Wishing For Excitement

“In the Heike Monogatari….”

‘Seems like nothing exciting is going to happen today either,’ thought Tomoki to himself as he looked out the window of the classroom. He stared listlessly outside the same window at the same tall oak tree in the same old yard basking in the same daily sunlight with the same usual breeze pushing lazily at its leaves here and there. Tomoki wasn’t wishing for excitement per se, in fact he didn’t mind the same predictable routine that left no room for unnecessary anxiety, yet at the same time he couldn’t help but wish for something to add a little spice to his daily routine. It didn’t have to be anything big or worthwhile—just a little jolt to make him feel something other than constant boredom!

That being said, Tomoki had lived a safe and predictable normal life his entire life. He gets up in the morning and eats a normal breakfast before going to school on weekdays and watches TV with his breakfast on weekends. He was a casual fan of music, a casual fan of anime, a casual fan of movies, a casual fan of fashion, and a casual fan of books and manga. If there was anything that he could claim to be passionate about was his desire to live a meaningful life. He doesn’t know yet what that exactly means, but it is this very desire that has led him to live by himself in Kyōto from his hometown in Kobe.

“Motoki-san!” called the teacher from the board.

“Yes!” yelped Tomoki in answer. The entire class snickered.

“Since you like to not pay attention to my class, I guess you must already know the answer to the question then,” came the teacher with a cruel smile. “Tell me, in the Heike Monogatari, in which province was the ascetic Mongaku exiled to by Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa?” asked the teacher with a sneer.

“Izu,” simply answered Tomoki confidently.

“That’s…correct,” said the teacher. “Even though you are passing this class with a very high grade, I highly advise you to pay attention while in class. Or are my lectures too boring for you?”

“Of course not, sir! I’ll pay attention from now on!” replied Tomoki sincerely.

Class finally came to an end and Tomoki got ready to head home. Just as he swung his bag over his shoulders, he was suddenly approached by his childhood friend Tōga Wataru. The two friends, despite being together since their shared childhood years in Kobe, couldn’t be anymore different.

Motoki Tomoki was a tall and somewhat muscular guy with neck-length black hair and long bangs. His eyes were the color of dull jade with his left one covered by his bangs; a small mole lay underneath his right eye. He wore a silver ear cuff on his left ear. Because of his appearance, he often gives people the impression that he was one of three things: a delinquent; a member of some underground music scene, a freak. People are often scared of him and rarely interacts with him—in fact, Tomoki has no other allies in school besides his two childhood friends. This negative image of him was only exacerbated by his personality: lack of enthusiasm, always depressed or wearing some kind of related expression, rarely interacting with others, perceived laziness, and constantly glaring at others for no apparent reason at all. This could not be further from the truth! Tomoki is in reality a kind-hearted, good-natured human being with a strong set of morals and a hard-working attitude—otherwise, how else could he be the third-ranked student in the entire school! He was just getting a little tired of his life and the mundanity of it all!

On the other hand, Tōga Wataru was a very handsome young man who was only shorter than Tomoki by a few neglible millimeters. He had medium glossy brown hair and piercing amethyst eyes. His skin was a light tan beloved by the sun, and he had a perfectly chiseled athletic body, as expected from the captain of the soccer club. His right ear carried a small earring that only added to his stylish appearance. Wataru draws in the eyes of everyone in any room he occupies. Girls love him, boys admire him, the elderly praise him, teachers respect him…what else is there to say about this young man? His personality was also one well-deserving of love and admiration: friendly, kind, helpful, generous, charitable, gracious. If there was any negative that can be said about him…it would be his fear of cats.

“Yo, Tomo, got any plans today?” asked Wataru with a smile.

“Nothing today,” replied Tomoki.

“Then what do you say you, me, and Junko go to karaoke?” suggested Wataru.

“Eh, Wataru-kun is going to karaoke? Can we go?” immediately butted in one of the girls in class.

“I’m sorry, ladies, but today’s a personal day for me,” apologized Wataru. “How about we go together next time? My treat!”

“If that’s the case, then we’ll take you up on your offer,” accepted the girl with a giggle. She left the classroom with her friends, the group giggling the entire time.

“Do you ever get tired of being popular?” asked Tomoki jokingly.

“It’s not about being popular, it’s about being friendly,” corrected Wataru with a laugh.

“Whatever you say, Mr. Friendly,” said Tomoki with a shrug.

“Geez, why do you always have to be so unbearably negative?” came Junko, joining the boys in the midst of their playful banter.

Suwabe Junko, the class representative and a model student. She is also Tomoki’s other childhood friend. She stood up to Tomoki’s neck and had short purplish black hair in a bob with bangs. Her eyes were a bright emerald and shone under the classroom’s lights. With smooth skin that was neither too fair nor too tan and a well-developed figure, Junko was held as an unattainable beauty by the boys of the school. What makes her even more unattainable has to do with her personality: strict, responsible, mature, no-nonsense, tough. Of course, this was all part of the image she tries to cultivate for herself to prepare for adulthood and does not reflect her entire being at all. In fact, only Tomoki and Wataru are aware of Junko’s other nature that she keeps private—no different from a budding girl who is into romance movies, cute fashion trends, and fluffy animals. Despite this, she is quite consistent with providing biting remarks and condescending glares to whoever that dares to cross her.

“Ah, Junkocchi!” greeted Wataru happily.

“Please stop with the nicknames,” Junko told Wataru. “We’re in high school now. Call me by my name with an appropriate honorific.”

“But you never had a problem with this before,” pointed out Wataru.

“That was before we entered high school,” snapped Junko.

“Then how about Junko-chan?” suggested Tomoki without hesitation.

Junko’s face turned a deep shade of crimson upon hearing that version of her name out loud. “You idiot! I’m not a child anymore!” she immediately shouted back.

“Well, we can discuss names later,” dismissed Wataru. “How about karaoke?” he asked Junko.

“I don’t have time today,” Junko told him.

“Ah, helping out your family again today?” asked Tomoki. Junko responded with a nod.

“Aw boo,” pouted Wataru. He rubbed the back of his neck with a brighter expression on his face and said, “Well, we can’t do anything about that, then. Say, Tomoki, how about we go check out the arcade instead?”

“I’m down,” agreed Tomoki.

“Rotting your brains with games instead of studying for class? This is why boys are so stupid,” said Junko with her arms crossed.

The trio packed up and went their separate ways.