Chapter 1: An ‘Ordinary’ Day

There were two things in life that Aki knew for certain. One: Life was made up of those who were lucky, and those who were unlucky.

The lucky ones always seemed to have everything planned out for them, as though their entire existence was predetermined, always weighing in favour of their success. The legacies they left behind became the scraps the unlucky fought over, hoping desperately that one of the scraps would reveal hidden treasure.

“Aki, it’s your turn at the register!”

And… two: Aki needed to find a better job.

He walked from the humid storeroom, moving to the front of the convenience store. Kaito, a family friend, and the owner of the business, glanced at Aki, and grinned. “Goodness, what happened to you, kid?”

Aki discreetly tried to wipe the sweat off his brow. “The air conditioner broke again.”

Kaito’s face fell. “Again? But we just had that unit replaced…” After a long moment, he sighed, glancing at the long queue of people standing in front of the register. “I’ll see if I can fix it. Can you take over here?”

“Sure,” Aki replied, giving Kaito a tired smile as he stepped away. He began methodically scanning the items placed on the counter, his thoughts a mile away. The breeze flowing into the convenience store every time the door slid open only added fuel to his inner thoughts.

It was a familiar memory. Aki stood on a hill overlooking the ocean. The sea breeze rushed towards him, amplified each time the waves crashed into rocks. His younger sister stood beside him, and back then, before the accident, she had been able to climb the hill even faster than Aki could.

In this particular memory, the two children gazed far into the distance, eyeing the two stars that still had not faded in the early morning. Hanabi would grin at him, her face as bright as the dawn. “They’re our stars!” That’s what she had always called them, and Aki would gaze at them, the lights flickering slightly, as though beckoning them closer.

Even at six years old, Hanabi had always loved the stars. She spent more time gazing up, than seeing what was in front of her. Aki liked that about her. From her vantage point, she always had the bigger perspective.

Then, the memory shifted, the familiar words emerging in his mind. “It’s your fault… it’s all your fault.”

He nearly dropped the can he held. Exhaling shakily, he tried again, turning the barcode towards the scanner, waiting until he heard the ‘beep.’

“It’s your fault… your fault…”

The words were in his voice, mocking him. “It’s because of you… that she can never walk again.”

Suddenly, his vision was obscured by a large shape. A customer stepped up to the register, placing a huge bag of dried cat food in front of him. The bag was so large, that Aki could barely see the dark haired girl standing behind it. The sight was so surprising, that for a moment, it snapped him out of his thoughts.

He unhooked the scanner, searching for the barcode. He was grateful for the opportunity to distract himself from his thoughts.

“What kind of cat do you have?” Turning the bag around, still searching. The girl was silent, and for a long moment, he thought she wouldn’t answer.

“Calico.”

Aki grinned. He loved cats, even though he’d never had one of his own. “This cat food is popular here. It tames even the most grizzly cats. So I’ve heard, anyway.” He smoothed a wrinkle in the bag, finally finding the barcode.

“Is that so…?” The girl replied softly.

Aki nodded sagely. “You’d be surprised.”

The girl smiled slightly, and Aki relaxed. Somehow, she didn’t seem the type to outwardly show her emotions, but he’d wanted to see her reaction, even for a just a moment.

He turned the card machine towards her, and she instinctively tapped her card. Aki turned, printing the receipt. “Uh… would you like a bag? Or… a cart?”

The girl studied the bag, then shook her head. “I’ll be fine.”

Aki passed her the receipt, and she shoved it into her purse, before deftly lifting the bag of cat food. He watched in amazement, as she gracefully walked towards the door, her head held high even while supporting the weight of the bag. His eyes followed her, until the automatic doors slid shut behind. He was frozen in stunned silence, until there was a loud THUD from within the store room.

“Kaito?” He called, “Are you okay in there?”

Then, a moment later, the air conditioner in the store whirred to life. The air was cold and crisp, and Aki sighed gratefully.

Kaito emerged, wiping his hands on a rag. “One of the screws had unfastened. Looks like we won’t need a replacement unit after all.”

Aki grinned, “Good timing. It was so hot, I felt like I was melting.”

