Chapter 19: A Sick Girl with Them

"From the permission to choose his high school, Aki thought it might work when he has decided which university he would like to register. Probably he would reconsider wishing for seiyuu school once again, for the third time. While there was still time, he would just need to study as how his parents have hoped for, at the same time he would hone his acting skill." - Narrator.

Through their way of the journey to Shibuya, both of them remained silent and even lost track of time. They have not gone out of the Niigata prefecture yet, but their mind have already reminisced those sweet days of being at home. This would be their first time living away from their residents and staying in a rented house. Both Aki and Tori have failed in their hostel application since both of their parents were basically rich, and Bushida Academy prioritized moderate students compared to children of silver spoons like them. The train has not even left the border, yet Aki and Tori already suffered homesick.

Minutes of watching the interchanging views outside the window, Tori patted on Aki’s thigh, startling the latter to shift from the scene to him. Tori curved a smile though it was small and a little forced.

“We’ll do this together, remember?” He said, reminding Aki that they had each other’s back. Their friendship was going to support themselves physically and mentally. “We can call our parents from time to time, right? You’ve gotten your own smartphone, right?”

“I haven’t learnt on using it that much,” Aki fished out his spoken smartphone of imported brand, the same brand Tori bought since they decided to move out of the house and register in Shibuya’s high school instead of those in their neighborhood.

It was still a shock to them. As an obedient son, Aki never thought Atsuko would really listen to his odd demand. He took one week to brace himself up and tell Atsuko what he has aimed for with Tori. It could be that he was allowed to get schooled there because he would be going with Tori, but it was still a good news to him.

From the permission to choose his high school, Aki thought it might work when he has decided which university he would like to register. Probably he would reconsider wishing for seiyuu school once again, for the third time. While there was still time, he would just need to study as how his parents have hoped for, at the same time he would hone his acting skill. Bushido Academy would give him many lessons, he took it like that.

“Ah, I just remember!” Tori undid a rope tying a blue pouch. It was a farewell gift by the twins, Maya and Yuma, given right before they took the train. Aki has received it too, but in different color. “They give us a keychain resembling us, huh?” A giggle escaped from Tori. “How sweet of them.”

Seeing Tori getting himself indulged into the memories, Aki fished out his gift too. His was purple in color, and as Tori has informed, there was an acrylic keychain of full-bodied figure which had the same hairstyle as him. The attire was dissimilar to his usual clothes, but it still looked good in his eyes. “Maybe I should dress up like this.”

The best thing about Bushida Academy they were going to enroll was that the high school did not have a custom uniform. Students could dress up with their own styles as long as the fashion was acceptably donned. Compounds would be recorded in the particular student once he/she was caught for dressing explicitly.

Aki still wondered why Atsuko permitted him to go there. Even if there was no Tori, he guessed she would still allow him. Could it be that Bushida Academy was actually a famous school? But Tori said that it was not that popular to be known until Niigata. Or was Tori deceiving him?

“Aki, do you think that we can visit Harajuku?”

The view outside the window was alien to them. It was Aki’s first time to travel out of Niigata without his parents, which then realized that travelling alone gave him more tranquilllity until he could perceive every single moment in contentment. It was his chance to stand on his two feet, therefore he could learn more on what life was.

“Of course we can,” Aki stretched his hand out and touched the window glass, digesting the vibe of leaving the comfort in order to acknowledge what outside world (of Tokyo) would provide for him, “We will visit everywhere in Tokyo. Together!”

“Then, can I join you guys?”

An unfamiliar voice butted into their conversation, surprising Aki and Tori that they immediately turned around. A girl dressed in pinkish striped shirt and long jeaned skirt tilted her head over, overhearing their conversation from the adjacent seats. She was sitting alone, and the seat beside her had her bags on. Aki and Tori blinked at her in confusion, digesting the situation as she suddenly interrupted them.

“Uhm, sorry?”

“I heard you guys wanted to go to Harajuku. Can I join you guys?” she repeated with beaming smiles.

Aki and Tori exchanged glances. From which point has she heard of their conversation? “Well, I guess you can,” as the one closer to her, Aki responded.

“Yay! Thank you!” She leapt and stumbled her own feet. Laughing at her own mistakes, she then gave her hand for a hand shake. “My name is Yumi. Nice to meet you!”

Their looks portrayed their contemplation, but Aki was the first to greet her. He shook hand with the girl named Yumi and pasted the most ordinary smile he could fake. Thanks to Kishi and Ito’s guides that he could act almost naturally when it was needed instantly.

“I’m Aki. This is my friend, Tori. We’re from Niigata, and are on our way to Shibuya,” Aki said, nudging a little towards Tori. Tori lowered his eyes, yet he still bowed at Yumi.

“Oh, don’t be so shy, guys!” Yumi brushed their awkwardness off with a hand wave. She giggled seeing Tori’s reddish face, probably embarrassed of her cheekiness. “I’m from Shibuya myself, and it seems like we’re going to the same destination.”

“I guess so,” Aki scratched the back of his head and murmured yet audible to Yumi and Tori, “It’s out first time going there alone. I mean, without our parents. So, we’ve nowhere else to go but our rented house.”

“You guys are living alone? Awesome!” Yumi clapped in excitement. “Feel free to come over! I’m living alone as well, but you guys have it better. At least you have each other, right?”

The awkwardness grew, to the point Tori pondered if this Yumi girl has actually realized that she was the main cause. Yumi sat properly on her seat and remained silent as the rapid train moved along the rails. Tori was about to ask Aki about something when he noticed Yumi immersed herself quite deep into her seat. He scooted over, skimming over her complexion in detail while ignoring Aki’s weird look.

