Bonus Chapter: The Moon's Call

The door to Aya’s dorm room creaked open. Her canvas bag fell to the floor with a loud thud, shortly followed by the whooshing sound of her falling face first onto the fluffy pillows of her futon. She laid as still as a corpse for a few moments before rolling over and exhaling in exhaustion.

Sighhhh—ugh. What a day… Aya pulled out her phone and scrolled listlessly through the notifications on her messenger app.

3 new messages:

Chuubear 9:01am: (*゜д゜)ﾉ !!

Chuubear 9:04am: Same homeroom as my queen. Lucky me~

Chuubear 11:31am: ( ╥ω╥ ) ghosted by my queen. You’re humping other men aren’t you?

The name “Chuubear” belonged to Kaoru, a childhood friend of Aya’s. They grew up in the same city together, neither having met their parents. When Kaoru found out Aya had moved, he asked around and through several miracles, managed to find Aya’s social media. They reconnected and quickly exchanged messenger app usernames. As it turns out, the two were admitted to the same school together, Kaoru being a student of the biology program with a focus in sustainability.

Aya smiled and rolled her eyes. She stacked her pillows behind her to prop her head up, and began tip-typing away on her phone.

Ika-Chan 8:47pm: LOL shut up <3

Aya exhaled and dropped her phone next to her. She idly stared up at the ceiling, admiring the grittiness of the exposed steel beams and wiring. Her mind began to wander, and before long, her eyelids grew heavy. Sleep began to caress her tired body when suddenly—Bzzzt!!

Ugh. Kaoru. I love you man but… Aya thought to herself as she reached for her phone once more.

Chuubear 8:53pm: (っ˘̩╭╮˘̩)っghosting me all day for other men. No fair! They get to grab your big titties and I don’t? I’m a nice guy you know?

Aya dropped her phone and busted into laughter. She rolled on her side and giggled for a moment before picking her phone back up.

Ika-Chan 8:55pm: (*/_＼) OMG hahaha stfu dude.

Chuubear 8:55pm: <3 kekek

Aya paused for a moment and stared at her screen, before grinning and tip typing away..

Ika-Chan 8:57pm: All that T makin you thirsty

Ika-Chan 8:57pm: …you’ll get to squeeze them later

Aya chuckled to herself and tossed the phone aside. It buzzed again immediately after, but with a beet red face, she turned her head to the wall to avoid looking at the response. However, when her eyes met the wall, Aya let out a gasp.

The hell is this? Aya thought as she stared at a messy tag that was freshly spray painted on her wall. The tag was simply labeled ‘GG’ in stylish graffiti, and had a cute ghost sticking its tongue out, as if to playfully mock the viewer. Aya couldn’t help but admire the cleanliness of the tag and the stylishness of the design.

“Took ya long enough,” a feminine voice declared. Aya whipped her head around and looked to the window, which was now open and had a figure hanging from upside down, looking in from the outside. The person had long black hair and a cute round face. They also had bright blue eyes and wore a red tech jacket that was cut off at the shoulders. They gripped the upper bar of the window sill, and in one fell motion, flipped themselves inside. They landed on their feet and the wooden floor beneath them thudded and creaked.

“Was worried you’d never get around to looking at it,” They grinned slyly. “Wanted to stick around to see how you’d react.”

Aya stared at the person dumbfounded. She blinked several times before responding

“Yo…uh? Who’re you?”

“Viv,” They said while dusting off their jacket. Having had a chance to fully examine them, Aya realized they were quite attractive.

Their hair was long, wavy, and black as the night sky. A long streak of their front right bang was pure white. They wore a lot of interesting tech-wear which would have made them look right at home in a dystopian cyberpunk film, and black pants, which were skin tight and hugged their shapely thighs quite nicely. They were cut off at the hips, leaving them mostly exposed. They wore red boots to match their jacket with neon blue laces.

“This yours?” Aya asked, gesturing to the wall behind her.

“Yep. Like it?” Viv said with a wink and an impish grin.

“Not bad, dude,” Aya said while scratching the back of her head. “But like…this is my room, man,” she crossed her arms and puffed out her cheeks.

“Relax my fellow squid,” Viv said while putting their hands on their hips. “It’s a time held tradition amongst the street artist here, ya know? Gotta hit up the freshman’s dorm. Think of it as a housewarming gift. Us breaking in these empty walls.” Viv grinned.

“Makes sense. Didn’t know there were other’s like me here,” Aya smiled.

