[O] Week 124: How To... (I)

[Eternal]

Task #001
How to…Live
It’s hard not to act like everything’s A-OK​

Splendid.



Simply splendid.



How and when did the sun begin to look like this? A single ray broke through the otherwise-cloudy sky, showing itself in the least likely of places as its light made the drizzling rain sparkle like falling diamonds. What marvelous weather this was! When was the last time the sun showed its face, its radiant smile, and its glimmering, hope-radiating teeth? And what was this sudden feeling of warmth that its yellow beam brought to the world? Ahh, the wonders of—

“Hey, dumbass, finish setting the table,” a voice yelled. “It’s almost breakfast time, and you know Fuuta doesn’t like it if his food isn’t on the table when he gets here!”

“Hmm?” Oonishi Daisuke looked down at his hand, damp from being left on the wet towel he was holding. He stared at it for a bit, not knowing why or for what reason it was in his hand, and then proceeded to glance at the rest of the table. It was clean, much unlike the quadrant he was left to clean. In fact, his assigned area was almost completely dirty, save for one space: the spot where his towel was placed. “GAHHH! Crap, Fuuta’s gonna kill me!”

“Ugh, don’t worry about it; I’ll do it for you,” the voice said again, reaching out to Daisuke’s arm to stop the rapid wiping motion. “Besides, you’ll just break the table again.” The owner of the voice was none other than the head maid of the Fu family lineage, Kato Ato. She was a serene girl of 15; calm, collected, and generally nervous when it came to talking to boys who were not named Oonishi Daisuke and not seventeen-years-old. In fact, she was clumsy overall lest the butler was within her sights. It was a miracle she was a successful maid, much less the head of the maid staff in this household. Had it not been for their master’s uncaring attitude about the cleanliness of his mansion, she probably wouldn’t have a job at all. Speaking of jobs…

“Toto,” Daisuke said, now reclining on one of the dining table chairs while the fifteen-year-old did all the cleaning, “how did you get this job anyhow? Aren’t you only thirteen?”

“I’m fifteen, stupid,” she said. Her face was flushed from either anger or embarrassment—the difference wasn’t all that clear when came to the incapable butler. “And I thought I told you already: I got this job because my mom was Miss Fu’s maid, so I’m Fuuta-san’s. Duh.”

“Oh, have I?” the butler replied, ignoring the answer completely. “Sorry, sorry!! I’m so sorry, Toto-sama!! Please forgive me!” Tears welled up in his eyes. Whether they were fake or if he wholeheartedly felt he was going to die was unclear, but they flowed endlessly nonetheless. What was more; the butler proceeded to crawl to the maid’s feet and hugged her legs, causing her to stumble a bit. Yet, in the same vein of ambiguity, her tripping may have been either her own clumsiness, or, more likely, the direct result of Daisuke’s idiocy. Either way, the duo made for quite the party.

“Get…off...me, you…freak!” Ato forced out as she struggled to remove at least one leg from Daisuke’s deathly strength. “You’re crushing my legs! You’re crushing them! You’re crushing them! Let go!!” Finally, one leg was free, and the girl used all her strength to kick Daisuke in the head, causing him to roll several meters until he hit the nearest wall, dazed, but clearly not hurt. If his idiocy was good for anything, it was that pain didn’t exactly register that well for him.

Head spinning and eyes feeling numb, Daisuke tried his best to shake his head, hoping that the nauseating spin would subside. It wasn’t that it hurt, but it was really, really annoying, to say the least. In the meantime, a smile appeared on his face. A smile, of all things, was plastered on his face, right next to the red mark left by Ato’s shoe.

“What are you smiling for, stupid?”

“No reason. Why?”

“It’s just, you always are… From what I’ve heard, well, it’s just not normal,” the maid stressed. And she wasn’t wrong for doing so—everyone nowadays knew Daisuke’s tragedy of fictional proportions. Speaking of normal, it wasn’t normal for a family to disappear; it wasn’t normal for no trace to be left of them. “Haven’t you ever tried looking for them?”

“Haha, and what would the point be, Ato-kun?” Daisuke laughed. “What would I gain from looking for them? I’ve already accepted that they’re gone. It doesn’t mean anything to me anymore, so don’t worry about it, OK?”

“How can I not worry about it? I work with you, for heaven’s sake. It helps to know who you really are every now and then. I absolutely cannot see myself smiling like you do every day and still be able to stay sane.”

“Sane? Well, if that’s what you think.” Daisuke averted his gaze to the assortment of maids and butlers who were now setting the table, getting ready for their master’s breakfast. Fuuta should be down any minute now, but knowing him like Daisuke did, he figured there would be at least another hour or so. “About smiling every day; I bet you can do it too, y’know. It’s not that difficult.”

