Calando

Chapter 7 - Calando

The group agreed to go to Akiko’s and then Emiko’s place next, because both of their homes were close to each other; they could tick off two instantly, and then they agreed to go on a longer journey to Amaya’s house, which was a four hour walk away. 

The apartment complex Akiko lived in was very similar to Haruto and Michi’s, except that it was smaller. They reached it after a short walk. Chang-min, Emiko, Haruto and Michi sat down in the living room, while Amaya followed Akiko to her room.

If I actually think about it, I’m gonna enter my girlfriend's room! It’s so weird to be able to say that. Although we won’t stay for long…

The room still had a bunch of cardboard boxes, hinting at Akiko’s recent move. It was an ordinary room, with not much in it besides CDs, clothes and sheet music. Amaya looked around the room as Akiko went over to her table to get her laptop. After a couple of minutes of Akiko getting a few things, they were swiftly done and headed back.

“Is that all you need?” Amaya asked.

“Yep. I’m ready.”

They similarly wandered to Emiko’s place and did the same there, then got ready for the longer walk. As they were steadily making progress, they came across a ramen shop..

“Wait, guys, I really want to go in and see what it's like inside,” Emiko said.

“You mean the kitchen and behind-the-scenes stuff?” Chang-min asked.

“Yeah. Aren’t you guys curious a little bit? I used to come here a lot, and they had delicious ramen, but I always wondered what it was like to make them.”

“Sure. We’re on a journey, so we should try to enjoy every bit,” Akiko stated.

“I’m curious as well.”

“I don’t mind.”

“Might as well.”

Amaya, Haruto and Michi joined, respectively. They entered the restaurant and it was just as desolate as everything else outside. Everyone followed Emiko as she went inside the kitchen.

“Why do you guys think there’s still working water and electricity?” Akiko asked.

“No clue,” Amaya replied.

“I think it could stop working anytime. I don’t know how that stuff works, though,” Chang-min commented.

It was just an ordinary kitchen really, with some tools Amaya never even saw before, and different machines from what one might expect in a home. Other than that, it was comparably a big area with lots of space to work in, probably for five to eight people at the same time. Amaya looked in Emiko’s direction, where she was going through the cabinets and fridge.

“There are a bunch of ingredients here,” Emiko exclaimed. “Does anyone know how to make ramen?”

Amaya shrugged, and everyone else remained silent.

“I guess not. It’s a cool place to see, though.”

“Yep. I can just imagine the chefs and workers in front of me as they used to go on with their daily lives,” Akiko described her imagination.

“Yeah, but now they’re gone,” Amaya said.

I still don’t understand how everyone just disappeared. There’s no way everyone just died. There must be people out there, and we must’ve missed something. There was that one suspicious guy we met, but other than him, nothing so far…

“Well, that was less exciting than I thought it would be. Sorry, guys,” Emiko apologized.

“No worries, at least we saw something new. Let’s move on,” Haruto said.

Michi seemed uninterested as she was the first to go out; then Amaya, Akiko, Chang-min and Emiko soon followed.

It was around 3AM when they reached Amaya’s house in the suburban outskirts of Tokyo. The breeze was comfortably chilly, making the weather pleasant rather than bearable. Everyone was knackered when they finally stepped foot inside Amaya’s home.

“I need to catch my breath.” Haruto sat down on the doorstep.

“I’m gonna faint…” Michi lay in the middle of the hallway.

“My legs are done,” Akiko murmured as she flopped on the first couch in sight.

“We still have to make sure to block the windows, so don’t fall asleep yet,” Amaya warned them.

“You’re surprisingly fit for someone who doesn’t play sports, Amaya-san,” Emiko commented.

“I used to go running every now and then.”

“Ooh, that’s diligent of you.”

“Not really, I could’ve done way more, but thanks for the compliment.”

Everyone got back up to extend their energy for one final stretch, which was, of course, blocking the windows properly. After having done that, the group practically collapsed in the living room, falling asleep fast at their recently made sleeping quarters.

When Amaya woke up in the afternoon, Akiko was missing from beside her, making Amaya a bit worried. She got up feeling lightheaded and stepped outside of her living room to look for Akiko. Amaya walked down the hallway all the way to the bathroom, where Akiko was staring back and forth between the sink and the mirror.

“Everything all right?” Amaya asked.

“The water stopped coming,” Akiko answered.