“Yup. There’s been loads. They can’t seem to get enough public defacement here I guess,” Viv shrugged. “Though at the moment, it’s just us. Guess our kind has a bad turnover rate.”

”Relatable,” Aya let out a sigh.

“Good. Now that I’ve got your spirits up…” Viv put a finger to their lip for a moment. They paused and grinned. “I wanna see the little toy that I’m up against.”

“Tagging? Like, now?” Aya let out a groan.

“Yup. You and me.” Viv was already walking towards the open window and calling out to Aya from over their shoulder. “Make sure to keep up!”

Viv flashed another wink at Aya and leapt straight out of the window. Aya could hear the sound of footsteps on a nearby roof.

“W—ah! Wait up dude! Shit—“ Aya scrambled to grab a few spare cans of spray paint, she threw on her dark hoodie, and leapt out the window, attempting to catch up to them.

—

“Took ya long enough, squiddo,” Viv shouted at Aya. The two were deep in the city on the roof of an office building. The moon was full, and below them as far as the eye could see were canyons of glowing lights. The crisp summer air all around invigorated Aya. She had finally caught up to Viv and was struggling to catch her breath.

“huff huff W-would it kill you to wait up just a second?”

Viv looked at Aya blankly for a moment, and then held their wrist up and looked at it as if there were a wrist watch there.

“One,” Viv said with the tap of their foot. They turned to grin at Aya, while the brilliant silver moonlight illuminated their silhouette. “Great. Now that you’ve had your second, time for a turf war. Meet over there in an hour.” Viv pointed to the top of a tall parking deck. “Whoever’s got the most tags on walls by the end wins. Kay? Great. Ready? Go,” Viv had vanished before they even had a chance to finish their sentence.

“Ha—fucking bitch,” Aya wildly laughed. She grinned a toothy grin and pushed her tired legs as hard as she could, pumping them with every ounce of the moonlight’s feral energy that she could muster.

Aya was in her element. She vaulted off the roof at full speed. The midnight air flowed through her hair, as it whipped to life behind her like a bundle of angry green snakes. She landed with a thud and dashed forward. Aya spotted the vacant wall of an office building; A perfect first target. She picked up speed, and in one fell swoop, she unsheathed a fresh can of mint green paint and chucked it high into the air in front of her. She then leapt like a dolphin breaching the water’s surface, and snatched the can mid flight. She finished her acrobatics by mashing her finger down on the nozzle with all of her might, like the trigger of a fully loaded pistol.

The sweet sound of paint crackling and fizzling out of the nozzle filled Aya’s ears, followed by a warm tingle that worked its way up every inch of her spine. The untamed energy of the full moon’s light bathed Aya as she danced to the wild beat of the air-born paint. Needing to go higher, Aya leapt once more into the air, kicked off a wall, and twirled like a wild typhoon sending more chaotic waves of paint flying from her fizzling nozzles.

Aya stopped and sheathed the now smoking can of paint. Before her stood a fully painted and embellished street tag that more closely resembled a mural of a powerful seascape. Her tagger name, ‘Ika-Chan” lay freshly painted atop the brick wall at the focal point of the piece. The finished product made for a tight, yet striking graphic. Aya admired her work and grinned a wide toothy grin. But before Aya could celebrate, she felt a crushing impact on her shoulders.

“OOF, W-Wha?” Aya barely managed to utter as she saw Viv’s nimble body vaulting off her shoulders. They unsheathed two cans of paint and twirled like a ballerina. Viv was lost in a cloud of fizzing and spraying as they dashed like a spirit through the air. When they landed, they took a step back and chuckled.

“Point for me!” Viv shouted triumphantly. They hopped a few times, flashed a playful peace sign, and then disappeared as quickly as they came. Aya was startled suddenly by a hand grabbing her shoulder. Viv leaned in closely and whispered in Aya’s ear. “Keep struggling my little squid.”

Goosebumps crawled up Aya’s neck, and she stumbled back as Viv dashed down the alleyway and raced to their next target. They bounced off dumpsters, kicked off walls, and left a trail of sizzling paint behind them. Aya turned back to the wall and saw her entire piece was now completely painted over. It now read “GG” and had the very same ghost that was on her dorm room wall, sticking its tongue out as if to taunt her. Surrounding the ghost was a full graveyard of cartoony tomb stones that read: “Rip Ika-chan”

“Ughh this is gonna be a long night,” Aya sighed and dashed after Viv.