“Aki, this Yumi girl…”

Tori has just initiated his curiosity when out of the blue Yumi threw up. Her vomit smeared the seat in front of hers, erupting a nauseating sensation of whoever seeing it. Both Aki and Tori sprung from their seats and dashed towards her.

“Are you okay, Yumi?” Aki rubbed on her back to ease the welling up nausea. “Tori, can you fetch a clean plastic bag in my pouch?”

As the one friend that knew what Aki’s habitual personality was, Tori nodded to Aki’s instruction and found the plastic bag. He then handed it to Aki before scrabbling to find another one in his own pockets. Yumi panted as she has practically puked her stomach out of her mouth. Tori took out a packet of facial tissue and used all pieces to clean the mess.

While tending Yumi, Aki hailed for an assistance from the worker. Luckily there was a nearby attendant who passed by the seats and noticed Aki’s calling. She then helped Tori to wash the vomit and handed a packet of crackers. After that, she slid the window open for a better airways.

“Thank you very much, Miss,” Tori stated and bowed at the attendant. After ensuring there was no more faint scent of vomit, he fanned Yumi with his story book.

Everyone was watching how those two boys manageably handled Yumi. The incident explained why she talked to them, and why she suddenly stopped too. It was that she had motion sickness, yet since she was alone, she wanted to distract herself by talking to Aki and Tori, the nearest to her. However, the nausea elevated and resulted in her puking instead.

Tori was the one who realized her paleness first, and he wanted Aki to listen to his opinion when everything happened unexpectedly fast. It was just a rough estimation that he saw her all fidgety and drained in color, assuming that she had motion sickness. Both of them could not take off their eyes of Yumi to watch over her more thoroughly.

“Aki, Tori, thank you so much for helping me,” Yumi mumbled. “I wouldn’t know what to do if you guys weren’t here.”

It was a rare case that they received an appreciation from a girl who they have only talked to around fifteen minutes ago. Aki wryly chuckled and gradually shifted towards her slightly trembling hands.

“Well, you just need to call for the attendant like Aki did,” Tori monotonously responded while crossing his arms. “But, you’re welcome.”

Their journey continued by letting Yumi slept in her seats all the way to Omiya Station in Saitama. Time by time, Aki or Tori would look after her in case if she had nausea again. Even though they have barely known each other, Aki and Tori bore the responsibility for her. They were the only one talking to her, therefore they would be the one closest to her at the moment.

The penetrating warm sunlight shone up on their skin, stirring them from their sleep. They nodded off right since the train entered the Kanto region. As the sunlight literally burned their skin, Aki woke up to the restlessness, just to be informed that they have gotten over the boundary of Saitama prefecture. Looking around to figure out the situation, he met gazes with the excited Yumi in the adjacent seats.

“Hi, good afternoon!” Yumi waved at him gleefully. “Thank you for your help today. I really appreciate it very much!”

Aki was not sure whether to nod or blink that he chose to laugh awkwardly instead. “It’s nothing much. We’ve prepared ourselves for motion sickness too.”

“How embarrassing!” Yumi covered her face with her palms, squeaking in her hands, “It has been a while since the last time I boarded a train, and it happened. I’m so sorry!”

“No, no! We’re just fine!” Aki brushed it off with a hand wave, accidentally imitating her action before she puked a while ago. “You should be worry of yourself. You’re still lack in colour, see.”

The girl fixated her view on the anxious Aki. Aki knew she was looking intensely at him, hence he became utterly anxious. In order to wash away the nervousness, he kicked off another topic.

“So, how old are you, Yumi-san?”

“Yumi is enough,” Yumi corrected him, with her non-stop sweet smile, “I’m 15 this year. I’m going to be a first year in high school. Oh!” She realized something, “You’re going to high school in Shibuya too, right? Which school is it?”

Aki glanced at the half-awoken Tori by the window. “Err, it’s Bushida Academy. Somewhere in Yoyogi, I guess.”

The enormous exhilaration displayed on Yumi’s face stunned Aki. He frowned at her eagerness, but then he ogled.

“Are you going to the same-“

“No, I’m not.”

The train they boarded has begun to stop at shorter interval, dropping off several passengers in each station. In a few more minutes, they would arrive at Omiya Station. They should ready themselves for the transit from Omiya Station to another bullet train line. Having more than Tori as companions did not seem bad at all, especially when Yumi was a local who they could basically rely on.

The three of them hopped off in Omiya Station and went for a transit to Shibuya through Shounan-Shinjuku line. Along the journey, Yumi kept on divulging about every single things they have seen in the scene. She even pointed out a building she used to mistake as an anime school, whereas it was just a normal middle school. Once she mentioned about anime, Aki’s expression lit up in anticipation.

“So you like anime too?” Yumi asked, tilting her head on one side.

“Of course!” Aki pumped his fist in the air, while Tori beside him breathed out in proud. “Both of us like anime very much! We came to Shibuya to find this one voice actor to learn from him!”

“Eh?” Yumi frowned a little as her smile faded. “Voice actor?”

“I want to be a voice actor!” Aki thumped his chest. His loud voice attracted a few pair of eyes unconsciously watching them chatting merrily. “I like how voice actors in anime could portray the emotion, translate the situation, and decipher the definition of the characters they act as just by verbally. It intrigues me up till today, so I would like to learn how to be one!”

Yumi lowered her head, hiding her hesitation from the sight of Aki and Tori. “I see,” she commented.