The Promise

Kyoko's mind had been racing all night. In what was originally just a word (do), or a phrase (must do), an idea was implanted in her subconscious (What must be done?). Her thoughts bounced around a series of images and sequences, supposed to be all hypothetical. These memories shortly grew into a poem; a narrative with its own direction. She kept visioning of what was, or what will be. Eventually, falling deeper down than most thinkers ought to do, Kyoko began dreaming.

It was four years ago. She was in love. Not with a person, but rather, with a dream. A dream Kyoko felt was impossible that time. This vision, she kept seeing, was her standing at every point imaginable in the world, whether it'd be in Japan, or the USA, Italy, Brazil, Indonesia, New Zealand, Mexico, Morocco, and so forth. This happened multiple times in various locations, over and over again. Probably a product of her many interests, or perhaps, something more. But one thing was for sure, it was the call of adventure, yearning, urging Kyoko, tugging at her heartstrings, telling her to love; to love and dare, to call for change, and become something more.

"One day,..." Kyoko thought.

Alas, another journey was set in motion, the one in front of her. And when she came to her senses, it was her final year in high school.

"Oh, I have to get going, or else I'll be late." Kyoko noticed, glancing at the clock across her table.

"Kyoko~! You should get going soon!" Her mother called from the second floor.

"Yes! Yes! About to leave!" Kyoko responded. She grabbed her school bag and hurriedly went for the door. "I'm leaving." The girl said as she wore her school shoes.

"Take care!" Her mother answered.

Kyoko was off to school. And, she met a familiar face down the street from her home. The girl was waving from afar, as if she'd been waiting.

"Kyoko~!!!" It was Hanami.

The two had been going to school together since middle school. They had been close, for a number of reasons. But, the one thing that always kept them glued was their love for obscure media back in the 2010s. The so-called birth year of the internet's fixation on societal expression, otherwise known as the "Meme Internet Decade" or MID, for short (which was pretty funny, however, its meaning is lost in the Japanese context). Kyoko and Hanami couldn't quite understand why so much has happened in that decade, but so little was remembered from 2020 onwards. Regardless, these were the things that they bonded over after school.

"Kyoko, have you seen the video explaining meme culture back in 2010s?" Hanami asked while twirling her pigtail.

"Uhm, no not yet." Kyoko responded.

"Yeah, same. I can't read English" Hanami admitted.

"English words scare me, Hanami." Kyoko followed. She scanned her app for the video in question, typing in the search box of what she thought was the video.

"You looking for it? Won't find it using kanji though." Hanami explained. Her hands quickly went through a conversation online, searching for a link to the said video. She sent it to Kyoko's private message.

Kyoko opened the link, and the video's thumbnail popped up at her eyes. "Oh. I can't read this." Kyoko squinted at the thumbnail's image, containing the words, "Ku-...hmmm...kul-tu-re-po-ro-je-ku...?" She guessed.

"Comment said it explained why MID was mostly remembered for its obscure media." Hanami explained.

Kyoko, unsure, doubted that. "Are you sure it's not just some random link? It is in English." She surmised. Japanese comments linking videos to random languages outside theirs tended to be fake links.

"I'm not too sure, but the video has memes from 2014. Could be it." Hanami stated.

"Hmm..."

The two girls approached a busy intersection in the middle of the city. It was rush hour, so the district was filled with people of all sorts. There were cars that ushered in from every street and turn. And the Japanese crowd crossed in herds. All this in tune to the traffic lights that govern these roads. Kyoko's eyes happened to spot upon a foreigner. The man in question, of course, stood out like a sore thumb, with his golden brown hair, slightly chiseled face, and refined jawline, somewhat Caucasian too. He looked lost, but that's what she thought of most foreigners.

The man slowly disappeared among the sea of adults. And Kyoko continued on.

"I still can't believe you're going to Osaka for college, Kyoko." Hanami began.

"Ehh, what about it?" Kyoko asked.

"Well...I thought you would study somewhere in Tokyo, you know."

"Apartments here are costly. There's no way I could actually afford to study here. Osaka seemed like the natural alternative." Kyoko explained. She noticed Hanami slowed down her pace.

"Yeah, but..." Hanami stopped halfway through her step. "I don't have any friends studying here in Tokyo." She confessed.

"Harumi..." Kyoko realized what those words meant. They've been friends for so long after all. Hanami didn't seem like she had other friends that lasted, similarly to her.

"I know!" Hanami exclaimed. Her feet skipped a few steps. "I'll also just study in Osaka then!"