–

The rest of the hour proceeded in much the same way. Aya impressively tagging a wall, only for Viv to appear out of nowhere and cover it up. Viv outpaced Aya in just about every way, which was impressive considering Aya had quite the reputation back in her hometown. Viv bounced and kicked off walls like they were weightless. By comparison, Aya’s movements were clunky and heavy. She felt like she was carrying a 10 pound bag behind her, but in actuality, Aya was probably a head shorter than Viv.

Before long, the two stood face to face atop the parking deck. Aya leaned over huffing and puffing, while Viv was standing triumphantly with their hands on their hips.

“Looks like I win, little squid,” Viv said with a wink.

“Huff huff P-probably. How many you get?”

“Mm. Lost count. Actually. Probably 50 tags or something,” Viv said while pretending to count with their fingers. “…You?”

“Like, barely any. You hit most of mine!” Aya said while crossing her arms and puffing out her cheeks.

“Ah, really? Nah. Couldn’t be me.” Viv folded their arms behind their head and smiled. “Don’t worry little squid. I know you’re dirt poor, so I won’t be mean and make you pay for my takoyaki.”

“Oof. Good idea, dude. Haven’t eaten since this morning,” Aya said with a hand over her rumbling tummy. “Ah but I’ll need to go back to my room. I left my phone and money chasing your sweet ass.”

Viv smiled and held out a small leather coin bag. “No biggie. I picked this up off some guy between tags. Here. Catch,” Viv said, tossing the bag towards Aya. Aya fumbled for a moment but caught it. She shot Viv a sideways glance.

“Dude. You looted someone?”

“Please. Someone needs their bra loosened,” Viv rolled their eyes. “Was just some stuck up office worker leaving a late shift. Besides, there’s like barely anything in there. If you and I were kids, that’d probably be our week’s worth of food. Meanwhile these pricks won’t even notice it’s missing.”

“You’re probably not wrong,” Aya took out what she needed and tossed the bag back. Viv caught it and slipped it in their jacket pocket.

“Couple blocks down, I know a guy that sells bomb-ass takoyaki. Super cheap too,” Viv said.

“Can we get some water too?”

“Sure, squiddo.” Viv winked.

“Huff. Alright. Lead the way.”

The two set off down the stairs of the parking deck. Their feet clamoring against the metal stairs as the large steel door creaked and slammed shut behind them. The dim, flickering lights of the parking deck eerily lit the concrete scenery. These nights were what Aya truly lived for. An unrestrained freedom that could only be found in the murky depths of the urban abyss. Few understood the call of a street artist. An itch that forced a person to go against the grain and answer only to the call of their instinct, no matter how high the price, it had to be paid. Viv was bound by this same call, Aya recognized it. The two had only just met, yet they shared an unspoken familiarity.

“Woah, dude,”

“What’s up?” Viv tilted her head down to face Aya. They folded their hands behind their head.

“Do you even know my name?”

“Huh? Why’s that matter?” Viv replied.

“Well you told me yours, remember?”

“Only cuz you asked for it.”

“You really don’t care?” Aya said in a flustered tone.

“To me you’re always just gonna be squid,” Viv replied cooly.

“Ugh. Fine,” Aya pouted.

Viv put a finger to their temple and let out an exaggerated sigh. “Listen. If you’re gonna go being all hurt about it, then fine. What’s your name then?”

“Sheesh. It’s Aya. Aya Minami,” Aya fiddled with her hair.

“Aya? Okay. Great. I’ll keep calling you squid from now on. Glad we got that covered.”

“Bitch.” Aya whispered under her breath. Viv looked ahead and smirked. The two continued back down the stairs until they reached the bottom floor.

“After you, gorgeous,” Viv said while holding the steel door to the parking deck open. Aya nodded silently and continued.

The two walked side by side down the city street. A panorama of lights, the roaring of cars, and the beeping of horns surrounded the two as Viv led the way.

—

Sizzling, crackling, and the murmur of a small crowd could be heard all around Aya and Viv as they approached a bustling side street. The pulse of the city's beating urban heart could be felt all around. Delectable aromas wafted from the food carts that lined the street as steam rose from the grates in the sidewalk. Feeling captivated by the different smells, Aya felt her attention being dragged this way and that as she ducked and weaved through the crowd. Her tummy growled; Bright lights from the surrounding shops and neon signs made her vision blur and her creeping dizziness grow more apparent.

“Dude, it’s like past midnight on a school night. How’s this place so packed,” Aya said as she followed closely behind Viv.

“Influencers. They put this area on blast a few months ago and it’s been packed since,” Viv said with a shrug. “Can’t blame ‘em though. I used to eat here every night when I set up my base two streets down.”

