Wake Up, Pt. 1

We sat in silence. It was me, Minoru, and the celebration girl - Erina Takanishi. My phone said 21:00. Everyone had already left, except strangely for Yamaki and Mai. Those two lived pretty nearby. I’m surprised I haven’t seen Yamaki around here, to be honest. As for the rest, they all texted us when they arrived home safely. You never know what weirdos you might encounter in the ‘quiet’ city of Nagoya.

It was a nice few hours. You might be wondering, why didn't I talk about the social gathering? Firstly - it was of little importance. Just playing. You probably know that I could describe the dullest thing on this dull planet. Which is American fast food (sorry). But let me return back before I go on a tangent.

There wasn’t really much to say. It was just a bit of niceties and a grand meal. They all ordered curry from an Indian couple nearby. You might think there’s not much to separate between curries from home and Indian-style curries… but holy hell - there really is a grand difference between the two. It was a warm orange chunky concoction that had been blessed with a diverse range of spices. Look, you name it, they’re in it. Unexpectedly, they don’t have much coconut milk curries where they’re from in India or they’re not popular.

Guess that’s a Thai thing? I’m not sure. Either way, it was a masterfully crafted dish. I could sing to the heavens how great that meal was. Paired with the same bird and tree engraved dishes that our family gave to them - it was home in essence.

Which is why I didn’t really talk about it. That’s it. If you really want some notable things from here,

I made a few jokes with Maipie. But that’s really scratching the definition of ‘notable.’ I think I called her a ‘purple bomb’, which I don’t even know what really means or entails, and then she called me a ‘grey salaryman.’ A tad bit cruel, but we move on. Hopefully, that doesn’t stick, but knowing the trickster that is Mai Ohara, it’s coming to my name, even if I do some Bohemian-type occupation.

Speaking of our current situation, me and Minoru were sitting in her bedroom. Tired and our backs laid on the wall.

The illusion of silence was then shattered by Nishi-chan.

“So, how you getting home Minoru-san?”

Minoru-san stuttered for a slight moment but responded. “I wanted to take the bus, but I think my dad would be a bit annoyed with me coming late. He’d think I’d be back up to no good.”

I, reading between the lines, assumed his dad thought he could be going back to his ‘criminal’ ways. But, I never really understood that. Apart from being sometimes hard-headed and with this stern aura in school, Minoru was actually a nice guy. And not the stereotype. I mean, this guy heeds my advice (sometimes) and he’s sensible when it comes to many things. I can’t imagine this guy being what he described when he was a bit younger. No way things are bad that they’re grooming 11 or 12-year-olds to patrol the streets like they’re active soldiers.

But, you never know.

The best way to learn more about a subculture is through their music. I typed ‘Cambodian gang music’ and showed Minoru a song. I think it was called ‘Raskal?’ He looked angry with me and suddenly spoke in English. I don’t think he was particularly pleased with me showing him that. That said, he kept on saying ‘blue’ in his sentences.

Back to the conversation at hand.

“Ah, that sounds like your average parent. Always nosey!” Nishi-chan gave a slight chuckle, almost to relieve everyone in the room. “Is your mom working at this hour?”

“My mom is dead.”

Nishi-chan’s face froze. She hurriedly apologised and Minoru kept telling her it’s fine. Both of them were flailing their arms for two different reasons. There were many “It’s fine!” and “I’m so sorry!” between the two of them.

I sat wondering when did it get so awkward between me and Nishi-chan? Just an hour ago she was borderline dancing with me over some sappy J-pop song. I say dancing with me, like we were equals, but I was more like standing and she one-sidedly pranced around with her arms in the air. She might need to improve her choreography skills if she wants to be a pop singer.

Nishi-chan reset the conversation.

“So, how are you getting home anyways, Minoru-san?”

Minoru looked at Nishi-chan, with a little tinge of embarrassment. I don’t know why he’d be embarrassed looking at a pure ball of sugary and devilish energy. Maybe it’s because his mind has been brainwashed by her beauty. Or, I might just be waffling.

He gave a slight cough and paused for a moment. “I’m going on the subway,” Next, he must have realized that Nishi-chan got a bit concerned because he tried to say, “Don’t worry, I live near my station, I'll be fine.”

“There are definitely weirdos around, right? You might as well stay over at Honzo's, right Honzo-kun?”