“You say that like smiling is a skill, Dai-kun…”

“Well, if you want, I can teach you,” Daisuke offered.

“Teach me? Teach me what?” Ato asked, confused. She was sitting in the chair that she had kicked Daisuke out of but minutes earlier. In a way, she was already prepared for whatever lesson the butler was about to give. Dumb as he was, he had some great advice… most of the time. Her fingers were crossed that this time would be as fruitful as the rare other occasions.

“I’ll teach you… how to live!”

..


May 23, 2003
Ikebukuro, Tokyo, Japan
Time—15:30PM


..​

​

“Yo, Daisuke-kun! Are you going home already?”

“Mhmm. I think so. Mom and Dad are waiting for me because I need help with my homework again.”

“Aww, c’monn~! Let’s play soccer! Just thirty minutes, I promise!!”

“Not this time, Yuki-kun. I really have to go home this time!”

“Fine, then. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow!”

“Yeah! I’ll see you later!” a young Oonishi Daisuke called behind him as his arm extended as far as it could, waving to his friends. “Bye!!”

“See ya!” a chorus of small voices answered, resonating in the air as the group traveled in the opposite direction. “Can we play tomorrow?” Yuki’s voice trailed off, gone unheard by Daisuke, who was now running towards his home.

The sun was setting already, giving everything the slightest orange glow. A nearby fountain increased its intensity as Daisuke ran by; birds flew away as his little feet carried him closer, and the sunlit reflection off the multitude of glass windows in the populous entertainment district shined in the boy’s eyes, causing him to shield himself from it. Finding shelter under the veranda of a nearby building, Daisuke was immersed into the culture he was brought up in: people walking in pairs, alone, or groups, all with a common goal in mind. Vendors and store clerks alike were restlessly shifting there eyes, hoping to find a clearing in the mass of people that gave them enough time to close up. Daisuke continued to run, weaving his small body around the multitude of legs that crowded up streets and sidewalks alike. Traffic lights flashed red and green as the crowds flowed across street after street. Everything was normal; everything was average.

Daisuke opened the door leading to the apartment building he lived in and used his key card to open the second set of doors that could only be opened by residents. In a few moments, he would return to his average family, with average parents and average siblings. In a few moments, his mom would ask him what he wanted for dinner, tell him it wasn’t available at the time, and Daisuke would wonder why she asked in the first place. In a few moments, his dad would ask him how his day was at school, and Daisuke would tell him he had lots of fun, even though he knew his dad was really wondering if he did well on his tests. In a few moments, his brother would ask him if he could get help on his homework, even though he was aware Daisuke wasn’t exactly the right person to ask; and his sister would ask if she could play in his room, even though she knew Daisuke wouldn’t let her. In a few moments, Daisuke would be reliving nearly every day of his existence since he was seven years old. And it didn’t really bother him at all. In a few moments... everything would change.

..


May 24, 2003
Ikebukuro, Tokyo, Japan
Time—15:30PM


..​

​

“Yo, Daisuke-kun! Are you going home already?”

“Mhmm. I think so. Mom and Dad are waiting for me because I need help with my homework again.”

“Aww, c’monn~! Let’s play soccer! Just thirty minutes, I promise!!”

“Uhh,” Daisuke murmured as he took a quick peek at his Velcro, Astro Boy brand digital watch. It read 15:30, so there would be plenty of time to play today. “Are you sure? Okay, fine, but just thirty minutes!! Pinky swear~!” The young boy took off in the same direction as his friends today, ready to relieve some stress with a non-competitive game of soccer. Actually, it would be much less than non-competitive; more like an unorthodox, no rules, and no goal kind of soccer game. Basically, he’d be kicking a ball around in various, deformed patterns.

“Yuki-kun, you promised thirty minutes! My parents are gonna kill me!” Daisuke complained to his friend.

“That’s your fault! You wanted to play more, remember?” Yuki stressed. He was right though, because at some point during the game, Daisuke thought it would be a magnificent idea to lose his watch in the un-mowed lawn he and his friends were playing in. What did it matter anyway? As long as he got home, everything would be fine. In a few moments…

Daisuke ran a little faster today. The sun’s glow now shown in a brilliant red as it set in the distance; the nearby fountain turned off just as Daisuke ran by, and the birds were all gone by now, back to their perches on some high-rises. The crowd was a bit thicker today—or rather, tonight—as the high schoolers were finally done for the day and out and about with their friends, no doubt to shop. It was Ikebukuro, after all.