“Base?”

“Yup. Every tagger who’s anyone’s got one…I take it your little squid crew didn’t though, huh?” Viv tilted their head back towards Aya and flashed a grin.

“Nah dude,” Aya's head began to ache, her vision became blurry. She started slowly losing her grip. The air around her became thick, and she found it more difficult to breathe.

Viv took Aya by the hand, stabilizing and pulling her along. “We’re almost there. You’ll probably snap back once you’ve had a bite.”

The two came to a lone street, tucked just beyond reach of anyone not in the know, well within the maze of alleyways and side-streets. At the end of this street was a single takoyaki stand. It had a blue banner with a cute red octopus painted on it.

“Lucky us.” Viv smirked. “Just one other person here,”

As the two got in line, Viv fixed their gaze on the person ahead and began tapping their finger to their lip.

“Pretty sure I’ve seen that strawberry-lemonade mop around. They in any of your classes?” Viv asked and turned to Aya. Aya looked up to see who the person was , but her vision became suddenly blurry again.

Time had begun to slip through Aya’s fingers and her mind became vacant. Gravity started to get the upper hand as she wobbled and stumbled straight into the person ahead of her.

“Aya! Are you all right?” A voice called to her. Whoever it was was now holding her.

“Get a hold of yourself, Squid,”

“Perhaps she’s dehydrated? Ah. Here,” They said. Aya could hear rummaging for a few moments before a cold bottle had reached her hands. “What to do…ah. We should sit over here and have you drink it.”

The person guided Aya over a few feet and lowered her limp body down. Aya sat snugly propped against the alley wall, her bottom against the rough cement. She cracked open the top to the bottle of icy liquid she was handed and took a swig. After a few seconds Aya came to and looked next to her to thank the person that had helped her.

“Yae,” Aya said with a warm smile.

“Hello, Aya,” Yae said. They gave an awkward smile and scratched their fluffy pink hair. “Are you okay?”

“Mm,” Aya nodded and attempted a smile with her cheeks full of icy water. She downed it with one big swallow and let out a small sigh of relief. “Just needed some water. Haven’t slept in a few days either. Heh,” Aya forced a laugh and brushed her messy bangs from her face.

“One could hardly blame you. My struggle with feeling comfortable enough to achieve a full night’s rest is a readily known fact,” Yae said. Aya took a long sip of the water and felt its icy relief fill her fatigued body with a second wind.

“How’d you get here, Yae?”

“Me? Ah…I—“

Before they could answer, Viv shoved a paper tray of steaming takoyaki in front of Aya and plopped down next to her with one of their own. They popped one whole in their mouth and visibly grimaced. They chewed it for a moment before swallowing it down in a single painful gulp.

“Shit that’s hot. Make sure to blow it well before you swallow,” Viv said. Their eyes darted between Aya and Yae, and they grinned their usual foxlike grin. “Speaking of. You two…close?”

“Heh, they're in my class. Yae, Viv. Viv, Yae,” Aya said as she introduced them to each other.

“Pleasure, Viv,” Yae said, extending their hand.

“Mm. Sure,” Viv said quietly, as they popped another takoyaki ball in her mouth. They chewed and stared blankly beyond Yae’s outstretched hand.

“You’re too cute for this place,” Viv said with a grin. “What brings you out here?”

“Ah—I…Couldn’t sleep so I decided to go out,” Yae replied.

“No kidding,” Viv looked to Aya. “You’re pretty far from campus.”

“Aha, I suppose you're right,” Yae forced a smile and shrugged. Viv stared at them for a moment and looked to Aya, who was noticeably looking away from Yae and fidgeting with a leftover toothpick from her takoyaki. Viv’s eyes darted back and forth between the two as they popped another takoyaki ball in their mouth and smiled proudly while chewing.

“Mrph. Smack smack—I like you, Yae,” Viv said with a full mouth.

“Thank you. You seem nice yourself,” Yae smiled back. “So you two are friends outside of class I suppose?”

“Yeah, something like that. Viv and I have the same focus,” Aya said.

“Yup,” Viv chimed in with a wink. “Gave this one here the street artist welcome.” They ruffled Aya’s fluffy green hair. Aya playfully punched Viv in the shoulder and the two smiled at each other.

The three continued eating and enjoying each other’s company. Aya tried to stand up to throw her food away, but Yae stopped her and took their trash to a nearby can themselves. Aya continued sipping on her water, trying to regain her strength while the three chatted aimlessly.