"Huh, but, I thought your parents didn't want you to go?" Kyoko asked.

"Yes, though I'll just tell them what you said. I'm sure they'll understand." Hanami smiled.

"OKAY, BUT! WE HAVE TO LIVE TOGETHER!!" Kyoko blurted.

Hanami stopped short. She turned back and stared at Kyoko with a blank stare. Her mind was processing what she said. Then Hanami's eyes sparked, realizing the brilliance, she animated into life. "That's genius, Kyoko!!! Mad genius!" Hanami leaped and hugged Kyoko. "My parents can't say no then!"

Kyoko said that in the heat of the moment. Not that she didn't want Hanami to live with her. There were no problems with that, but rather, she felt bad for her best friend. Though, a part of her was screaming. She didn't plan to have any roommates!!!

Suddenly, the two were pushed to the side by an unknown force. The object manifested as a huge looming ominous figure.

"Oh, sorry about that." The figure said.

Kyoko regained her balance and helped Hanami as well. She glanced at this tower of a being that captured her whole eye. Wide-eyed she was when she realized the person was that tall foreigner from earlier! She briefly scanned this man. He wore a light gray coat with a black turtleneck underneath, black pants that cut at the ankles, and a pair of grey sneakers. His demeanor seemed intense. With steel grey eyes, and a somewhat cruel grin, Kyoko couldn't help but be intimidated by the man before her.

He looked really menacing. His whole exterior appeared to be Kyoko and Hanami's height combined. A true enemy to all short girls nationwide!

"Didn't see you two there. My bad. Need any help?" The foreigner said in perfect Japanese. He stretched his hand to them out of courtesy.

"No, w-we're sorry as well." Kyoko apologized, too embarrassed to react. She bowed. She was mostly awestruck by the fact that a foreigner was speaking perfect Japanese. Kyoko didn't know what to do with this information. Her mind and body just acted on its own.

Hanami began sobbing. Kyoko and the foreigner were shocked.

"Hanami, were you hurt?" Kyoko immediately asked.

"N-no~ He's just really scary-looking!"

"SCARY-LOOKING!" The foreigner gasped. He started tensing up, shaking in anxiety. He quickly shot his head around the crowd. The people were beginning to notice. "No, no, no, it was an accident." The man apologized, waving his hand really fast.

"You're really good at Japanese." Kyoko said.

The man was taken aback. "She just complimented my japanese!" He thought in defeat. "Oh, I lived here for awhile now." He replied with an awkward laugh. "Anyway, say, uhm..." The foreigner changed the subject. His tone was polite. "I'm looking for Koenji district, do you know where that is?"

"Koenji?" Hanami wondered. The two girls looked at each other briefly and realized it. "Oh, the hip district!" She answered.

"Yeah, we're on our way there actually. Our school's nearby." Kyoko replied.

The foreigner's eyes lit up and thanked the two. He explained that it was his first time here in Suginami City. He didn't know where to go, but he was in a hurry for something important, which he didn't disclose.

Kyoko gave directions to the foreigner, stating that it was just a straight path from where they were and a turn. He wouldn't miss it. There were androids posted outside the area, welcoming bystanders.

"Thanks so much!" The foreigner appreciated their help. And with not a moment to spare, he turned his back on the girls and dashed away in a hurry.

"Wait, I wanted to ask something!!" Kyoko called out, but the foreigner was already far off.

"Yes, thank you again!" The man shouted back.

Kyoko was mildly frustrated. "What's up with him..." She crossed her arms in disappointment.

"Why? What's the matter?" Hanami inquired. She saw Kyoko's face become genuinely curious.

"He sounded familiar. I think I know him." Kyoko responded. Kyoko recalls of a musician-singer she saw from a website featuring Japanese indie music. There was a section there from three months ago stating the newest up-and-coming independent artists from all parts of Japan. Said musician-singer, she notably remembered, was Pry Through The Ranks.

"PTTR!" Kyoko told Hanami. "He sounds just like PTTR!"

Hanami immediately covered Kyoko's mouth. "Shhh~" She hushed. "People might hear."

"Oh, right. I forgot." Kyoko murmured.

PTTR had an interview in the website, where he was asked a bunch of variety questions, some from the fans, others were from the interviewer. However, what was distinct about said video was the very fact that the man never once showed his face. Never. His social media posts also featured him in masks or with censors. And, he had never once hosted a live performance. The interviewer even asked PTTR when he will reveal his face, because "he looked quite charming", so they said. PTTR brushed this off with a joke, and Kyoko had been curious since. His image was a secret to the public eye.