The boy followed the same process he went through day after day after day… until he finally got to the front door of his apartment building. He was waiting for something today. Perhaps it was some sort of signal for him to enter the home, or maybe he was mustering up enough courage to appear at home so late at night. He looked at the place where his watch once sat, but it wasn’t there anymore. No matter, time wasn’t of the essence. He just had to get in there, say sorry, and get out. It was an average day, to say the least.

..


May 24, 2003
Ikebukuro, Tokyo, Japan
Time Unknown


..​

​

What was this feeling? This feeling of isolation? Out of the sunlight and into the cold, dark home.

Could this even be called “home” anymore?

No one was here; not a soul.

Nothing was here either, let alone some dust illuminated by the afternoon sun.

Yet, everything would be normal soon. It was Daisuke’s birthday, so this was most definitely a surprise for him. Any moment now, his mom and dad would burst from the front door and reveal to the boy that they had finally gotten a house to themselves. Any moment now, his brother and sister would follow behind the parents, celebrating in pure, unadulterated jubilation. Any moment now… the boy would have to realize a truth: the truth that he was alone. At least, that’s how he felt.

Daisuke crouched with his back against the closed front door, head resting in his arms as tears flowed endlessly from his eyes. He wasn’t crying though—no; he just couldn’t stop the tears. Shocked, yes, but sad, not yet; not until the shock subsided first. The boy stood up slowly and used his bare forearms to wipe away his tears as he scanned the rooms again. Surely, he was just having a hallucination. Maybe it was still the 23rd, a day before his birthday. Maybe his room was still the way he had left it—wait, what?

The boy peered into his room. The bed was messy, just as he had left it; his desk was still hidden a pile of toys and papers, just as he had left it; even the radio was on, just as he had left it, having forgotten to turn it off in the morning rush. Best of all, it had the same scent left by the air freshener in the sole remaining outlet in his room. So why was the rest of the house empty? Why, if his parents were still around, did they choose not to pack up his things? Where in the world were they? In fact, who were they, if not the best parents in the world, as Daisuke revered them as? But enough was enough. Daisuke plopped down on his small bed and hoped everything would be fine in the morning. This was all a bad dream, wasn’t it?

..


May 25, 2003
Ikebukuro, Tokyo, Japan
Time: Morning (approx. 9AM to 11AM)


..​

​

False.

Nothing had changed.

Save for the fact that there were clouds in the sky, and perhaps that it was a Sunday, nothing had changed. In a way, it was ironic how normal everything seemed in the eyes of the young Oonishi Daisuke. Sure, his family was…gone…but it was the same feeling he had the night before. He was alone, at least in this house. Ah, yes, this house. But what of his uncle? His aunt, cousin, grandma, grandpa? His parents were still around, weren’t they?

..


May 25, 2003
Ikebukuro, Tokyo, Japan
Time: Afternoon (approx. 3PM)


..​

​

He didn’t know why he expected things to be different. Nothing ever was in his life. Everything was just so average and normal that any kind of discrepancy to this normalcy would completely overturn his world, much like the disappearance of his entire family did. Yet, everything was the same again. Who were his parents now, but a fleeting memory of better times? His brother, sister?; they were just friends who he had lost contact with. The extended family was nothing more than people he had met once, never to see them again.

Daisuke smiled.

At least he wasn’t completely alone. There were those things… “Y’know, those things with the masks,” he would often say to his schoolmates. Those wretched beasts that chose not to harm him. Maybe they weren’t his friends, but at least they didn’t disappear on him. And so he smiled.

What was the point of not smiling? His life wasn’t meant to bring others pain and suffering; his life was meant to make sure he didn’t get in anyone’s way, and no one would bother with him if they saw that he was happy. Besides, it was all behind him now. What family? “Sure, I used to have a family,” he would say, smile plastered on his face. “But they’re all passed away now, so I do my best to live with myself.” Lies. It wasn’t his choice to move away to Ichikawa Gakuen. It wasn’t his choice to live in the dorms for the next five years, and it most definitely was not his choice to go from part-time job to part-time job. It wasn’t his choice because they were simply the only things he was capable of doing alone.

And so he smiled.

But it wasn’t over; not just yet.


​

Out of the darkness, Light shined bright.​

​

..



June 17, 2008
Tokyo, Japan
Time—19:43PM



..​

​

Daisuke, now just over fifteen years of age, sat outside the building of his latest job: body-guarding. It was the only thing his hellish strength was good enough for nowadays, and the pay was nice for an uneducated brute like himself. He had been sitting on the stone steps leading to the high-rise for the past six or seven hours, yet his client wasn’t there yet. But he waited. It was something interesting. He sat with a dumb look on his face—clueless, but happy nonetheless. Suddenly, a voice.

