Miyuki Incognito

The sun moved across the sky to an eventual sunset, all while Miyuki sat in the train headed for Tokyo, where Jin lived. A sea of people were crowded inside the transport, creating a suffocating atmosphere. As an idol, Miyuki was used to crowds, but it was rare to find herself in a place where there wasn’t even space to stretch if she needed to.

In order to avoid the public eye, she chose to wear an inconspicuous, casual outfit, complete with a plain black baseball cap. As an added precaution, she always had her head lowered so nobody would be able to see her facial features.

She sighed, frustrated that she couldn’t meet Jin for the first time in years looking her best. For a moment, she considered dressing up for the occasion, but the thought of her visit to Jin being interrupted or reaching the news and–even worse– the ears of her manager. A shiver ran down her spine at the thought of the lecture she would receive if he found out the public learned of her visit to Jin.

When the train lurched to a stop at her destination, she stood and pushed through the crowd to escape the crowded train. The crisp air was refreshing to breathe in after the stuffy train. City lights mixed with moonlight to brighten the night. The sight reminded her of when she had made the trip to Tokyo the previous year to participate in the annual Idol Awards. She had hoped appearing in the competition would bring Jin to her, but nothing came of it. This year, she was set to compete again, but since she had found Jin, her hope this time was to win his affection.

“Okay, how do I get to his place from here?” She looked at the route her phone suggested she take. It was only a four minute walk from the station.

Despite it being night, the streets were still swamped with pedestrians. Miyuki stuck her hands in the pockets of her sweatshirt and stared at the ground in front of her as she walked. Uninterrupted, it wasn’t long before she reached the house that matched the address Jin’s friend had given her. It was a small, grey building crammed between two taller buildings. Taking a deep breath, she approached the door and gave three solid knocks.

Her heart raced in anticipation for her long lost friend and crush to open the door. Six years apart had not lessened her love for him. In fact, as she continued to mature, it only grew stronger.

But no one answered the door. Miyuki stepped forward and knocked again, thinking he must not have heard her first attempt.

Again, she waited for a few minutes to receive no answer. The third time she knocked, there was still no response. “Is he not home…? Maybe I should’ve made sure it was okay for me to come over tonight before I left…” She called his phone, but it went straight to voicemail.

“I wonder where he’s at… Should I wait for him to get back? Or should I book a hotel nearby? Actually, now that I think about it, if I don’t get a room…” Her face exploded beet red as the thought of staying the night at Jin’s place crossed her mind. “No, no, I can’t do that… That’s too embarrassing…” She quickly searched for the nearest hotel and called to check if there was an available room for the night. Thankfully, they still had one room that was not being used, so she quickly made her reservation.

Miyuki sighed and began her lonesome walk to the hotel a few streets down she had just called. Street lamps kept the road illuminated, standing tall to protect passersby from the terrors of the night.

The distant echoes of traffic interrupted the peaceful night, a constant reminder of the urban metropolis she found herself in.

A tune came to Miyuki's lips, and she began to hum the tune of her new hit, Phoenix, with solemnity. Perhaps it was because she was disappointed that she had missed Jin tonight, or out of boredom. Either way, she was determined to try again first thing in the morning.

“Excuse me,” she said as she entered the hotel lobby.

A middle-aged woman looked up from the desk. “Hello, can I help you with something?”

”I just called a little bit ago to make a last minute reservation. The name is Miyuki,” she stepped up to the desk.

”Yes, could you verify your phone number, please?”

”Certainly,” she gave the woman her number and watched as she checked her system to find the match. Once her number was confirmed, Miyuki paid for her stay.

“Here’s your key,” she opened a drawer and handed Miyuki a singular key from inside. “Room 173.”

”Thank you,” Miyuki smiled and accepted the key.

“You look familiar,” the worker stated when Miyuki turned to leave. “Do I know you?”

”No, this is my first time around this part of Tokyo,” Miyuki responded with a nervous laugh. “And you definitely haven’t seen me online or anything either.”

”That’s it,” her face lit up. “Miyuki Haruno! I can’t believe I didn’t recognize you sooner! I love your music! What are you doing here in Tokyo?”

”Uh… business?” Miyuki wore a fake smile. “I am feeling a little tired, though, so I think I’ll be going now…”

”Oh, okay. Could I get a quick autograph first?” The woman’s eyes gleamed like diamonds. She held a slip of paper and a black ballpoint pen.

“Of course,” she walked back to the desk and signed her name on the paper. “Have a good night.”

”I will, thank you! Enjoy your stay!” The woman bowed in a respectful, almost worshipful manner.

Miyuki made her way down the hall until she found room 173 and unlocked it with the key she was given.

Her room was quite plain—a large white bed took over the center of the room, and a couple small wooden desks were placed on opposite sides of the room. A door adjacent to the entrance to the room separated the bathroom from the main room.

The bed creaked as she collapsed onto it with an exhale. “Oh right, I didn’t pack any clothes for tonight…” Miyuki stared at the ceiling, silently noting that she needed to think things through before taking a hasty trip like this.

Despite not having exerted much physically, she was exhausted. Her eyes dripped with sleep, so she pulled the covers over her and found a somewhat comfortable position on the rough bed.

“Tomorrow’s the day,” she muttered to herself. “Just you wait, Jin. Fate can’t keep us apart any longer.”