she mentioned that you looked different than you did in your passport photo. She said you had long wavy black hair now. She figured that you either got extensions or maybe were really into cosplay. So I never thought anything of it.”
“Oh.”
It was the only answer that her brain could manage to come up with.
Nakamura’s face shifted into a frown. “But you are telling me that you deliberately hid who you were in order to try and receive this job?”
She bowed her head low again. “Yes. And I am so incredibly sorry.”
“And why did you do it?”
This time she had to make sense. She forced her nerves back down. And tried her best to re-explain. “I came here from America with the hopes of becoming a mangaka. But when I got here, I found that people only looked at me like an American. My career counselor laughed in my face, and he wasn’t the only one who thought I was crazy. But this dream was so important to me that I wanted to do my best to blend in and be accepted. So I changed how I looked and lied about my background. And it was a very childish and immature thing for me to do. I know that now. I’ve learned a lot about myself through this mistake, and I’m trying to better myself. And I apologize for the mess that I’ve caused.”
Mr. Nakamura slowly scratched the stubble around his chin. He didn’t look at Emily. Instead, his face was focused in deep concentration off in the distance, until he finally spoke.
“You know, it wasn’t until 1946 that there were any famous female mangaka. For a long time, that was unheard of. As you have obviously realized, there aren’t many foreigners in this field. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t be part of a new generation. A generation that changes that. Your nationality shouldn’t affect what you hope to be in life. It’s happened too many times in this country and, as you know, in your own as well. It’s not something I tolerate. And I certainly won’t allow myself to be one of the people who adds to that hostility.” He stopped and stared down Emily. Emily didn’t allow herself to shrink down and stared back with fluttering hope.
“You’re going to face even more trials, Johnson-san,” he continued. “There will continue to be people who judge you for being in the role you hope to live out with your life. But if this is something that you are willing to deal with then I would still be more than happy to allow you to be a part of our team. But I will not tolerate any more lying, is that understood?”
“Of course, Mr. Nakamura. I completely understand. I promise—no more lies.”
Emily walked out the doors with the weight of one-thousand mountains lifting off her chest. She knew she had gotten off the hook too easily, but she was eternally grateful for Mr. Nakamura’s second chance. She would make it up to him by being the most diligent, hard-working assistant of all time. She would absolutely make sure of that.
Emily was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn’t eve
n notice the long frame of a man waiting for her at the bottom of the steps.
Akio.
chapter twenty-four
“So how much of it was a lie?”
Emily jumped. “Akio! Why are you—?”
His gaze was intense but not in a bad way. In a way that made her heart race with anticipation instead.
“How much of it was a lie, Emily-chan?” he repeated again.
Her heart beat even faster. “What do you mean?”
“Is Kiki’s Delivery Service still the reason you got into anime and manga?”
She gave him a strange look. “Yes.”
“Is your grandmother still the person you look up to most in life?”
“Yes,” she replied again.
“And did we still go on countless adventures together? Seeing the Tokyo skyline? Taking pictures in Akihabara? Setting up Michi-chan and Hamada?”
She gave him a small smile. “I suppose so.”
Akio took a few tentative steps towards her. “And are you not still the same person who helped me through my own fears by visiting Kyoto with me? So I could pay the proper respects to my parents’ grave?”
“Of course.”
“There’s just one more question that I have.” Akio strode the rest of the way up the stairs that separated them until he was eye-level with her. Emily’s heart hammered so hard that she was certain she would have to be taken to the emergency room. “One more truth.”
“Okay,” she answered quietly.
His eyes locked onto hers. “Are you still the girl who tried to kiss me in the café?”
Emily’s eyes widened with fear. But Akio’s never wavered.
She took a deep breath. Akio was sharper than she had given him credit for. And she didn’t want to lie to him anymore, so she whispered her reply, “Yes.”
“That’s all I needed to know.” And he filled the gap between them.
At first, all Emily could do was stare in wide-eyed disbelief. His lips were on hers. Akio’s beautiful lips that she had been secretly staring at all year were pressed against her own. And they were so soft.
His hands were grasping her arms firmly but when they snaked around and wrapped around the small of her back, pulling her close, Emily broke. Closing her eyes, she sunk into the kiss and sighed against Akio’s lips. Her head was spinning. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him even closer to her. She could feel him smile against her lips. She should have at least cared that someone could see them in this very public area. But all that mattered was the fact that Akio was here with her, and she was drowning in the jasmine tea smell of his skin and the fullness of his lips.
Akio pulled back. Emily’s mind was drowsy with an overload of feelings and for a split-second she was terrified that if she opened her eyes this wonderful dream she was having would be over.
Her eyes slowly peeled open, afraid of what she might find, but there he was. Akio had that lazy grin that spread from ear-to-ear. He was looking at her as if the world started and ended with her.
“You’re crazy.” The words tumbled out of Emily’s mouth before she could stop them.
His eyes lit up in surprise and he let out a small laugh. “What do you mean?”
“I mean you’re crazy!” she stated again. “Why on earth would you want to be with me? After everything I told you?”
He shrugged and pulled her closer. “I’m not happy you lied to me. But I lied to you this year, too. I kept my past from you. And, because I was such an idiot about it, I almost accidentally shut you out of my life for good. Your past is part of who you are, Emily-chan, but it doesn’t define you. I know that now. And it doesn’t change who you are on the inside or how I feel about you.” He gave her a cheeky grin. “I thought I made that obvious from my very romantic speech just now.” He even wagged his eyebrows at her for good measure.