“Are you Daisuke-kun?” the voice asked from the building’s main entrance.

Daisuke turned around, still dumb-looking. “Ah, yes, I’m Oonishi Daisuke.”

“Ohh, you’re Daisuke? Man, I’ve been looking for you all over the building! And you’re telling me you’ve been here… how long?”

“Umm,” Daisuke muttered as he checked his watch. Unfortunately, it was hand-drawn and displayed the words “PARTY TIME” instead of an actual, usable time. “I… don’t know… haha. Six hours maybe?”

“Six hours?” the voice said, amazed. The owner of the voice was a boy of about Daisuke’s age, with jet black hair and a foreign sort of look to him. But his Japanese was perfect, not that Daisuke could tell the difference. “Man, aren’t you cold? Haha. Well, my name is Fu Li, but you can call me Fuuta!”

Fuuta?, Daisuke thought. Wasn’t that the name of his client? The person he was meant to bodyguard was his age? “Err, Fuuta-san, I’m sorry for being late, I guess!” Daisuke shot up and bowed to Fuuta.

“Don’t sweat it! I like you already! You and I are gonna make a great team! By the way, you’re my new butler, which is why I asked you to come here today. You don’t need to bodyguard me or anything, because I can protect myself,” Fuuta rambled, flexing every so often to let Daisuke know just how strong he was. But Daisuke wasn’t paying attention to that. He was more confused about the butler part. Especially the part about…being a butler.

“Don’t I need some training for that kind of thing, Fuuta-san?” Daisuke said, still in a bowed position.

“Huh? Training? Yeah, right! Haha! Oh, where you’ll stay? You’re staying at my mansion, of course! Let’s go~!”

Daisuke was whisked away by the dramatics of what seemed to be a teen megamillionaire. In a matter of seconds, he was pushed into the back seat of a limousine and driven to the outskirts of the city until the car stopped at somewhat of an overstatement of a mansion. It was gargantuan—maybe even two mansions put together, possibly more. Just how rich was this kid, and why in the world did Daisuke never know about this house?

“Hey, hey… Daisuke-kun! HEY! I’m talking to you!” Fuuta shouted. “Okay, great! I’ve finally gotten your attention! Well, here’s my house. You’ll be living here starting tomorrow, after you get all your stuff. Guh-wha? He doesn’t have any stuff, you say? Alright, thanks, Driver. Okay, change of plans, you’re staying here starting tonight. Hey, you wanna play some video games? Whoosh~!” And Fuuta was gone, already out the door and sprinting towards his house, arms spread to the side as if he was flying.

“Don’t worry about master, Daisuke,” the old driver said. “Also, as per request of Mr. and Mrs. Fu, you will be the head butler of this home starting tomorrow while they travel overseas. Meaning, you will be the second-most-powerful person in this household any time the adults are not home. If you need anything, just ask me and I’ll gladly take you through the steps. You run along now, Daisuke, and we’ll meet again sometime soon.”

Daisuke walked towards the mansion, following Fuuta’s urging desire to play video games late at night. He wasn’t smiling now, at least not consciously. The new head butler was in a state of shock much like the day when his family disappeared. His head whirled as he recalled that day quite vividly.

Except things were different this time. He was given a family today.

..​

​

Tired and exhausted from a full night of playing games well into the next morning, Fuuta and Daisuke relished the moment as they got to know each other. In fact, they probably knew each other better than Daisuke thought he knew his own siblings. No doubt, they were two peas in a pod—everything clicked for them, save for the fact that Fuuta had to train in the art of explanation to deal with Daisuke’s stupidity; but at least he was smiling again.

“By the way, Daisuke-kun, do you believe in…ghosts?”

Nothing was normal these days.

..​

Present Day, 2010
Tokyo, Japan
Time—10:00AM


..​

“…That’s the truth…?” Ato asked after a long pause following Daisuke’s story. What he didn’t tell she would have to ask Fuuta about later, since Daisuke’s memory seemed to cut off immediately after Fuuta’s question to him. “I mean, everything you just told me is true?”

“As far as I know, yup!” Daisuke grinned. He was proud of himself for being able to remember so much. But it wasn’t that much of an accomplishment considering how well those events stuck in his mind. They were replayed constantly in his mind on a daily basis.

“You mean, your family left and you only looked for them for a single day?” Ato pushed, wanting to know more.

“Yeah, I guess. Haha.”

