End of Summer

I gripped the mug and found it light from the lack of coffee. I didn’t need any more, so it was fine. A sailor uniform clad girl decided that wasn’t the case and hopped on over to the front desk where Natsumi, Mana, and I were sitting. She approached me and gazed into my eyes.

“Would you like more coffee, sir?” said Akiko. Without waiting for an answer, she poured more into my mug and then for all of us.

I muttered a word of thanks, glancing at Mana. She was watching the newly hired dance around the office, making coffee, then returning to us. Aimi was practicing along with her, saying that it would be a good taste as to what the service industry was like.

“Can you even afford paying another employee?” I said.

Mana nodded. “I convinced them to increase my allowance, so it’s ok.”

It was the end of the week, and we still hadn’t got any clients. I guess the office was in a bad location. Not many people came across here after all. I was still getting paid in cash, so it wasn’t really something I had to worry about.

Akiko and Aimi were chatting before the coffee machine, smiles on their faces. They’d bash their heads and giggled something before backing away. I heard from Natsumi that Akiko had moved into the same dorm as Aimi. I returned my attention to the coffee and gulped it down. Akiko and Aimi came before us, and I thought they were going to pour more coffee, but there wasn’t a carafe in their hands.

“Since it’s such a nice day out, do you guys wanna go shopping?” said Aimi.

The three of us blinked and raised our eyebrows. Now that I think about it, I only had these clothes to go on.

“I don’t need clothes,” said Mana, and Natsumi nodded.

“It’ll be fun! We’ll just window shop and try them on.”

I was starting to get the gist of the situation. It looks like they just wanted a girls night out.

“Maru, you should come too,” said Akiko out of courtesy, I’m sure. It would be rude of me to accept.

“No, I don’t need any clothes,” I said. Looks like Aimi was intent on spreading that nickname.

Mana stared at my outfit. “I’m pretty sure you’ve only been wearing those clothes since we’ve met you.”

She wasn’t wrong, but body odor and personal hygiene wasn’t an issue. I was going to this place nearby that had a laundry next to the baths.

“Guys are minimalist, you know. We can wear a single outfit for years,” I said.

Aimi and Akiko frowned while Mana and Natsumi eyed me with concern.

“We’ll make it up to you another day,” said Aimi. Mana and Natsumi rose from their seats and followed the two out.

The door shut behind them, and I was alone again. I was used to it by this point. I hadn’t gone out alone for recreation in a long time. There might’ve been spies and assassins hiding, waiting to strike. This office was the only safe place for me, but I had been reassured by Natsumi that it was safe to go out.

I stood before the door, my hand grasped around the handle. Once I opened it, would a sniper take me out right there and then? Would several gunmen slaughter me the moment I stepped out? My palms were sweaty, and my heart was palpitating as if it would pop out of my body. It was the coffee, I blamed. I survived when a group of assassins came after my head. I survived during this case with Mana. No matter what laid out there, I would still continue surviving. I strangled the handle and swung the door open.

The standard stench of diesel smoke and blaring car horns greeted me. The air was cold and sky dull. My body cooled, and the sweat blanketing me dried. I wiped my palms off the pants when I looked down the short stairs to see a boy in a school gakuran uniform. He was on his way up and was frozen in place, staring at me. I nearly shut the door until I recognized who he was. We remained rooted in our place, staring at each other.

“I apologize for disturbing you. I’ll be on my way now,” said Shuji.

Before he could turn to leave, I walked down the stairs and gripped his shoulders. He backed away, and I held onto him before he could step onto the road. This was the perfect opportunity for me to ask him an important question.

“What does a high schooler like you do for fun?” I said. Shuji could only let out a confused noise.

We were in a café with two coffee mugs at our table. I guess I should’ve been more specific about not wanting coffee. After today, I wasn’t going to drink coffee for a year. We sat at the booth in the corner of the building, light shining in from the window next to us. The heater emitted warm air, unfreezing my fingers and ears. Many students clad in their school uniform were around, doing their homework or chatting with one another. Shuji placed the ceramic against his lips and sipped, returning it to the saucer.

“If this is all, then I will return to my dorm,” he said, rising from the booth.

“Wait, it’s not every day I get to talk with the heir of a criminal organization,” I said. The truth was that being around girls all day had made me miss having a guy friend like Takumi.

He sat back down. “So you have ulterior motives.”

“Not at all,” I said.

As we spoke, I learned that he was the student council president of his high school, the same one that Aimi and Akiko went to. I pried out the reason for his appearance at the office. He hesitantly said that he was just there to pay it a visit, but I knew better. Family had to look out for each other, and he was just doing his duty as a brother. I ventured into a more dangerous topic regarding his views on the Kido Clan’s policy. He looked at the table and spoke.

“I admire Natsumi. She’s cool, kind, and is so much smarter than me,” he paused, “but you saw what happened with Kamiko. We were all in danger. If the Kido Clan was the dominant force in this city, none of this would’ve happened. What’s worse, this deal with the Gold Stars will only drag us down.”

“I hope you don’t blame Aimi for bringing them to your doorstep.”

Shuji shook his head. “Not at all. I’m just glad she’s safe.”