Kyoko took a glance at her best friend. They shared a moment of silence, and of mutual understanding. "What if he really was though?" She wondered.

The two girls squealed at the thought.

Flash forward a month later.

"Glad I could finally treat you two to some coffee."

In a cafe in Asakusa, where the crowds were small, and the shop quite quaint, Kyoko and Hanami had met up with the foreigner they met by accident.

"How did you figure out, first and foremost, that I was Pry?" The man initiated. His tone was low; excessive in a store quite empty. He asked this question on Kyoko.

"Well, your laugh gave it away..." She opened. Kyoko was still starstruck at the prospect of meeting the indie singer. She clasped her hands together and bowed in apology. "I'm so sorry~"

The man laughed it off. "It's okay. It's okay." He expressed. "I'm more surprised you figured that out from one video. My first interview, in fact." He humored. All while he thought, "Japanese girls can be scary sometimes..."

Hanami squealed in joy. "Cute! You're so cute!"

"Am I? Thanks, I guess." The man responded. He took to liking their energy, so young and inspired. It almost made him see them as friends rather than fans. "By the way, you can call me Pietro. It's fine."

"Pietro-kun?" Kyoko blushed.

"Pietro-chan!" He answered in a high pitch voice.

The two girls looked at each other and gave it a laugh.

"No, no, no, there's no way we're calling you Pietro-chan!" Hanami said.

"Yeah, you're not that cute." Kyoko followed.

The indie artist laughed. "Okay, my next question is, for you!" He pointed at Hanami.

Hanami was surprised. "Wh-what?"

"Yes, you, why did you call me scary-looking then?" Pietro demanded. 

Hanami processed this question, and then she remembered. "Oh, because you are very tall."

"Oh, that's it? Because you are very tall?" He mocked. "I almost was executed in public because of that!" Pietro joked.

"You pushed us very hard too." Hanami continued.

"So that's why I'm here buying you girls some coffee." Pietro remarked. "Though, I'm surprised I have fans. I'll be honest." The man confessed. He sipped his coffee momentarily while taking glances at the girls. They appeared perplexed by his sentence.

"I'm your biggest fan!" Kyoko raised. Her eyes were lit with excitement, followed by a bright smile. "I've watched you since your first album, where you revealed your voice for the first time! It was so cute. I loved your voice so much I decided to donate to you so that I can hear you sing more-" And, Kyoko did not stop gushing. She did not slow down nor stutter, not when she was in that passionate state.

"Mhmm, me too." Hanami nodded. She admitted that that was her reaction as well when she first discovered PTTR. Though, her expression turned cold. She stared at Pietro intensely. "However!!!" She crossed her arms in defiance. "I'm only here because I didn't want Kyoko meeting up with some stranger she met one day!" The girl declared.

Pietro gave an awkwardly worried look. "Oh, is that so...?" ("I think you girls are way scarier, though!")

"Anyway, anyway! Look at this!!" Kyoko urged. She held out her phone for Pietro to see. The device revealed an image of a video thumbnail, a particularly familiar one.

"Culture Project - Exploring the decades of meme history." Pietro recited in English. He was quite puzzled. He didn't know what to do with this information. What he did knew, however, was that the channel was fairly popular with English viewers. Their videos were always recommended to his feed. And he happened to watch one of them, but that's that.

"Wait what?" Kyoko retracted the phone. "Oh, wrong one!" She panicked. Her fingers quickly swiped through her phone in search of something. The singer waited. She returned the phone after stopping at an image.

Pietro squinted. His eyes found themselves in a photo of a news article, one that was cropped out online. The man cannot make out some of the kanji, but from the gist of it, it was an interview. "What's this?" He wondered.

Kyoko giggled at his reaction. "It's your interview. The one where your single blew up." She explained. This was during the time where PTTR has not revealed their voice yet, so the artist was just an enigma, or rather, an entity that happened to make music. This was reminiscent of the time where robot singers first popped out online, Kyoko imagined.

"Is it true that you haven't been around Japan yet?" Kyoko asked.

"Hmm, yeah. I mean I've been busy with work and all that." Pietro replied.

"Does that mean you've never left your room?" Hanami quipped. She had been silently enjoying her slice of sugar bread in the corner while Kyoko fangirled since.

"!!!" Pietro emoted. "I have, thank you very much!" He pouted. "Though, I mean, I have been around Tokyo. Mostly work." The man explained.

"Is that so?" Kyoko replied. Her eyes had been wondering around Pietro's features. She was curious of his world; the adventures he had seen. His deep grey eyes tend to dull before jumping back to life.