She sighed as the food was being set on the table. But as she was about to question him further, the loud click of shoes quickly approached the dining room. “I guess Fuuta-san is finally up. Let’s get r-rea-r-ready,” she managed to stutter as the presence of another boy almost instantly affected her nervousness.

“What ho!” Fuuta called from the entrance of the dining room. “Oh yeah, Daisuke, I have to go do something out of town this week, so why don’t you go do something on your own time, yeah? I hear there’s a new bar opening in Ikebukuro soon; why not go check it out?”

“Ikebukuro?” Daisuke asked, tilting his head to one side.​

Yeah, Ikebukuro, where it all began…


..


Present Day, 2010
Ikebukuro, Tokyo, Japan
Time Unknown


..


『It began here, and so shall it start once more.』

[3,752]​

 

[Eternal]

「I knew this would happen.」​

「But I guess things didn’t click the first time」​

「I guess it’s time for Round 2...」​

Task #002​

How to...Rest​

Welcome back home, are you lost?​

..​

Present Day, 2010​

Ikebukuro, Tokyo, Japan​

Time Unknown; Night​

..​

​

This is it...

Daisuke stood atop a high-rise building, looking down at the parade of lights that lightly danced around in his eyes. Reds, greens, and bright purples outlined and contained the mass of white lights that defined the existence of Ikebukuro during the night. They flickered on and off as periodically, someone would be finally leaving their workplace after a long day of endless paperwork, and yet another person on the other side of town would be turning on their lights for the first time in the day. Still more, the lights of entire sections of buildings would turn off simultaneously as several people would finally lay their heads down. Cars raced by each other, each joining in harmonious synchronization as the street lights directed the wonderful play...

Yeah, this was home. This was so inexplicably home that even the way the lights turned off seemed familiar in the most nostalgic way. The night air sifted past Daisuke as the light breeze blew around some of dead leaves that found home on the roof. The last of the stragglers in families of birds flew away to their own nests for the night, only to return the next day for the repetitive life that they led; letting the breeze flow seamlessly under the shadow of their wings. But in this city—this city with its bright lights and its slough of interesting people, this city with the heart of Japan written all over it—there was just one being tonight that didn’t have a home. And so he watched.

In the presence of the refreshing air, the roar of motors below him, the lights that were admittedly kind of blinding, Daisuke just watched the city go about its business. Having arrived not one hour ago, he returned to the rooftop he found to be so serene as a child. Despite its familiarity, it just didn’t feel right. Like something was missing, or something had changed. But the thing was nothing had changed, at least not since Daisuke had been here last. Not a single thing was out of place. What he had returned to was nothing more than a welcoming party back to commonality and normalcy. Everything was average.

Yet, everything was so different. The boy couldn’t get it out of his head that something, somewhere, things had changed. Even in this city that remained so similar after all these years, something was different. His small mind, however, could do nothing to pinpoint it. If the answer would just appear in front of him, in the form of a person, a newspaper carried away by the breeze, or even a signboard, he would seize the opportunity to figure everything out. But nothing happened. He stood, watched, listened... but his senses were dulled by now and all he could rely on were his eyes. And then it hit him—it wasn’t how the city sounded, nor how it looked. It was the stench. Ikebukuro smelled different as Daisuke turned his head from one side to the other, giving the bright city a second glace. What was it?

..​

​

The morning couldn’t have come faster as the sun slowly broke through the horizon, letting its rays trail off into the infinite distance and painting the city with a solid red. Daisuke, from the safety of a local hotel, imagined the scene of the city as it, too, woke up with the sun. He imagined the average family, maybe with one or two children, a mom, a dad, and the elder generation, all waiting for their respective turns in the limited number of bathrooms in a small, suburban home. Mom and Dad were most likely already up and preparing breakfast, and the kids were more likely than not still groggy and unwilling to go through the cumbersome task that was education.

He, too, should probably get up soon as well. Early as it was, it would be unbecoming of the butler to wake up any earlier than he did—by now, he would be used to waking up in the wee hours of the morning only to prepare the house for Fuuta. In moments, he was dressed in his full butler garb: dress shoes, black socks, dress pants, golden belt buckle, tucked in dress shirt, black vest, and, to top it all off, his signature red bowtie. The slight cobalt tint to his sunglasses worked perfectly against the now-completely risen sun and his blonde hair only slightly reflected the light. Shoving a hand into his pocket, Daisuke moved slowly down the hotel floors, checked out, and returned to the city he once felt so familiar with.