Woah. When did we get here? Firstly, the man says it’s fine so it must be fine. Secondly, Minoru is probably one of those weirdos himself! Nah, just joking to myself.

“I don’t mind, but if Minoru-san’s fine with going home, then he’s fine, right?”

Nishi-chan, looking a bit down towards the floor, said “I guess…”

Back to awkward silence.

Yeah.

I’m going to attempt to describe her room because I’m that bored. Sometimes you gotta make the mundane less mundane. In other words, mystify the known. Which is a bit impossible. It’s just a normal Japanese schoolgirl’s room.

Umm… how do I do that?

Time to flex my excellent skills.

The area between the four corners of this box was rather… secure, shall we say? Plentiful possessions dotted throughout Nishi-chan’s bedroom. Her bed could be only best described as an unsullied frame of lavender and pink flower ornate. A cotton flower bed. There were posters of several K-pop and J-pop idols all throughout the room. All judging me. Many of them looked all the same. Unkempt, black and long-haired. Similarly, they were slender and tall. You could argue that this is Nishi-chan’s type of guy she likes.

It terrifies me to have this many fake eyes staring at you. Yep. It’s as disconcerting as drinking green tea but it turns out it’s your sister’s nail polish remover.

Too specific? There’s a good reason for that. We do not talk about past events.

Hmm, it appears the awkward silence is now approaching 10 seconds. That’s double digits of pure zero decibels. As scientists know, the equation for awkwardness involves the exponential of seconds. The longer it goes, the more intense and impactful awkwardness becomes. Even the word looks awkward. Awkward is awkward.

Maybe I should start a cult called the Awkward Club? Or is that too close to Fight Club? My thoughts are running wild like a kid in the summer afternoons. You know what? I’ll embrace it. Awkwardness and boredom fuel the creativity in our lives to do something.

Too bad I’m not creative.

I spoke up. “So, what are your plans after high school, Nishi-chan? Last time we spoke about it, you seemed to forget about saying you were portraying acting.”

A bit too aggressive or confrontational, me! Stop!

She gave a self-conscious response. Yes, I really did have to find a similar word to awkward. I’ve thought that word so much that it’s a world record.

“I really wasn’t lying when I wanted to go to the same uni with you.”

“Oh. Fair enough. Are you just doing the acting as a side hustle then or you just wanted to do it?”

Even somewhat hardened Minoru-san must’ve been a bit on edge.

“Heh. Just wanted to be noticed, that's all.”

I laughed a little. Nice quip. “Guess the attention of our school body isn’t enough. We need Nishinto. Is that a bit blasphemous? Can you even be blasphemous with Shinto?”

“Blasphemous?” Nishi-chan said with an amused tone. “It’s literally the 2020s. Why would anyone care?” I could physically feel the Minoru cringe. And I really mean it. This is a man who is so Buddhist that he has a taboo tattoo of Buddha on his chest.

On second thought, he's very blasphemous!

“Come on Nishi-chan, you never know. My calling might be outside what the modern-day world wants.”

She responded to me, directly to my face. “You really like saying things you watch on YouTube.”

That stung.

“Okay, Erina Takanishi. You still watch lore videos on dramas. Can’t you just… read on a fan wiki? You’re savvy enough to care about niche things but need someone to tell you something you can read.”

She curled into a ball, a little embarrassed we were having a playful argument in front of a third person. Sorry, Minoru-san.

“Okay, Mr. I Refuse To Play Video Games With Erina Because I’m Worse Than Her.”

That was a wordy comeback. Not even particularly good.

“Yeah, but who usually gets called the -chan suffix? Checkmate. Respect your elders, please.”

Nishi-chan was half-fuming, half-laughing. “I’m literally a few minutes younger than you!?!”

She can stop hitting me like it’s an anime scene between the protagonist and a love interest. No one is tsundere in real life. I also hate the fact people genuinely describe -dere personalities in real life.

Minoru-san decided to head out. “I think I’ll just take leave now. My dad is texting me, wondering where I’m at.”

I responded to him and said, “That’s fine. Have a good night, Minoru-san.” Nishi-chan went up to Minoru and hugged him and said, “Thanks for coming Minoru! Have a safe trip and a good night.”

“Thanks, you two. I’ll be safe. Have a good night.”

He left the room, leaving just us two in the bedroom.