“What is it?”
“One’s cute, the other’s not.” He hesitated, his cheeks reddening as he realized what he said. “You know what, forget it. You’re just a kid anyways.”
But he just said she was cute. Her cheeks burned at the compliment. It made her feel . . . almost special. But there was still a question she had to ask before she got swept away by joy.
“But who are you?”
He hadn’t said anything. He hadn’t given her a name, hadn’t told her anything. Maybe he was Akabori. Maybe he wasn’t. The more he delayed his answer, the more afraid she was. And the more curious.
Why couldn’t he just say who he was?
“An upperclassmen,” he said as he headed for the door. “And a yankii.”
Well, obviously. No big surprise. It was clear he was a yankii. The upperclassman part was a bit of a surprise, but he was a tall guy. She’d kind of expected it already.
“I’m gonna head out. School sucks.”
“Alright . . . Have a good day, but . . .” She hesitated. If she asked for his name one more time, she wondered if he’d really give her an answer. She wanted to try. “May I at least have your name before you go?”
He glanced over his shoulder and smiled viciously at her. “Tatsuo Akabori.”
He didn’t wait more than a second to see her respond. A second was enough. He picked up a wooden bokken that Aoi hadn’t noticed leaning against the roof door and left, slamming the door behind him.
Aoi’s heart raced. It hurt to breathe. That boy—that yankii boy who she’d been speaking with—was the Akabori boy she’d heard those girls talking about. The punk who beat people up and stole their lunch money. The yankii who had a gang, who terrified people, who would probably be better off dead.
And he had called her cute.
Mulan appeared beside Aoi. Her eyes were wide with something Aoi suspected was excitement. “Arisawa, you may have just met the evil we’re supposed to fight in this world. It is clear that he and his gang are part of this town’s problem.”
“What?”
“You heard what those girls had said about him. He’s a danger, a threat. You remember the girl from the alley, do you not? People like him are not nice, Arisawa-chan. Maybe that was his gang!”
Aoi sat down heavily on a short wall. “He seemed nice enough . . .”
“Just because a boy seems nice doesn’t mean he is. Until our mission is revealed to us, we should be on our best guard against him. He could be the evil we’re meant to destroy in this town.”
“But Mulan, he called me petite. He said I was cute. He can’t be bad enough to be evil.” Aoi felt her cheeks redden. She was beginning to sound like Kimi-chan.
Mulan sighed. “You are so young. Eat.”
Aoi nodded obediently. Everything would be just fine once she got some food in her belly. She broke her chopsticks and went to grab one of the octopus sausages.
A loud ringing froze her in her place. The bell?! There was no way. That much time couldn’t have passed already. She hadn’t even eaten anything.
There wasn’t time to think about this anymore. She packed everything up and headed down the stairs, ignoring her protesting stomach. She could eat after class. She just had to make it that long.
Aoi made her way down the three flights of stairs and back into the classroom. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. It was her own fault she didn’t eat. If she’d just sucked it up and dealt with the awkwardness, she could’ve had a full stomach.
She stashed her food in her desk and focused on the lesson. Her stomach growled throughout the afternoon. The other students could probably hear it. Aoi nervously chewed her lip, heat rising to her face.
Somehow, she made it. The final bell rang. The other students packed up their things and headed for the door. But Mr. Kiriume cleared his throat loudly, stopping all of them. “Someone has to clean the room today. Any volunteers?”
Aoi immediately raised her hand. “I will!”
Mr. Kiriume raised an eyebrow at her eagerness. “Well, OK. Good luck, Arisawa-san.”
Everyone filed out of the room, even the teacher. That left Aoi all alone, just like she wanted. Finally, she could eat in peace. She pulled her bento box onto the desk and stared at the little rice pandas.
“Thanks for the meal, Dad,” she whispered quietly to herself.
At least it was good. Of course it was. Her father had made her favorite foods for her first day so it would be special, a cute bento for an unforgettable day.