I thought about Natsumi’s words regarding his ambitions. Influencing him wasn’t an idea I had, but I figured it wouldn’t be a bad idea to steer him onto the path of peace for when he became the Kido Clan patriarch.

“Complete control of the city isn’t the only way for peace. Banding together like you’ve done with the Gold Stars is a good way for the city to be safe,” I said.

“First off, we’re not friends with the Gold Stars. They’re just threatening and using us as they please. When they’re done, they’ll burn down our home and call it a day.” He peered out the window. “Alliances don’t last forever.”

He had a point, but control involved a fair amount of violence. I’m sure he’d understand one day. I rose from the booth.

“Alright. We still have more places to go, right?”

He gave me an annoyed look but decided to bring me to another spot where high schools spent their free time outside of class. We stepped out into the pale, cold sunlight, walking through the street. I guess I should buy warmer clothes soon. It was packed with students, parents, and shoppers commuting about. Shuji led me to a shopping district and stopped before the entrance of the shopping mall. The glass building loomed over us as people entered and left. It wasn’t my first time seeing a view such as this, but I couldn’t help but whip my head around, taking in the sights. In the short distance near the shopping mall, a massive tower stood above the city. From where I was standing, I couldn’t see anyone going in or out.

“That tower’s currently being built. I think a politician, or someone is going to do the grand opening for it,” said Shuji.

With the number of people crowding around us, we had no choice but to enter the shopping mall. People were riding the escalators, taking them to the other floors while some entered the food court on the first. I looked for men’s clothing and went up. Just as we reached the second floor, a couple of familiar faces came into view, bags in hand, and they saw me as well. Unlike the others, Mana sported a new, thick khakis trench coat which covered her knees. She had it unbuckled, probably to make it easier to move in.

“Brother? Maru? Why are you guys together?” said Aimi, tilting her head. The others had their eyes widened.

“This guy wanted me to take him where people our age goes for fun,” said Shuji. I realized the implications of his words a bit too late. The air felt hotter than usual, and a layer of sweat formed on my face.

Aimi whipped her head to me, glaring into my eyes. She closed the distance, not taking her eyes away from mine. I averted my gaze, but she still found her way to them. “You should’ve just told us! C’mon, let’s continue this shopping trip!”

“W, wait, aren’t you already done?” They were about to go down to the first floor for a reason.

“It’s fine! There’s always time for more.” She dragged me to the men’s clothing department while the others watched. Mana and Natsumi smiled while Akiko giggled. I looked at Shuji who only shrugged and followed on.

As I was indecisive about which clothes to pick, everyone decided to play dress up with me as the victim. Even Shuji who had been following from a distance picked outrageous clothes like Hawaiian shirts and cargo shorts. He smirked when I appeared from the changing room with eyes that said, “this is what you get for dragging me around today.” I’ll pay him back one of these days., The girls actually tried, but only a few of them looked good. In the end, Aimi won as I bought the clothes she picked out for me. We left the store with me wearing a blue zipper hoodie, blue jeans, and a sling bag.

We headed for the phone store next. They had forgotten about this until I showed up, and we viewed the selection of phones. Mana, Natsumi, and I only used it for communication, so there was no need for the latest version. We each picked different ones then exchanged contacts with everyone else. It was then that a realization hit me.

“Mana, wouldn’t your family have already given you a phone?”

“They did, but it’s probably bugged, so I don’t use it.”

Everyone around her gave a wry chuckle, but she didn’t hear it. We made our way down to the first floor when Akiko’s stomach growled. She gave an embarrassed smile, her cheeks red. Using that as a signal, Aimi led us to the food court where we went to order. I had only drunk coffee in the past couple of hours, so hunger was starting to set in. The place was crowded, and it was a miracle we managed to find a seat. Lines extended from the many food vendors while people crowded the area.

The Kido siblings all got burgers, and I found that amusing as I had expected them to order eastern-style food. Natsumi bought five meal sets which included five burgers, fries, and drinks. She devoured it all while we all watched on with wry smiles, and only Akiko widened her eyes in surprise or horror. Mana ate yakisoba, I ate katsudon, and Akiko ate fried rice. Even with all the commotion and noise around us, I could only look at the people next to me, laughing and smiling. We exchanged stories of struggles, success, and hopes. We were drunk on companionship, and I listened to their youth even if I didn’t have mine. At least I could start now with these fine people.

A realization that had been growing closer hit me. It wasn’t about the spot where people in their youth spent. It was about the people you were with, and when I thought about it like that, one person flashed through my mind. A person who should’ve been here wasn’t because I hadn’t allowed it. If only I was stronger in my resolve to drag him out of the terrible life we led. I made it this far without him. Imagine how far I could’ve made it with him. It was my weakness that he wasn’t a part of this. With these people, I wasn’t weak anymore. If a situation such as that was to come again, I’d be ready for it.

I sent a prayer to someone even I didn’t know. If I were to guess, it would be the first person who came to mind when I uttered it beneath my breath. The person who controlled my fate. Looking back, I think that person was much crueler than I expected, and when I die, they would deem my sin to be greed.