"Before music though, when I first moved to Japan," Pietro began. "I was an English teacher. But, that didn't last long, and I switched to being a car mechanic, when I saw the chance. Couldn't really do music full-time." The singer told. "That was until the single. Yes, Charge Through, Charge, Spartan! changed everything for me. And, now, I do music almost everyday." The man narrated. He was quite glad of that story. Thankful, he poured his heartwarming responses to the two girls for supporting his work all the way through. "I plan to do bigger things someday." He noted.

"No, we're thankful for your music, really." Kyoko returned the sincerity. "And..." She started. Her voice quaked a bit, embarrassed surely. "We can tour you around Japan..." She squeaked. Her voice held back.

"Hmm?" Pietro wondered.

"I said, we can tour you around Japan!" Kyoko blushed. Her heart was racing at that moment, but she tried to play it cool, like she was inviting a friend during a field trip. (Yeahh, no sweat.) She knew quite a bit about touring Japan and seeing all the exciting fun places it had to offer. Her mother used to be a tour guide after all. And, it rubbed off on Kyoko as she grew up.

Hanami was very supportive of her friend. She could tell Kyoko liked the indie singer. "That sounds like fun!" She answered.

"I would love too, sure!" Pietro replied. Though, his mood shifted. He could tell the girls were getting too eager too soon; something he was afraid of from fans. "But, I would have to decline your offer. Sorry!" He apologized. He clasped his hands and bowed with an awkward look. "I can't tour around Japan just yet."

Kyoko's mood turned sour for a bit. "How come?"

"I want to make it big before I stop." Pietro stated. He looked at both of the girls, trying to be careful of his words. "I think I want to keep going, make music, before I get sidetracked. I don't know." His thoughts were bouncing around. "I'm too into my work right now, if you can understand." His tone hesitant.

The atmosphere of the conversation turned south. Though, he tried to play it off. "I mean, I also can't just say yes right. You're my fans. I don't want to take advantage of you girls too."

"Kyoko..." Hanami reached out.

Kyoko hunched down. "Listen..." Her voice was hampered by her posture. And suddenly, she shot up to Pietro's face. Her hands banged on the table. Her face was lit up like a newly-lit flame. Both Hanami and Pietro were surprised. "I'm not asking! I'm telling you we will!! And I won't take no for an answer!!!" She declared.

The cafe shook alive when Kyoko caused a commotion. There weren't any people in it except for the three of them, but Hanami felt like they did something wrong.

Hanami glanced at the cashier and the waiter who took notice. She flashed them an awkward smile, saying, "Sorry about that." She waved at them too, signaling to ignore the ruckus.

"Right, Hanami?" Kyoko demanded.

Hanami jumped in surprise. "Ye-yes." Hanami thought that Kyoko was too unusual that day, like something woke up in her. A beast, probably. Hanami pictured Kyoko confessing then and there, almost.

Pietro turned adamant. "Look. I appreciate the invitation. I really do." He gestured Kyoko to settle down, partly from embarrassment. She followed shortly. "But, you're acting way too familiar with me." He continued. "I just met both of you for the first time today, not to mention, only you and I have been chatting online since we bumped to each other." He lectured. His tone shifted into scolding.

"It's not fair if I say yes today, right?" Pietro stated.

"Ye-yeah, I guess so..." Kyoko replied disappointingly. Her gaze shifted away from him.

"You're lucky I'm a nice guy. I could've been an asshole if I wanted to." Pietro noticed that she was beginning to shy away from him, but it had to be done. He felt weird that his fan tried to force something out of him.

"Hey, that's enough!" Hanami yelled. Hanami tried to comfort her friend. Yet, Kyoko stopped her.

"No, he's right, Hanami." Kyoko admitted.

Pietro looked at the situation in front of him and sighed. "I'm not...not saying no, but I can't say yes too." He said in compromise.

"I understand." Kyoko replied.

"But, we can be friends, right?"

Kyoko turned towards Pietro with newfound energy. She understood that she said some things that can't be done nor was in anyway appropriate at all. But, she realized that at the end of the day, she was merely just a fan. A really supportive fan, sometimes, too much. But, she was a fan, to this singer, who she happened to meet in person. That was just that. Kyoko thought that it would stay that way, until that fateful day, where she said, "Absolutely!"

It was almost two years since then.

Fireworks dotted the night sky in Osaka. And the festive spirit captured everyone's hearts. It was summertime, and more importantly, time for the biggest summer festival in the city. As was the occasion every year, this year was no different.