Miyuki’s shoes kept sticking to the pavement. If the weight of the cat food didn’t kill her, the heat of the sun certainly would.

She walked on. Her apartment was just ahead, and soon she would be inside. She might even have time for a snack, before she began streaming.

The thought excited her, as she crouched beside a nearby shrub, retrieving the folded cardboard box she had hidden there earlier. Then, she deftly reassembled the box, and shoved the large bag of cat food inside, obscuring it from view. Good. If anyone asked, there was a sale at the supermarket.

Lifting the box, she walked briskly towards her apartment, eager to get inside. She shoved the glass door open with a foot, then awkwardly tapped the button of the elevator. The doors slid open, and she shuffled inside. Just as the doors were about to close, however, her neighbour of all people raced towards her. She stiffened. She managed to wedge her way inside, before the doors slid shut.

“Phew…” The elderly woman, Chisa Watanabe, was alarmingly fast, and known throughout the apartment for her sharp eye. Miyuki nodded her head politely at her, as the woman adjusted her bag. They stood side by side, as the elevator travelled up.

Floor one… floor two… floor three…

“That’s quite a box you have there,” the old lady murmured, as she scrutinised the box. Miyuki glanced away awkwardly.

“There was a, um… a sale at the supermarket.”

“Huh… is that so…?”

Floor four… floor five… floor six…

The elevator paused at floor seven, and the doors slid open. They both disembarked, and the doors automatically slid shut behind them.

“Is the sale still continuing? I might have to pay a visit.”

Miyuki felt sweat beading on her brow. “I-I’m not sure… I think the sale was for a limited time…”

“Ah, a pity.”

Miyuki reached her door. “W-Well, it was good to see you.”

“Likewise. Have a pleasant day, Otonashi-san.”

She pretended to fumble with her keys, while waiting for the old lady to enter her apartment first. Once she was gone, she awkwardly unlocked the door, stepping into her building, before closing the door firmly behind her. She sighed, as she gratefully dropped the box to the floor.

A few minutes later, she felt something fluffy against her side. Miyuki reached down, stroking the fur of her middle aged cat Noriko. “Did you look after the apartment while I was gone?”

Noriko yawned, and she took that as a reluctant agreement.

Standing up, she removed her shoes, her socks sliding on the wooden floorboards. In the small sitting room, she found the old cushion she had laid out last week. In the centre was a tiny black cat, curled up, her head tilted upwards. Miyuki smiled, her face softening.

“I’m back, Yuzu-chan.”

The black cat yawned slightly, and Miyuki scratched her behind the ears.

It was already risky enough, living in this particular apartment with Noriko. When she was forced to vacate her previous residence, she desperately needed a place to live, and this was the only building available in her budget. It was a nice apartment building, and the neighbours were quiet, but they explicitly did not allow animals.

Miyuki told herself that this was temporary. With the money she earned from streaming, she was certain she would soon be able to afford a different apartment, one much better suited to her and Noriko.

Then, just last week, she found a small cat in the middle of a rain storm, and took her in. Now, she had two cats, and the risk of being caught increased every day. That was why she had decided to buy cat food in bulk, rather than risk purchasing it in multiple, smaller trips. In this way, she might be able to hide it for longer.

Miyuki stood, moving to the kitchen to refill the water bowls, then portioned out a small amount of food for each cat. Noriko trailed around her feet as she walked almost, tripping her. Once the cats were fed, she sat on her balcony and ate a quick dinner of instant ramen, before she began to prepare for the scheduled stream.

She sat at her desk, leaning back in the old gaming chair her sister had given her a few years ago. It was now a part of her domain, and she relished in the familiar comfort. Pulling out her headset from the drawer, she adjusted the volume, and ran through a series of tests. Finally, she loaded her model, Erielis, and the avatar blinked back at her.

On the other side of Tokyo, in a small apartment complex, Aki sat at his desk with a sigh. Despite his exhaustion, he was excited to begin his scheduled stream. His avatar, Noctis, looked back at him.

Together, Aki and Miyuki prepared for their streams. Then, taking a deep breath, they clicked start.