Walking the same steps as he did as a child, a sudden rush of nostalgia brushed over his untrained mind, putting his mental state into a blur as he could just barely recall some of the stores and their respective owners. To his right, the familiar fountain that was basically commonplace for every citizen in Ikebukuro as it shot up streams of water at the most opportune times. To his left, the street artist patiently sat there every day, waiting for someone to ask him to draw a picture for practically nothing at all. Where was he headed? Daisuke had an idea, but he was admittedly ultimately headed nowhere in particular. He was here on vacation anyway—did he need a reason to be in his hometown; was it a crime to take a rest?

Daisuke raised his right hand to shoulder level while his left remained in his pocket. In a fist, his hand stayed put for a full minute before it swung back down to his side. The butler sighed. What was he doing here in the first place? What was he expecting to find? This was all Ato’s fault in the first place. He had no reason to think his family was still around, especially not in the same house. And even if they were alive, they would’ve tried looking for him already, at least. But Daisuke couldn’t resist it any longer and raised his hand once more.

The rap of his knuckles on the metal door audibly echoed through what he only assumed to be an empty apartment room. Was the door still unlocked? Daisuke turned the rusting handle with ease and pushed the door inwards during a moment of endless grief, fear, pain, and strife overtook his body, paralyzing him from head to toe. He shut his eyes behind the cobalt lenses of his sunglasses and even put his raised hand over them. He didn’t want to see this; he didn’t need to see this. From what he could remember—from what he couldn’t forget—everything would be the same. The boy couldn’t face that again, no, not any more than he already had. Yet, here it was, right in front of him now. And here it was, just as he remembered, as he slowly pushed down his hand and opened his eyes. Not a thing had changed.

Daisuke took a step inside. It was dark and musty, or at least it would be, had it not been for the noon sun bursting through the sole window that led to a small balcony. The waxed floors were becoming grainy and each individual room was left untouched as the paint was beginning to tear off. It was the same, yet not the same. Actually, it was in much better shape than he thought it would be after abandoning it nearly seven years ago. Upon a second look, the waxed floors were, in fact, waxed; and the paint really wasn’t tearing off—they had been repainted.

"I’m sorry,” a small, but strong voice said, "can I help you?”

Startled, the butler turned around to face the main entrance where a girl no older than he stood erect, two suitcases in tote behind her. She was rather busty, no doubt accented by the fact that her clothing was skimpy, for a lack of a better word. The school uniform she donned was no doubt several sizes too small, but she had a lean build so it didn’t look too bad, or so Daisuke thought. Her long, light brown locks flowed stunningly past her hips and her complexion was near-perfect. The girl’s Japanese was flawless, yet her appearance had no trace of Japan anywhere. A foreigner?

"Uh, er, actually...” Daisuke stuttered, managing to get out nothing more than a few, disconnected words to form a passable sentence. "Well, the door... open... this, uh... this is where I used to live.” What a nerve-wracking situation to be thrust into in the middle of reminiscing! Daisuke stared at the girl’s eyes as they glowed brighter by the second despite the fact that it was her back that was facing the sun, casting a dark shadow in front of her; before they were finally drawn back to his feet. Her silhouette drew closer and closer as her shadow eventually melded into the rest of the darkness, and the butler clenched whatever muscles were immediately accessible to him.

"Haa?” the girl questioned. "You live here? But I just saw a ‘for sale’ sign when I bought it last week! Ohh, those guys are gonna get it now! I’m so sorry for intruding! I’ll be on my way now!” She turned around, ready to leave and hands gripped tightly around the handles of her suitcases before Daisuke impulsively tapped her on the shoulder. Stopping, she turned around once more, her hair following in a brilliant trail of light brown. "Is there something wrong?”

The butler retained his natural smile. "Well, what I meant to say was that I lived here a long time ago. Aha! Uh... Sorry for the confusion. I’ll get out of your way now, since this is a bit weird, isn’t it? Um, yeah... Alright then! Sayonara!” Daisuke straightened himself up before bowing slightly and promptly exiting the house. Or at least, he would have, had it not been for the massive pile of furniture and boxes blocking the exit. "Haha... Uh, so...” Speechless. Great.

"Actually, if you wouldn’t mind, could you help me move in? I haven’t really got the time to look around here yet, so I’m assuming you know more about this place than I do?” the girl inquired. "By the why, my name is Sato Akane. Nice to meet you!” What a pretty smile. Pretty smile, light up the world; pretty smile, Where have I seen you before?, the butler thought. Of course, it was because the name was just as common as the rest of Ikebukuro was. The name was more than a name, in fact, because this girl was the object of Daisuke’s childhood crushes. Was she still in "The ‘Kuro” as she affectionately called it?