At least he’d gotten that part right. Today would be unforgettable, but not because it was a great day. This wasn’t the way it was supposed to go. It should’ve been a good day. She should have made friends. And here she was, eating her lunch after school, all by herself. Tears started to well up in her eyes.
The door slammed open behind her.
“Hey, sorry.” A boy stood in the door. She recognized him from earlier in class. “Didn’t mean to interrupt you . . . cleaning . . .” His voice trailed off.
Aoi wiped her tears on her sleeve. She didn’t want to make anyone worry. “Sorry,” she sniffled. “Just let me finish eating, then I’ll clean and leave. Sorry . . .”
“No worries. I just forgot a book I needed.” He started to walk over to a desk, but paused when he saw her face. He turned pale, and Aoi felt bad. He was worried. He walked over to the desk next to hers and sat down. “You okay?”
“Just fine . . .” An obvious lie. Her face flushed.
She ate her food, her eyes focused on the bento box. She’d rather look at her food than the boy. She didn’t have to see the pity in his eyes that way.
Aoi had never felt so out of place. It may have just been her first day, but there weren’t many people with her blonde hair and blue eyes. She’d still looked foreign in Tokyo, but at least the schools there were more diverse. Here, the only people who looked like her were yankii. The other students—the normal ones—already had friends, anyway. They had their groups and didn’t need Aoi making things any harder.
But things would get better. They always did.
“You don’t seem fine to me.” Of course he knew she lied. Why couldn’t he just let it be? “I’m Makoto Azuki. What’s your name?”
“Aoi Arisawa,” she mumbled, keeping her eyes down.
“You’re Japanese? You had me fooled!”
Aoi hadn’t expected that. She looked up, at last meeting the boy’s brown eyes. He was a simple-looking boy, with dark brown eyes and hair a few shades darker. He was dressed in the school’s male uniform, but the gakuran jacket was buttoned all the way up. He seemed . . . normal, refreshingly so. More than that, he seemed kind.
“Well, I’m half Japanese. But I guess I got my mom’s hair and eyes somehow.” Aoi gave a nervous laugh. She wondered if that was a dumb thing to say, and immediately regretted her words. “I’m sorry. My family’s probably not all that important, huh?”
“You’re just fine! Don’t worry!” he said, smiling brightly at her. He changed the subject. “Did you move here recently? I don’t remember seeing you before.”
“Yeah. I came here a week ago, thanks to my dad’s job.”
“That right? What about your mom? What does she do?”
“She’s a clothing designer in Paris.” She didn’t live nearby and she was always busy. Aoi was happy just to get the rare phone call from her.
“Oh, that’s pretty cool!” Suddenly, Makoto stood.
“Are you leaving?” Aoi asked, trying not to sound too upset. It was nice having company.
“Nah, I was gonna grab the broom. You’ve had a bad first day, so I wanted to make things a little bit easier.”
“Easier?” And then she understood. “You’re going to clean up for me?”
“Sure am!”
He sounded happy enough about it, but Aoi was less than thrilled. “You don’t need to! I offered to!”
“I want you to have time to eat.” He motioned at her bento box. “Don’t worry.
I don’t mind at all. Eat up and head out when you’re done.
“He seems nice,” Mulan said. Aoi had to agree.
“I’ll see you tomorrow though, right?” she asked.
He nodded. “Of course! I mean, we’re friends now, right?”
Those words washed away all her worries. They were friends. That had to be a sign that everything was looking up. After an awful day, things would finally be better.
Aoi finished her meal and packed everything up. “I’m done. Need any help, Azuki-kun?”
Makoto shook his head and gave her a cheery smile. “Nah, I’m good. I’m meeting up with friends after this, so you go on ahead.”
“Well, okay.” She hesitated a moment. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
“Yeah. See you tomorrow.” He raised a hand in farewell before returning to his task.
Aoi headed home.
Chapter 6
There was a skip in Aoi’s step as she headed to school the next day. She wasn’t alone anymore. Not that she’d ever really been alone in the first place. She had Mulan and her father. But her father was family. And Mulan . . . Well, let’s face the facts. The woman was dead.