“From the sink?”

Akiko nodded.

“We’ll have to be more careful to preserve our supplies then.”

“Yeah. What about you? There was no one in the house.”

“I’m all right. I expected it.”

They both looked at the ground worriedly when Amaya decided to grab Akiko’s hand.

“Come with me for a second.”

Amaya led Akiko to her room. Amaya’s room was a typical anime fan’s room with bookshelves containing manga, light novels and artbooks, along with a couple of figurines, plus other merch scattered throughout the room, and posters on the walls.

“So this is your room…” Akiko murmured.

“Yep. It was only right that I showed you mine as well."

"It's pretty neat. Do you have the books for that show you were talking about?"

“Yeah, it’s over here. It’s eight volumes in total. If you’re interested, I can lend it to you, of course.”

“I would love to read it, so thanks!” Akiko walked over to Amaya’s bed in the meantime. “But anyway, you have a really comfy bed.”

“Yeah, I…” Amaya was about to say something when a pillow flew at her face. “Oh? Are you asking for a pillow fight, Akiko-chan?”

“I’ve never had one, so…” Akiko implied the answer was yes.

There were a couple of pillows on Amaya’s bed, so Akiko continued to throw them at the standing Amaya. Amaya dodged one and got hit with another, then she countered by throwing one at Akiko. However, the pillow Amaya threw was a distraction. 

In fact, she picked up one of the pillows Akiko threw at her and charged ahead with it, jumping on her bed. Akiko got caught off guard but managed to block Amaya’s swing with her pillow at the last second. This caused Akiko to lose balance and fall back on the bed on her back, leading to her pillow falling out of her hand. 

As Akiko tried reaching for the lost pillow, Amaya took advantage of the opening to hold Akiko’s hand down, which resulted in Amaya ending up on top of Akiko.

“It’s my win,” Amaya declared before she realized the position they were in was actually quite intimate. The realization froze her and made her stare into Akiko’s eyes, which were showing similar confusion and affection towards Amaya.

What should I do? This is the perfect timing to go in for a kiss, isn’t it? But is it all right to get carried away in the heat of the moment? We haven’t known each other for that long… But it’s the end of the world… Nevertheless, I want to kiss her! This is the perfect chance for our first kiss.

Just as Amaya sorted out her thoughts, Akiko closed her eyes, signaling that she was thinking similarly and that she was ready. Amaya was determined as she made up her mind and started leaning in when all of a sudden, the door shot open and a familiar figure emerged from the hallway.

“There’s no electricity or water!” It was Michi shouting in a panic.

Her messy hair implied that she had just recently woken up and found out about their newest problem. She froze in shock at the doorstep. Behind her, Emiko also nonchalantly entered the room.

“Ooooh, I didn’t know you two were like that,” Emiko smugly grinned, teasing the two.

Amaya and Akiko awkwardly stared at Michi and Emiko with reddened faces as they clumsily managed to move their bodies off of each other, with Amaya even rolling off of the bed at the opposite side.

Surprisingly, though, the one who was most embarrassed wasn’t Amaya or Akiko, but Michi instead. Her head was practically a pomegranate, ready to explode at any second.

“What unholy acts are you trying to do with everyone in the house!? AT LEAST LOCK THE DOOR!” Michi yelled in the highest pitch she could and ran off.

“Wait! We were just having a pillow fight!” Akiko tried salvaging the situation, but to no avail, since Emiko’s grin just got wider at that.

“Sorry about that; I’ll calm her down. She has such an innocent heart… Anyway, we’ll give you two some time and space~” She closed the door slowly as she was gesturing something like a wave, which meant something more like ’Don’t worry about it’.

“Uuuugh…” Amaya moaned face-down on the floor.

They ruined it… I’m so ashamed that I just wanna hide curled up in a corner…

******

Akiko’s thoughts were also in a frenzy.

We were about to do it, right? All the way, right…? My heart was pounding like crazy! That was so embarrassing! Better that they came in before it actually happened, though… Next time I’ll lock the door for sure!

After calming down a bit, Akiko and Amaya ended up following the others back down to the living room, where their awkward mood didn’t really change, although the boys seemed unaware. 

Michi also seemed to have relaxed, likely thanks to Emiko’s efforts. Their next discussions were not gonna be about intimate relationships between girls, however; hence it was time to discuss their new issues instead.