Don't Harass the Fish

I balanced three chip bags and soda bottles as I kicked open my bedroom door. Koyuki was lounging in my chair like she owned it, waving some paper in Kurumi's face while my best friend giggled like a weirdo.

"What's so hilarious about our diplomas?" I dropped the snacks on my bed, shooing Little Shit away before he could snatch them.

"Not diplomas!" Kurumi yanked the paper from Koyuki's hand and held it at me. "Look!"

My eyes scanned the document, catching phrases like "proof of ownership" and "Tokyo Penthouse." A smirk tugged at my lips as I looked up from the paper.

"Hey, you two free today?"

Koyuki froze mid-lean in my chair, nearly tipping over backward. Kurumi glanced up from her spot on the floor, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," they answered in unison.

"Let's go to the penthouse then."

"Now?" Koyuki said.

"Yeah. I've been wanting to surprise Dad."

"That's still an hour just to get there. Plus walking time, and we'd need to head back before-"

"Before sunset. We can make it."

The more I thought about it, the more perfect this felt. Dad had always wanted to live in Tokyo - now I could show him our new place, even if he was currently a crystal thing.

"I mean..." Koyuki hesitated, but I could see her resolve cracking.

"Come on, let's go!" Kurumi bounced up from her spot on the floor. "It'll be a fun little outing!"

The door creaked open and we all turned to stare at Sae, who'd been on call. She froze mid-step, eyes darting between our faces.

"What's going on?"

"Come with us," I said, already reaching for my bag. "We're going on a field trip."

We thundered down the stairs to grab Dad, who was hanging out in the living room attempting to play Waria Kart against Little Shit. Neither of them were doing particularly well, but they seemed to be having fun.

"Hey Dad, want to see something cool? It's a surprise."

Dad's chimes rang with curiosity when he rose to his feet. As we filed out of the apartment, Gran Gran's voice carried from the kitchen: "Don't stay out too late!"

"We won't!" I called back, herding everyone toward the stairs. Little Shit scrambled onto my shoulders, squeaking excitedly about what's to come.

***

I slumped into my seat on the Shinkansen, stretching out my legs as far as the cramped space would allow. My wallet felt lighter after buying five tickets. At least Little Shit counted as a lap child, though explaining that to the ticket agent had been fun.

"Look," Kurumi pointed at the window as we pulled out of the station. "The sky's so clear today!"

But her excitement didn't last long. Within minutes, her head drooped onto Koyuki's shoulder, a snore bubble forming at her nose. Little Shit, curled up in my lap, had his own bubble growing and shrinking in sync with hers. Dad kept reaching over to pop them both, only for new ones to form seconds later.

I caught myself smiling at the scene. A year ago, I would've found this whole situation annoying, being dragged onto a train with a bunch of people. Now...

"How does it feel?" Sae's voice broke through my thoughts. "Being graduates?"

"Oh so fucking happy. No more early mornings, no more studying, no more exams…"

"Is that really how you feel?"

The countryside blurred past the window while I sat with her question. Memories flickered through my mind - Kurumi and her disastrous cooking, Koyuki smacking us with her textbook, even Fujita-sensei and his ever-present coffee can.

No, I didn't want it to end.

***

As soon as we stepped off the Shinkansen, the Tokyo station hit me with a wall of noise and bodies. This was it, the city I'd dreamed about since almost forever.

"Come on, sleeping beauty." Koyuki grunted as she tried to prop up a still-dozing Kurumi.

"Is it far?" I asked.

"Ten minutes normally. Twenty with dead weight here." Koyuki shifted Kurumi's arm around her shoulder. "Ug. Why are you so heavy?"

"I'm not heavy..." Kurumi mumbled, eyes still closed.

The contrast between here and Shibue station hit hard. Back home, you'd hear crickets and maybe catch a stray cat napping. Here? Pure chaos. People rushing everywhere, station workers directing traffic, shops cramming every available space.

Little Shit bounced on my shoulders, his squeaks hitting new octaves of excitement. A massive screen overhead flashed news about Door sightings, but nobody seemed to care. 

We emerged onto the street and my breath caught. Buildings stretched forever upward, their glass surfaces reflecting the afternoon sun. Sure, some showed battle scars from kaiju encounters - a chunk missing here, scorch marks there. But that just made it feel more alive somehow.

"Watch out!" Sae yanked me back as Little Shit launched himself at a food cart, nearly knocking over its array of steaming nikuman.

"Sorry!" I called the vendor, chasing Little Shit. But he'd already scrambled up a lamppost and cross-eyeing, soaking in the city view.

A group of high schoolers walked past, phones out and giggling at Little Shit's antics. No one ran screaming. No military sirens blared. Just another day in the city where anything could happen.

***

After fifteen minutes of trudging through Tokyo's concrete jungle, we finally reached our destination.

The building stretched toward the sky, all sleek angles and tinted windows. A chauffeur stood by the entrance in a crisp black uniform, opening doors for residents like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Inside, the lobby was all black and gold, the kind that screamed "your entire year's salary went into that single wall tile".

Take that, Mizuki-senpai. Your Chirper photos had nothing on this.

"Ooooh, fishies!" Kurumi pressed her face against the massive aquarium at the center of the lobby. Little Shit mimicked her pose, his nose squished flat against the glass as exotic fish swam past.

Dad joined in, tapping the glass like a kid.

"Don't harass the fish," Sae muttered, grabbing both Kurumi and Dad and hauling them back.

Koyuki approached the receptionist and came back moments later with a key.

"Well, this is it."

"Let's go, let's go!" Kurumi bounced toward the elevators, Little Shit copying her excited hops, and the rest of us trailed after them.

I blinked at the elevator panel as Koyuki pressed the button marked "31."

"How did you even-"

"I have my ways."

The elevator shot upward thirty-one floors. We were really doing this.

The doors opened to a single door at the end of a pristine hallway. Koyuki's key clicked in the lock, and before I could process what was happening, Kurumi and Little Shit had already zoomed past me.

"Couch test time!" She launched herself onto a large leather couch. Little Shit followed suit, bouncing from cushion to cushion while making excited squeaks.

"Hot tub," Koyuki announced.

"There's a hot-" I started, but she was already gone.

Sae walked straight to what looked like a control panel by the floor-to-ceiling windows. With click, the electronic blinds began rising. Light flooded the room as the view slowly revealed itself:

Mt. Fuji rose majestically in the distance, its snow-capped peak piercing the sky. A few Doors hung in the air between us and the mountain, a stark contrast against the clear blue sky. But somehow, they only made the whole scene feel even more surreal.

I pulled a worn photo from my pocket - something I wasn't sure I'd ever show it to anyone again.

Mom smiled up at me from behind the creases, her eyes bright despite the hospital gown she wore. I'd taken this picture the day before she passed - the last time I saw her smile.

I placed the photo on a sleek side table by the window, angling it so Mom could see Mt. Fuji. Dad moved beside me. He stood motionless, staring at Mom's photo for what felt like forever. Then, slowly, he turned back to the mountain view.

We stood there together, Dad and I, watching Mt. Fuji while Mom's smile watched with us.