Emily rolled her eyes and laughed. “You’re such a dork.” But she couldn’t stay mad at him.
“All it really changed,” he continued, “is your hair color. And the fact that the girl I’m in love with also happens to be the cute American girl that I was infatuated with back in April. And that really feels like more of a perk.”
Emily practically spit in his face. “Pfft! No way!”
“I’m serious, Emily-chan. Didn’t you notice? I was a total wreck when I was around you back then. Nothing like my normal smooth-talking self!”
Emily rolled her eyes at him again.
Akio continued, “I guess it’s because I’ve always had a thing for American girls, which might be kind of weird.”
“That is the least weird thing you’ve ever said,” she responded with a laugh and tackled him with a hug.
He wrapped her up in his arms and lifted her off the stairs. Emily was so happy that those damn tears were starting to well up again. She groaned with happy irritation and pulled back to wipe her dumb eyes.
Akio put her down and looked at her with a puzzled expression. “What is it? Is something wrong?”
“No, you idiot,” Emily responded with a teasing smile, “this is the happiest I’ve ever been. Guess my brain thinks that means I should cry some more.”
Akio shook his head and laughed. “You sure are strange, and yet, it somehow makes you even more adorable.” He wrapped her up again and whispered in her ear, “I’m happy too, Emily-chan. The happiest I’ve ever been.”
His words flowed into her veins and Emily thought she’d melt right there on the sidewalk. But then, Akio pushed away from her.
Her brain loudly protested.
“I almost forgot!” he shouted in excitement. He reached for his bookbag, which was situated beside the steps, and pulled out the bouquet of roses from their date.
“I’m sorry they’re a little wilted and smushed,” Akio apologized with a frown, as he handed them to her. “But I didn’t want them to go to waste. Also, I figured they would either help you feel better if you got bad news or help you celebrate if you got good news.” He almost looked afraid to ask, “So which one are they? Bad news flowers? Or good news flowers?”
She let out a long shaky breath. She was still reeling from her conversation with Mr. Nakamura and now everything that just happened with Akio. She wasn’t sure her poor brain could handle much more. “Well, they’re actually good news flowers,” she answered. “Mr. Nakamura said I could keep the internship.”
“Emily-chan! That’s wonderful!” Akio captured her in a hug and spun her in a circle back onto the sidewalk with his enthusiasm.
“Akio!” she complained with laughter. “The flowers!” There were crushed rose petals all over her face. She backed up and began brushing as much off as she could.
Akio laughed in embarrassment. “Gomen, Emily-chan. I was just excited.” He bent down and carefully picked the rest out of her hair. Then he snuck a quick kiss on the lips. “But seriously, omedetou.”
“Akio-kun,” she groaned in embarrassment, even though she secretly loved it. “You’ve really got to stop doing that. You’re going to start making others uncomfortable.” These poor pedestrians were getting way more PDA than was socially acceptable.
But of course Akio, being Akio, just shrugged. “So…what’s next, Emily-chan?”
Emily looked at his dark brown eyes shining down at her, the crushed-up flowers she clutched in her hands, and then up at the building holding all her hopes and dreams. Well, not all of them, one very important dream was being held by the boy grinning down at her. And that dream might be her favorite one of all.
“I don’t know,” she answered, feeling very overwhelmed. “It’s a lot to take in. I wish…I wish I knew where the story went from here.”
Akio scoffed at her. “Well, I know.”
“Yeah, right.” Emily teased.
“I’m serious!” he demanded. “Give me that sketch pad of yours and I’ll show you.”
She shot him a funny look and warily handed him her sketchbook. He flipped to a blank page.
“Pencil, kudasai
.”
Emily had no idea where he was going with this, but she obliged.
Akio wandered over to the railing and bent over the sketchpad with exaggerated concentration. She couldn’t figure out what the hell he was doing over there. But before she could even ask, he stood back up. “Done!” he announced.
He walked back over and showed her the sketchpad. He had drawn a horrendous drawing of a city that was probably supposed to be Tokyo with two stick figure girls with generic triangle dresses holding hands with two generic stick figure boys. But they all had huge smiles on their faces. They were labeled Akio, Emily, Hamada, and Michi. Akio and Hamada were holding their cameras, Michi was holding a rectangle paper that said “hotel” and Emily was holding a rectangle paper that said “manga”.
“Pfft! What the hell is that?” Emily asked through her laughter.
Akio faked outrage. “This is our future. And I worked really hard on it, by the way!”
“It’s terrible!”
“I told you I was terrible at drawing!” Akio said through his own laughter now.
“Yeah, you weren’t kidding.”
Akio motioned for her to take the sketchpad back, and Emily slipped it back inside her bag. “Thanks, Akio-kun. I’ll treasure it always,” she said with as much seriousness as she could muster. Though truthfully, Emily could barely keep a straight face.
“You’d better.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Listen, I know you hate pictures, but I really feel like we should capture this momentous occasion. The day the great Johnson-san officially started her journey as a mangaka. Someday, your fans will want to see where you started from! Now, we’ll have documented proof.”
“Yeah, right,” she mumbled in embarrassment.
“Besides,” he continued, “I still don’t have a picture of the real Emily Johnson. And I want to be able to show all my friends how cute my girlfriend is.”
“Like you have friends other than our school group,” Emily joked.
“Fine! The customers who come to the Yume Inn then.”