But now she had something else. Something different. Something amazing.
She had a friend her age and who was still alive. And so, Aoi made her way to school eager to talk to Makoto. Maybe they could make some plans for after school or for the week. Or at the very least they could eat lunch together. Either way, the day would be great.
He was sitting at his seat, a book open before him.
“Hey, Azuki-kun! You want to eat lunch together today?”
Makoto looked up and smiled apologetically at her. “Sorry, but I’ve got some plans. Some of the guys and I are going to check a place out for lunch.”
Aoi’s spirits fell. “Outside of school?”
“Yeah. And they’d tease us both to death if I brought you with me.”
She understood. “Because they’d think we’re dating?”
“Precisely. So . . . I’ll see you after lunch?”
“Yeah. See ya.”
Mr. Kiriume called for the students to settle down. Aoi returned to her seat, her good mood thoroughly doused. She supposed she was a bit silly for assuming they were going to eat together just because he said they were friends. He had his own plans, his own friend group. Still, Aoi was a little bummed out. She tried not to let it show. Classes came first. Just because she was awkward in school didn’t mean she wasn’t determined to do well. She wanted to do well. Or at least average.
Aoi ate lunch on the roof again. Thankfully, she was alone. There was no sign of the punk. Part of her had hoped he would be there, but another, more sensible part of herself was glad she was free of the potential danger.
When the final bell rang, Aoi made her way over to Makoto’s desk with a hesitant smile. “So, what are you doing after school today?”
“Have to hang out with the family,” he said with a groan. “They’ve wanted to change some things up at home, and of course they need me to help with that.”
“Oh? Spring cleaning?”
“More like spring rearranging everything.” He shook his head, brows furrowed with frustration. “Gonna be busy for the next few days.”
“Oh.” She tried not to sound too disappointed. Aoi understood. But she still had hoped to hang out with him. “Can I at least walk you home?”
“Isn’t that the kinda thing a boy’s supposed to say?” Makoto grinned, leaning back in his chair.
Aoi shifted her weight and cleared her throat nervously. “I guess . . . Sorry.”
Makoto’s brows rose. His chair’s legs hit the floor with a dull thud as he sat up. “Hey. I’m not mad. I was just teasing. You know that, right?”
She nodded. “I know.” Didn’t make her feel any better.
He looked around nervously and got up to grab his bag. So she’d made him feel awkward. Wasn’t that great?
But then he looked at her with a smile. “Well, I guess it should be fine, so long as it’s on the way for you.” He nodded to himself. “Yeah. Let’s go.”
Aoi returned his smile and followed him out of the room, to the shoe lockers, and out of school. She was silent as they walked, unsure of how to say what she wanted or even how to begin. So she kept eyes on the streets they walked.
Makoto glanced at her now and then, and she met his gaze from out of the corner of her eye. One of his eyebrows was raised, confusion clear on his face.
They walked down a few blocks, still silent. Aoi couldn’t do it. She couldn’t find the words she needed.
Makoto finally broke the silence. “Well, you wanted to walk me home for a reason, right?”
Aoi nodded, giving herself a few more moments to collect her thoughts. “I did.”
“And that is . . .?”
“I met someone yesterday, and he seems to be okay, but I’ve heard some bad stuff. Do you know who Tatsuo Akabori is?”
Makoto stopped walking, his body stiff. It seemed Makoto really hated Tatsuo. Her shoulders slumped. Aoi had obviously made her only friend uncomfortable again. She shouldn’t have asked. She should have just kept it to herself.
After a few hammered heartbeats of silence, she asked, “Are the rumors true? Is he really that dangerous?”
Makoto nodded, then started walking again. His voice was cold. “Yeah, he’s dangerous alright. He beats up kids like my friends, steals their money, humiliates them. He and his gang—they’re the worst kind of people.” His fists clenched tighter and tighter with every word. He rounded on her. “Why would you think someone like that seemed okay?”