"Sato... Akane-kun?” Daisuke managed to force out from between his lips. He blushed, not sure whether or not she would remember him—at all. After all, he had only spoken to her once or twice, and even then, was she even really paying attention to who she was talking to? The years had changed the both of them, at least outwardly, but the moment she reintroduced herself, Daisuke’s mind swelled with memories of his younger years, fantasizing about the times when he almost asked her out, but failed horribly. Besides, he wasn’t really that smart back then, and his intelligence now wasn’t that much different either. "I’m Oonishi Daisuke.” He picked up several of the boxes at a time, showing relative ease at maneuvering his steps to take him to the innards of the house. Setting them down, he turned to face Akane once more, noticing she had not spoken for a while.

"Wait,” she said, surprised. She scanned his face for proof of his existence, as if she wasn’t really sure if he was the person she had just met. "You’re Oonishi Daisuke, the Daisuke-kun who disappeared seven years ago? The Daisuke-kun that always tried asking me out? You’re THAT Daisuke-kun?”

Shit, shit, shit, she knows!, Daisuke panicked, coming to the revelation that this Akane-kun that was the object of his childhood affections remembered who he was. The feeling was refreshing to say the least, seeing as how he now recalled not telling any of his friends that he was leaving Ikebukuro the day he left for Ichikawa Gakuen. He quickly put a hand behind his head, trying his best to hide his fear. If she knew—if the girl he only talked to once knew—how many more people knew? "Ah, yes, I think I’m the one you described.” Hurriedly, he left the house to grab a few more boxes before making eye contact again with Akane, who was now on the verge of tears, or something. She had always been a sentimental girl, as far as Daisuke knew.

"You finally came back to ‘Kuro, Daisuke-kun!” she breathed out in a wispy voice with a hint of an actual voice. Akane wiped the few tears that trailed her cheeks. Maybe she remembered a little too well, Daisuke figured, watching her. If he recalled correctly, the two never had a conversation for more than an exchange of words about what the homework was. "We all waited for you, you know that? Yuki-kun even went out to look for you once, didn’t you know?”

He didn’t, really. He knew they were friends, Yuki-kun and himself, but never in a million years did he think their relationship swelled to the point of playing hide-and-seek on a national level. Was this the extent of emotional pain he had put on people? Was the damage he caused so great that he could make girls cry on sight, nearly a decade later? Was he... that popular? Nah, this was an illusion. Well, he would have liked very much if he really was that popular, but he wasn’t given that much time to think in the first place. Within a span of milliseconds, Akane had traveled the span of the living room and into the arms of the butler. Okay, maybe he had some weird effect on people. A hugging charm, that was it. He was bugged. But he wasn’t, really. Denial was it.

"Oh God, we all thought you had disappeared forever!” Akane exclaimed with the utmost emphasis placed on her final words. "Where have you been all these years? Forget the boxes, sit, sit!” She motioned for him to sit on the couch he had moved in awkwardly after she had finally let go of him. Not wanting to be rude, Daisuke sat down on the very edge of the couch—he didn’t want to ruin it before the girl got to use it.

"Um, it’s a bit of a story,” he said, honestly not wanting to retell his history again, especially to someone who was actually interested this time.

"Don’t worry, I’ve got time!” Akane said as she plopped down next to Daisuke. She rested her elbows on her thighs and her head on her clasped hands, smiling at Daisuke, who refused to make eye contact when they were so close to each other. Her eyes were much brighter than he had imagined they would be. The girl still had some motivation in her, he forced himself to think.

Crap, I don’t really want to tell it again, Daisuke thought. Should I just tell her? Yeah, let’s forget about it. I’ll just tell her I don’t want to talk about it. Yeah, that’ll be good. Uh, um... how should I do this? Huh, okay, here we go. "Well, you see...” Daisuke blurted out. He panicked. In his moment of resolve, all was lost as he spent the next few hours relaying his past to Akane for the second time in the past two days. She listened attentively enough and soon the two were both relaxed on the couch and the sun was just barely clawing its way into the city before its lights would finally fade and give rise to the artificial lighting of the city. But now, Akane was silent.

"I’m sorry that took so long,” Daisuke continued, throat a bit dry from talking too much. He made a hurry to get up and went to the door, opened it, and moved in the few remaining boxes before standing at the doorway. From this distance, he had no trouble with eye contact, so he made it, though he felt a little less secure without the mask of his sunglasses protecting him. "Er, I’ll be going now. Thank you for the hospitality!” He bowed again, accidentally bumping his head into the doorframe on the way down. Unresponsive and impatiently waiting for the correct time to close the door, Daisuke swore he heard a small chuckle from inside as he slowly backed out of the house.

