Tokyo Days Part II: To Sparkle, Even for Only a Moment

Alarms began to ring at six in the morning. Groans of defiance drifted up from beneath the sheets as the friends began to wake. True to their word, they committed to the bit and began to rise to get ready for their first days at work. Shiona and Kureha shared a shower while the boys snoozed a little longer, and Rin began to prepare breakfast and lunches for all of them.

Rin smiled to herself as she began to dice vegetables with a brand new santoku, reveling in the chance to hold cutlery of a caliber she’d only dreamt of before that moment.

Soon the boys were waking and murmuring joking curses at the rising sun as it pierced through the curtains. Arata made his way into the kitchen and wrapped Rin in his arms as the scent of brewing coffee pulled him into full consciousness. Sounds of hair dryers blowing at full power told the boys that Kureha and Shiona were out of the shower. With that, Riku and Kai entered and began to rinse themselves in preparation. Jokes and excited aspirations rose above the steam of the water as the four of them continued their morning routine.

Arata waited for the others to finish before hopping in with Rin for a quick rinse while the rice cooker continued its labor towards its timer ending. Then they were all in the dining area, eating together while work clothes were pulled on in a hurried frenzy. Kureha and Arata helped Kai and Riku fix their ties before giving the group one final look of approval.

“Line up for goodbye kisses!” Rin commanded with a clap.

The friends all stood in a single-file line with smiles as they received their lunches, words of affirmation, and kisses from Rin. With that, they were off. The train station was a short walk away. Kai and Kureha were heading to Tokyo Station. Riku’s destination was Jimbocho. Shiona and Arata were heading south to Shimbashi Station.

Each group set out on their respective lines, bidding their friends farewell and good luck as joyous excitement took over the exhaustion in their bodies. Shiona and Arata’s train was the last to leave, and once it arrived, the two of them boarded with a smile. Back in the hotel suite, Rin sat on the living room floor and wept secret tears of somber gratitude. The tears came as heavy sobs, but she found herself smiling all the while. Minutes passed and she felt a lightness descend onto her shoulders. She wiped her makeup and continued to plan her lunch route for the others, who would soon be sending her their schedules and locations.

Each friend had a starter destination where they would finalize their orientations and plan their career scenario. Fees scaled based on the caliber of job and requirement of staff or actors needed. The young and aspirational would-be workers arrived at their orientations and were presented with binders of options and waivers. Kureha watched Kai receive his package, then bid him farewell as she entered Tokyo Station once more to find her ideal filming location.

Hours later, paperwork was complete and the four friends were now ‘employed’. Riku was a cataloguer for a rare bookshop in Jimbocho. Kai was a manager at an upscale coffee shop. Arata was a financial analyst for a major international equity firm. And Shiona was a field marketing manager for a commercial real estate firm.

Books lined the walls of dozens of shops around Riku. Stacks of aged paperbacks sat waiting for him to organize. People laughed and chatted and hustled about in Kai’s coffee shop as he began to field orders. Spreadsheets were open and tabbed on Arata’s three computer monitors. Glass doors slid closed behind Shiona as she sat at her modern desk and reviewed a folder of various proposals for a new mixed-use development while the city sprawled out beneath her. Kureha wandered the labyrinth of Tokyo Station as she searched for her perfect spot that would be noticeable yet also out of the way. Rin drew adorable pictures on a single sheet of paper and hid them as she wrapped the group’s bento boxes in furoshiki.

Riding the train alone was a pleasant surprise for Rin as she watched the quiet passengers drift in and out of sleep as they rushed to appointments or made-up events. Beside her, a young couple silently read together. A middle-aged man watched videos on his phone of a baseball game from many years ago. All around her, life almost felt normal.

It was noon before any of them could realize, and soon Rin was making her way to their designated meetup points. Each time, she would greet her rushed, tired friend with a kiss and a bento box, and hear their excited stories of their first few hours. Riku gave her an old cookbook from San Francisco. Kai gave her a fresh matcha latte. Shiona invited her up to her office to sit in her office chair.

Hearing and seeing them all full of joy gave her a wave of melancholy relief. She was saving Arata for last before returning to Tokyo Station to connect with Kureha.

Arata’s office building was a towering complex in Chiyoda that looked out at an ancient moat that was now a leisure boating destination. Rin waited for her husband at the edge of the water’s overlook as she admired the dozens of boats floating below.

“Want to eat there?” Arata asked from behind.

Rin turned to see him running to her with a full smile. His suit was well-fitted for being straight off the rack. His hair was styled to the side still, and his tie was blowing across his chest.

Rin jumped in his arms and kissed his head.

“I’d love that,” she replied.

Thus the two of them shared a few quiet minutes down in the water surrounded by other drifting couples and salary workers. Deep in her heart, Rin prayed the world might end right then and there. It would have been a lovely way to end. When time continued and Arata’s break alarm began to sound, the two of them returned to the building lobby to share one more quick goodbye kiss. Arata reached into his pocket and retrieved a single business card with his name on it.

“Look at this,” he said as he handed it to her.

“Oh!” she gasped as tears formed in her eyes.

She received the card with both hands and a small bow.

“You can pay a little extra to get these made, so I grabbed one this morning for you. Look, I’m a research analyst,” he said through tears.

Drops fell from her eyes and onto the paper.

“We made it, Rin,” he whispered.

“I’m so happy,” she cried as she crumpled into his arms.

His lips met hers once more, and he departed as Rin clasped the card to her chest like the sacred treasure it was. For her, it was an artifact from the future that had traveled through time to gift her a brief image of their alternate life together. She took a picture of the office tower on her phone and then set off for Tokyo Station.

Once she was at the overwhelming station, hundreds of bodies shuffled by her every second as she tried to find her way to Kureha. She got lost twice and eventually had to make her way back to the surface to reorient her phone. Eventually, she found Kureha.

Kureha had set up a single chair near a large planter area in a courtyard. Massive palms and birds of paradise leaned over the chair and framed the scene in pleasant green. Kureha’s camera was on a tripod facing the chair. Kureha was bent over nearby, writing on a few sheets of paper. As Rin approached, she began to read Kureha’s signs.

“Tell the world your best advice or your biggest secret?” Rin asked as she approached.

“What do you think?” Kureha asked as she turned to her friend.

“I love it. It’s very you. This is a good spot, too.”

“Just out of the way to not be annoying, but still very visible,” said Kureha.

“Any interviews yet?” asked Rin.

Kureha shook her head.

“I just got set up, so not yet.”

Rin looked around for a moment, then smiled.

“I’ll be your first. I know I’ve already done an interview with you, but I can give you my best advice!” she offered.

“Not your biggest secret?” grinned Kureha.

“Well, my biggest secret is that I’m married at eighteen and I sleep with all of my friends,” Rin laughed.

“Fair. I already know that. And loooooove it,” laughed Kureha.

Rin set down Kureha’s lunch and made her way to the chair. Once she sat, Kureha began to adjust the height of the tripod and handed her phone to Rin to use as a microphone. Then they were ready.

“Now? Okay!” said Rin as she inhaled.

Thoughts of the day and the recent weeks rushed by her, and the familiar sting of tears returned once more.

“Don’t stop, keep filming,” she whispered to Kureha.

It was nearly impossible to take account of all that she felt and knew now in her heart. Simplicity won the day, and she simply looked at the camera and said;

“My best advice? Cherish the small, fleeting moments. They make up life. Cherish the hardships and the good times. Cherish the ones you love and the ones who love you. Cherish life.”