“I’m sorry . . .” she said softly. “He didn’t beat me up, so there’s that, and he. . . uh,” she blushed. “He said I was cute.”
That surprised him. Makoto slowly unclenched his fists. “Really? That’s . . . interesting.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. Aoi could feel Mulan’s comforting presence behind her, but she didn’t look for the invisible spirit.
Makoto softened. “I’m not mad at you. It’s fine, Arisawa-chan. Really. You’re just better off staying away from him, that’s all. I don’t want you hurt.”
“I told you so,” Mulan’s smug voice echoed in her head.
“Right . . .” Aoi tried to hide just how uncertain she felt at the moment. She didn’t know if she was lying to him or not. She just wanted friends.
Makoto was still angry, but he seemed more thoughtful now. “But that’s really interesting. I’ve never heard of anything like that before, not from him. He must think you’re special. Very special . . .”
Aoi’s blush deepened. She didn’t think Tatsuo thought of her like that; he just didn’t seem as evil as Makoto and Mulan seemed to think he was. Still, Makoto knew more about this town than she did. She should trust him.
The conversation quickly changed, taking away the tension between the two. Makoto relaxed and smiled more, happily chatting about class and his family and how much Aoi would like Irokara, especially after he got the chance to show her around. And Aoi found herself smiling the whole while, eagerly listening to what he had to say. She was happy he took over the conversation. Made things easier on her. A lot easier, considering she struggled to find things to talk about.
But then Makoto stopped walking, and the conversation drifted back into silence. He turned to Aoi with a sheepish smile. “Looks like we’re here.”
“We are?” Aoi hadn’t noticed. She glanced at the house they’d stopped in front of. It was small, but two stories, and painted a pleasant cream color.
Makoto nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow, OK?”
“Yeah, see you tomorrow.”
She didn’t ask to come inside. If Makoto was so busy, there’d be no place for her there. This was how things had been back home, anyway. If she walked with Hana or Kimi or Yukiko, they would reach their house and part ways, Aoi continuing on to her place. They had always been busy, and Aoi understood. It gave her more time to p
lay video games and study, so she didn’t mind too much.
She watched Makoto head inside, then left for home.
“Aren’t you sad?” Mulan asked, popping onto the sidewalk beside her. “Or at least disappointed?”
Aoi shook her head. “No, not really. He said he was busy, so he has things to do. Plus, he only agreed to me walking him home. He didn’t say anything about me heading inside for a bit.”
Mulan hesitated. “I suppose so.” She sighed. “It just seems rude to have you come all this way, just to leave you like that. We certainly wouldn’t have done that in my day.”
Aoi couldn’t help but laugh. It was statements like that that reminded her how old her spirit really was.
“I guess a lot has changed since you were alive.”
The rest of the week passed in a similar manner. Aoi would sit alone on the roof for lunch, then walk Makoto to his house after school. She only ran into Tatsuo once more on the roof, but he had left without a word as soon as he saw her standing there. After that, there was no sign of him or his gang, and Aoi was okay with that. She wanted to see him again, to see if maybe he was another potential friend, but every time she brought it up Mulan would make that face that made Aoi drop the subject.
Makoto was increasingly kind to her, though a private person himself. Aoi knew what it was like to be private. Other kids had begun to notice the bandage on her hand, but she refused to answer any of their questioning glances. On the third day of school she changed the bandages, as Mulan had suggested.
The school week finally ended, and Aoi was looking forward to her day off. After dinner that night, she sat on her bed, browsing the Internet and listening to music. She had Skype open, but no one was online yet.
“Arisawa-chan?” Mulan asked.
“Yes?” Aoi asked, looking up from the screen. Mulan sat cross-legged at the foot of her bed. “Your day off is tomorrow, is it not?”
Aoi hesitated. Somehow she had a bad feeling about this. “Yeah, it is. Do you . . . want to start training tomorrow?”
Mulan chuckled. “That was exactly what I was about to ask.”
“Then I’d like to. I’m sorry it took so long.”
Linked: The War of the Gems - Book 1 Page 6