“I’ve been meaning to tell you both something,” Yae said. They looked to the full moon as they spoke. “Thank you both for being brave enough to share your talent with the world. You add color to the colorless, and show that…the human spirit is a story worth sharing,” Yae said, their voice cracked as they spoke.

Aya continued searching for words to respond with, but found nothing.

“Thanks, Yae” Aya said with a smile. She looked at Yae, their eyes fixated on a world far beyond the one Aya sat on. The three shared in a moment together as they gazed at the full moon, each having gathered faithfully under its call.

The streetlights and neon lights from outside the alley outlined Yae’s profile as they continued to stargaze. The stars reflected on their bright eyes, but behind their gaze, Aya couldn’t help but notice a tinge of loneliness.

The roar of a nearby car broke the trance, and Viv rose to their feet.

“Mind takin’ squidling here back to her room? I’ve gotta take care of something,” Viv said while looking down at Yae. They nodded.

“Yes. I’d be happy to,” Yae replied.

“Ah, you sure dude?…I’m okay, really,” said Aya. She brushed a strand of hair to the side and took the last swig of her water bottle.

“I insist. I’d feel much better if we went back together,” Yae said. Aya nodded in return and the two rose to their feet. Yae held Aya’s hand and helped her up.

“Later,” Viv called from the end of the alleyway. But before Aya could respond, they vanished like a ghost.

“It’s getting late,” Yae said. They stretched and let out a big yawn. “I’m quite tired for a change.” They smiled down at Aya. She turned and looked up at Yae, returning their smile.

“Ah yeah. Sorry dude. Let’s go.”

Yae led the way back. The two walked together along the main street. Yae stopped every now and again to check and make sure Aya was all right. She lagged behind and had to stop multiple times to catch her breath.

“Guess I’m pretty messed up, huh,” Aya said while down on one knee. She gripped her forehead as her dizziness started to return.

“Please, don’t worry, my love.” Yae said. They approached her and held out their hand. “Lean on me as you need to, all right?”

Aya nodded and took Yae’s hand. It was soft. She felt a warmth overtake her body as they walked hand in hand like a couple down the dimly lit city streets. As they walked, Aya’s condition worsened, and before long she was full on leaning on Yae, who was just short of carrying her. They walked for a full hour, turning this way and that.

“Did I mention that I’m quite terrible with directions?” Yae said with a sigh.

“It’s f-fine. I’m sure we’ll—“

“OH Thank the cards! There you are!” A familiar voice called out to the two. A bouncy redhead came jogging up the street stopping just in front of Aya.

“Ives…am I glad to see you,” Aya said weakly. She sheepishly smiled as she spoke.

“My god, what happened to you, Chippy?” Ivy exclaimed. She then turned to Yae. “Ah, Doki, Thanks a million for helping search!” Ivy exclaimed with a loud exhale. Aya turned to look at Yae.

“Awh man. Are you both out here because of me?” Aya said with a sigh.

“Darn right we did! I went to give you your daily good night hug, only to find you jumping out of the window of all things! I was worried sick!” Ivy said loudly.

“Uh…daily good night hugs? When’d that become a thing?” Aya asked with a smirk.

“Starting tonight it was supposed to be. But you ruined the surprise by jumping out the window, Chippy. Now I’ll have to start over from scratch tomorrow. Our tradition is ruined,” Ivy said with her arms crossed. She pouted and looked away from Aya.

“Can a tradition really be ruined if it was never enacted in the first pl—“

“That’s enough from you, Doki!” Ivy snapped back at Yae.

“Uh. Doki…?” Aya scratched her head.

“It’s the non-negotiable nickname that miss Haruki signed me up for,” Yae said with a shrug.

“How…?” Aya tilted her head.

“Well, isn't it obvious? Yae has such pretty pink hair, which reminds me of strawberry milk bubble tea. Strawberries look like hearts, and what do hearts do? They go Doki! Doki! Doki!” Ivy said proudly. After a few moments her expression returned serious and she walked over to Yae and ripped Aya out of their hands.

“Alright. Enough stalling. Chip-Chip you’re coming with me, and we’re going to bed! No buts!”

Aya stumbled into Ivy’s arms, as she forcefully dragged her along the path back to the Green Dorms.

“U-Uh later, Yae!”

“Good night, Aya. See you in class tomorrow.” Yae called back.

Ivy dragged Aya along. Campus was shockingly close by, they really were almost back. Before long, the two girls made their way back to Aya’s room. Aya collapsed on her bed, and sleep overtook her senses. Ivy insisted on staying the night with Aya, and the two fell asleep together.