World of Normalcy

One afternoon, Haruna bounded up to her desk, her own sleek smartphone in hand.

“Suzuha-chan, look, look! You have to see this! A new movie just dropped!” She showed Suzuha a vibrant image of an anime character. A girl with sharp, silver hair and determined obsidian eyes, wielding a glowing sword. 

“The movie is called Obsidian Halo! It’s super popular. And guess what? The main character’s name is Suzuha, too! It’s from a series… Do you want to watch it, and maybe after it we can watch the movie together this weekend?”

Suzuha stared at the screen. The other Suzuha looked powerful. Not like her, who is a try-hard at everything, trying to be perfect, loved…

“She’s the strongest ever,” Haruna gushed. “You’d love her.”

Suzuha looks at Haruna. “I want to, but… I don’t know where to watch it…” She looks down, worried that it will ruin Haruna’s mood.

“I see… Don’t worry then, Suzuha-chan. I will find a way!”

The next day, Haruna handed her a blank disc with ‘Obsidian Halo Ep 1-12 + OVA’ written on it in marker. “Here! You have to watch it now! I got it from my dad.”

Suzuha looked at the disc in her hand. “I don’t have a television, Haruna.”

Haruna’s smile faltered for a second, then returned, twice as bright. “Oh! Well, we’ll figure something out!”

Suzuha chuckled, “Well, I’m sorry that I keep bothering you.”

That ‘something’ arrived on a Saturday afternoon in the form of Haruna’s father carrying a small, boxy CRT television.

Suzuha stood frozen in her doorway. “Sir, I… I cannot accept this. I don’t know how to repay this…”

“Nonsense,” he said, his voice warm. He carefully set it down just inside her room. 

“It was just sitting in our storage room. It’s quite sad for a hardworking girl like you to have no entertainment besides an old game console. Haruna told me you always come home so late from your job. You deserve a little break.”

She stared at the television, then at his earnest face.

Her mother would tell her to refuse, to maintain her independence. But another part of her, a smaller, quieter part, recognized the kindness. Refusing would be… disadvantageous.

She bowed her head slightly. “...Thank you. I am in your debt.”

He just chuckled. “Just enjoy the show, Suzuha-chan.” He then proceeded to explain how the TV works before leaving.

That night her tiny room was filled with light and sound. She watched the other Suzuha, the anime Suzuha, fight with impossible strength and unwavering resolve. It was an escape she never knew she needed.

“IMPERIAL MIRAGE!” The Suzuha on screen said, followed by a barrage of light power from the sky, defeating everything in 1 simple gesture.

That is so cool…

At school, she overheard the boys in the back of the class arguing about who’s better, Obsidian Halo, Pearl Halo, or Ivory Halo.

“No, Obsidian can’t beat Pearl! Pearl’s power is too strong, and it stated her lance won’t miss any target!” one of them insisted.

Without thinking, Suzuha spoke from her desk, her voice clear. “Idiot, Obsidian can definitely one-shot that puny thing Pearl calls a shield.”

“HUH?! Oh, you’re in for a fight now, Suzu. You don’t understand how strong Pearl really is.”

“Just let it go, Kazuyoshi. We all know Obsidian is the strongest. Pearl is just popular because she’s the cutest.”

“HOW DARE YOU ALSO, RAMU!”

“But wait a minute…” Kazuyoshi looks at Suzuha. “You also watch anime?”

Suzuha nods. “Just that, cause the MC is me.”

Yuunosuke lets out a small laugh. “I mean, you’re not wrong. But Obsidian is still number 2 in strength for me, and Ivory is number 1, baby. Obsi-chan can’t use her power if Ivory uses her void field.”

“That thing takes half of the episode to be activated; at that time Obsidian will kill her easily.” Suzuha responds back.

“W—! It doesn’t matter if it actually did!”

Like usual, Suzuha found herself pulled into a conversation that wasn’t about school or work. They didn’t care that her uniform was faded or that she never bought lunch herself. They just thought it was cool that she knew the cheat codes to old games and had opinions on the best fight scene in Obsidian Halo.

They were her friends. She wasn’t sure when it happened, but it did.

One evening, Haruna’s father saw Suzuha returning from her new part-time job as a family restaurant waitress, specifically at the one that Haruna’s grandma owns. It paid better than cleaning and was less strenuous.

“Coming home late again, Suzuha-chan?” he asked gently.

Haruna, who was with him, chimed in. “She’s always like this, Dad. Suzuha always works harder than anyone I know, and she’s still the smartest person in our entire grade! Her scores are always 100! I’m really glad I’m her friend.”

Suzuha just offered a small nod, unsure how to respond to the praise. “Thanks for letting me work there.”

“It’s nothing, really. My mother said she needed a new waitress, and when Haruna said you needed another job, I knew it was fate.”

Suzuha nods again before going to her apartment.

Later that night, after her shift and her homework, she sat on her futon. Haruna’s mom’s cooking was in her stomach. The gifted television hummed softly, playing the ending theme of her show. Her phone buzzed with a message from her friends, the boys: 

“@Suzu, please teach me how to become good, master! This boss is so hard.”

Suzu smiled and gave Atsuto an actual tip before turning off the phone again.

She looked around her small, bare room. She looks at the university scholarship, the one she got after winning a science tournament they made. The future was still a mountain to be climbed.

1 year left, huh? I want to say it’s close, but I know it’s still a long way. Thankfully I am already accepted, lucky me.

A sudden knock is heard; she quickly opens the door. “Ah, Mr. Motoki.” The landlord. Despite his age, he still looks healthy.

He looks up at her. “Suzuha-chan, your rent is this much now…” He said, giving a paper.

“Ah, I see, rent, huh...” Suzuha unfolded it. Her brows knit immediately.

“…This is wrong. Thirty thousand became… six?” She looked up sharply, eyes narrowing. “Why is it so low?”

Motoki scratched his head, looking almost guilty. “I know, I know. But… I heard from the neighbors, and I see you work hard also. You don’t have parents, so you work hard, school and night shift. I can’t sit and watch. I don’t need the money so much now… so I thought, maybe I could help you a little.”

Suzuha froze, paper trembling in her hand. “Help me? By making me a beggar among everyone else here?” She asked with a sharp tone. “If you lower mine, what about theirs? Do you think they’ll feel good knowing the girl next door pays one-fifth of what they do?”

Motoki sighed, “You’re different, Suzuha-chan. Everyone can see it. You’re carrying too much for a girl your age. You shouldn’t—”

But Suzuha shook her head, “No. I’ll pay in full. Don’t change the rules for me. I don’t want favors. Not from you, not from anyone. I already had enough debt to pay.”

Motoki looked at her for a moment before finally nodding with a resigned smile. “Stubborn girl. Just like my daughter was.” He turned away. “Fine then. I won’t push. You better pay your rent in time this time.”

“Don’t worry, I will.”

Suzuha closed the door slowly. She leaned her forehead against the wood for a second before stepping back into her tiny room.

Her phone buzzed again.

Kazuyoshi: “@Suzu, teach me also, master!! This boss is cheating, I swear.”
Yuunosuke: “She won’t. She’s probably laughing at you rn lol.”
Ramu: “Focus on mechanics. Potions are not infinite resources, idiot.”
Atsuto: “Seriously though, Suzu, I need a tip for phase 3. He one-shots me.”

Suzuha smirked faintly, thumbs tapping as she sent Atsuto the exact combo chain he needed. She ignored the others, turned the phone face down, and stretched out.

“Yup, time to go to sleep.”