Closure was one thing, closure with a new beginning was another. With Akane’s move into his old home, Daisuke could finally accept that he wouldn’t ever have a life there anymore, and what memories he could recollect from that time, he wanted to cherish. Yet, with Akane’s move into his old home, it essentially became a new home for him—it was here that he discovered that at some point, he was being missed by his friends. Thinking to the mental limitations that his slow mind could achieve, Daisuke silently walked around the city, following the flow of the crowd as naturally as possible, almost completely blending in. If not for the bright red bowtie, he could pass as a common passerby.

The sun had said its goodbyes by the time Daisuke even realized how bright the moon was. What star’s lights that could escape the light pollution produced by the city lightly sprinkled the sky with bright diamonds. The city lights had become the main attraction, really, as Daisuke was miles more intrigued by the presence of the intricately designed webs of neons and fluorescents than he was with what the store the lights were advertising actually sold. Yet, here he stood, facing an empty lot that had a "SOLD” sign hammered into the middle of the lot. A foundation had been laid, but no actual construction had begun yet.

"There’s more, isn’t there?” Akane asked from beside Daisuke. She had known all along he would come here, because this was the lot where Yuki-kun’s apartment once stood. As the tenants slowly moved out, it became much less an apartment than a shack for the homeless, and now, it was gone for good. "You don’t have to tell me what it is, but there’s definitely more to you than what you told me, right?” Daisuke stood still with an oddly stern complexion for him. His sunglasses had returned to their rightful place, resting on the bridge of his nose, as he listened to his friend talk. She knew his answer, and he knew she knew.

"Hey, Daisuke,” Akane continued, also seemingly staring off into space in the same direction as Daisuke’s gaze, "take care of yourself, okay? Here, give me your cell phone.” She reached for his hand that tightly gripped the white, rectangular phone. Despite his hellish strength, she slipped it away easily from his grasp, opened it, and punched in some numbers before a light jingle was heard from the phone’s speakers. "There you go, now you have my phone number. After seven years, you finally have my phone number. Hehe!” She smiled as she slipped back into his hand the way she had taken it. Daisuke finally turned to face her smiling countenance, taking a mental note of just how nice it looked, especially at night, unblemished by artificial things like make-up.

He opened his phone at glanced at her number. "Why did you give this to me?” he asked matter-of-factly, almost as if he didn’t want it. But the truth was he really wanted it. After seven years, he wanted it more than ever. And now it was his forever.

"I think you’ll need it very soon, Dai-kun,” she replied in the same tone. She knew something he didn’t, apparently, and she wanted to make that very, very obvious to the dumb butler that stood before her. "Take care of yourself, okay Daisuke-kun?” She made eye contact again and smiled lightly before stepping back a few steps and finally turning around and walking into the distance. Daisuke watched, as he did the night before, except this time all he could see was how the lights of the city really made everything above brighter, yet everything below was so much darker. In a matter of seconds, he could no longer see the girl he had sought after for so long, nearly forgotten at once point, but had never once forgotten completely. Suddenly, his phone rang.

"Hello?” he said, answering the call with slight confusion.

"Welcome home, Daisuke-kun,” Akane’s voice answered from the other end of the line. "If you’re lost, just give me a call, alright?” The butler smiled as Akane hung up. Thanks, Akane, he thought.

And so he stood once more, alone, in front of the empty lot. Sold, huh?, Daisuke wondered. What was going to be here? The sign didn’t give much of a clue, and there wasn’t any other company logo standing around, making sure the property wasn’t damaged before the owner came to build it up again. Something odd was going to happen here; here in the city that was once the same day after day, something new was going to happen. Some people would like it, others wouldn’t, but it would forever change the normalcy of the city.

The butler took a mental note of this spot; it just had an eerie aura about it that drew him towards its direction. What the feeling was, he couldn’t say for sure. He wasn’t sure about a lot of things these days. But what was done was done, and Daisuke was well aware of it. Spinning on his heel, he slowly walked off in the same direction as Akane. He melded into the moving crowd of the city, once more just going with the flow of things, letting the night air guide and direct him. There wasn’t much more he could do, yet he felt that staying here was the best decision that he could possibly make at this time.

"Hey, Daisuke, what’s up?” Fuuta answered the call that Daisuke had dialed. "Is everything alright?”

"Yeah. I just wanted you to know I’m going to stay in Ikebukuro long than I originally planned.”

"Haha, I knew you would. Stay safe, alright?” Click.

「I guess I knew it would end this way. Did I trick you... Mom? Dad? By the way, I’m going to find you.」​

[3,809]​