The streets burst into color, bleeding traditional setups and symbols. While shop keepers performed their own gimmicks in each corner. The shopping districts turned into lobbies of bustling crowds, while the streets were closed off to cars. And not every part of the city was eventful, but if it were, the place would line up with paper lanterns and solo performers.

They say this was the only part of the year where men in happi coats on boats merrily sail the city's rivers, parading with drums and torches. These volunteers would sing and chant their praises. All for another year's worth of prosperity.

Kyoko found herself along the river bay watching the boats cruise through. A row of food vendors lined up that same location, and so, naturally, a crowd formed. Kyoko's friends opted for street food in exchange of a sushi bar, and that's how they ended up outside.

Hanami, Horo, Reimi, and Kenji were enjoying themselves a bit too much; exploring the stalls, munching on food, and playing games. Kyoko was the only one watching the fireworks display.

"Fireworks are quite rare these days, huh?

"Ow! Cold!' Kyoko yelled. Her cheeks were met with the cold sensation of a canned beer. "Hey!" She retaliated.

Pietro chuckled a bit. "It's summer. We can do a moment of coldness than a day's worth of this humid weather." He complained followed by a long winded sigh. "It's so hot~!"

"You know it's already evening, right?" Kyoko remarked. The sensation of a breeze caressed Kyoko. It had become quite cool that evening after the sun set in.

"I know. I know."

Kyoko looked at a couple of kids playing spinning tops and kendama. She felt a sense of nostalgia crawling in the back of her head. "They keep making the light shows more complicated though."

"Oh yeah, true. Those drones and flares are something else, I tell you." Pietro chimed.

"Are you glad it was me?" Kyoko blurted out.

The two shared some seconds of silence, while the crowd roared behind them.

"You're my one in a million, Kyoko. And I mean that." Pietro spoke.

"And, you don't feel weird about it?" Kyoko questioned.

"About what?"

"This. The gap. You don't feel it?" Kyoko pointed to herself and Pietro. She mentioned of a space between them, a space of all sorts.

"Every couple's weird in some way, Kyoko. I don't mind the age gap. Nor the height, or the race, or our lifestyles, or anything!" Pietro exclaimed. "In fact, I don't care as long as it's you."

Kyoko blushed. "You're just saying that..."

"I'll prove it." Pietro confidently said. He went up to the ledge of the pathway and yelled out "I love you, Kyoko!" to the river in the loudest voice he can muster.

"Hey, stop!!" Kyoko was embarrassed, tugging at Pietro's yukata.

Pietro kept chanting his love till he cried laughing. "Sorry. You just look so vulnerable. I can't help but tease." Pietro admitted. He admired her just like that.

"Oh, please." Kyoko pouted.

"Thank you again for taking me here." Pietro opened up. "Without you, I don't think I would have ever left Tokyo."

Kyoko's face grew a light shade of pink.

"Come to think of it, the first time we met, you also guided me to somewhere new. Almost poetic, if you think about it." Pietro mentioned. He popped open the can of beer and took a few chugs.

"Ye-yeah." Kyoko softly answered.

"And now, we've both been to Osaka and Kyoto, and we're dating. We're dating." Pietro struggled to contain his joy. "We're dating!!!" He repeated.

"Keep it down! Please~" Kyoko melted from embarrassment. She wasn't her usual peppy self that evening. Her thoughts were on overdrive.

"I mean it though. Like everything."

"You already told me that..." Kyoko replied.

"Well, I'll say it again." Pietro remarked. "Thank you. Thank you for showing me around Japan." He tilted his head and stared straight at Kyoko's messy face. She was crying.

"I-I'm just grateful that this happened to me. All of this. I never would have left my old life, if it wasn't for you too." Kyoko smiled. Her voice was quivering from the emotions choked in her throat. "Every day feels like an adventure."

Pietro brushed off a tear from her cheek. "Now, you're just ugly." He joked.

Kyoko wiped off her tears with her sleeves. She gave Pietro a piece of what she thought at that moment, a punch to the arm!

"Ow!" Pietro reacted. "I was just kidding. I was just kidding."

Kyoko chuckled. She took a glimpse of the city brimming with lights. And noticed a line cutting through the sky, exploding into a display of reds and pinks. Another wave of fireworks began.

"I love you." Kyoko muttered.

"I love you too."

The couple shared a kiss for the first time underneath the shower of lights. Kyoko was drawn deeper and deeper into his steel gaze. And everything around them began melting into magic, into memories. She had never forgotten the sensation of that day.

"I wanna see more of Japan someday."

Then, it was morning. The alarm rang.