Episode 11: There is Nothing To Left To Lose

The two had just finished an episode of Gilmore Girls, the last one Kasumi was planning on watching for the night anyway.

“Um, okay.” She was already feeling incredibly nervous.

Oh God, what is he gonna say?!

“Alright.” He took a deep breath and let it out. “First off, this summer vacation has been pretty fun, hanging with you and watching Netflix and all that. I really enjoyed it.”

Kasumi’s face blossomed into a grin, even though she had a feeling that what he’d say next would be no good. “Really? You’re welcome!”

And sure enough, the next thing he said made Kasumi’s heart sink deep, deep down into her chest. “However… I don’t really think we’re meant to be together. I hope you don’t take this too harshly, but you’re too self-centered. Everything you want to do involves you, all the time, and in my opinion, it makes me feel pretty suffocated. We never do anything I want to do.”

Kasumi gulped. Oh God, he’s also kinda right?

“So, I hope you don’t mind this… I want to break up with you. We can still remain friends if you want… And I’m not planning on looking for a girlfriend any time soon. After all, with me being on a baseball team now, I would like to focus on that more and getting into a sports college. So… I hope you didn’t take all this the wrong way.” Peter sighed after saying all that and got up off the couch.

Ah, right. It’s time for him to leave anyway.

The girl’s eyes started to water, and before she knew it, tears were spilling down her face.

“O-okay,” she said between gasping and choking. “I get it. I am pretty mean anyway… that’s what Mimori tells me.”

Peter nodded as if silently agreeing with her friend, and turned toward the door. Before he left though, he said one last thing:

“I’m sorry.”

As she saw his skinny figure walk down the sidewalk, Kasumi went through all of his social media that she followed him on and muted him.

After all, muting is better than unfriending and unfollowing.

★

Half an hour passed. Kasumi didn’t realize it, but yet again getting engrossed in a makeup tutorial is a legitimate way to lose track of time.

That was when she got a sudden rush of adrenaline.

Whew! Glad he left… even though he was supposed to leave anyway.

With a jump in her step, Kasumi rushed up the stairs to her room and connected her phone via Bluetooth to a medium-sized speaker she had in her room and turned on some tunes on her Spotify.

Particularly, the song “Intuition” by Jewel, which—you guessed it—was recommended to her by Mimori.

Yes, her friend’s music taste was basically hers at that point… Except for the fact that Kasumi was a bigger Ariana Grande fan than Mimori would ever be.

Ah… This is the life.

Yes (again). Kasumi was doing this after her breakup with Peter.

You know what? That was fine with her. Somehow, Kasumi had no problem whatsoever with Peter breaking up with her, no matter how sudden.

It may have been Kasumi’s first breakup, her first heartache, but she didn’t feel anything.

Nothing at all.

Because it clicked in her.

Did… I really like Peter at all? Besides him being pretty hot, after all.

But those were looks, and he… was pretty despondent. Over time, Kasumi stopped actually caring about what Peter was really like and clung to the thoughts she had of him, what she “really” thought was him.

In short, she was coping. Hard.

And this breakup proved that she didn’t actually need him after all.

Sure, she was a bitch by not letting him pick any shows he wanted to watch on Netflix, but that was something she was unaware of.

She didn’t know she was doing it.

“Oh God,” she said aloud. “I’ve been thinking for fucking ever.”

It was an odd breakup, however. One where she learned more about herself than actually pitying herself.

The song changed to “Stand,” another one she really liked from the album Mimori told her to listen to, 0304, and that’s when she had an idea.

“Oooh! I should invite Mimori over!”

Invite her over and do what then…?

“Wait.”

Kasumi froze up in her bed as she let her brain take over once again.

She can time travel. She loves to go to the past.

I also admittedly like the past and its fashion.

We both like the mall…

The mall… time travel… Again, huh?

Yes. That was it. Even though the girls had already gone there a few episodes ago. (Call it an arc, I guess??)

“AHHHH I’M GONNA TEXT MIMO-CHAN RIGHT NOW!!” she yelled, thankful that her mom was outside watering the flowers.

Hope Mimo’s not doing her homework—knowing her though, she probably is and just has her phone next to her on her desk.

Sort of reluctantly, Kasumi went to the Messenger app and texted her friend.

My room, right now, she said rather forcefully.

K-Kasumi-chan! You know I can’t teleport, right?

I know you can. I believe in you. Just think of my house like a few seconds ago or something. As she was typing that, Kasumi couldn’t believe how much of a genius she really was. Oh my God, am I the female Neil deGrasse Tyson or something?!

U-um… okay then?

Kasumi blinked, and then…

“Did I do it?”

The girl turned around on her bed and saw Mimori standing there, looking considerably confused.

“Ooowah, you actually did it!” Kasumi clapped her hands together, looking incredibly excited.

Mimori’s face flushed as she jumped up and down. “Ohmigod, I did it! I did something new! Woot woot!”

Kasumi giggled as her friend celebrated in an admittedly adorable way. “Good! I’m proud of you too! Now, I have an idea.”

Mimori shut herself up as she sat next to her friend on her bed. “Okay, spill.”

“Well… For one thing, Peter broke up with me.”

“WHAT?!” her friend shrieked. “WHEN?!”

“Like… almost an hour ago.” Kasumi paused and looked to the side as her phone went into another Jewel song, which was perfectly fine in her opinion.

“Anyway, it doesn’t matter anyway because he was actually a jerk and not even that cute, to begin with. I was thinking we could celebrate my breakup by going shopping in the past! And here’s the thing—you can pick the stores we go into, what we eat, and what I buy.” A huge grin formed on Kasumi’s face, one she could only describe as looking smug from what she could see of it in the mirror.

“O-okay!” Mimori looked hesitant but still hyped. “But why though?”

Kasumi’s grin turned into a serious, confident smile. “Because I need a lesson in humility.”

“Oh, okay! We can do that then.” Mimori got up off the bed and put a hand out for Kasumi to grab onto.

“ … What does humility mean though?”

Kasumi snorted. “Something, I don’t know.”

❤

When the girls ended up at a mall, Kasumi looked around, wondering which one it was.

Where even are we?

Actually, after saying that, the girl only had one answer in her mind:

At the mall we always go to, obviously. Probably in the year 1999.

Despite that, Kasumi turned to Mimori and asked the question anyway.

Her friend blinked innocently and then grinned. “We’re in the year 1999!”

Of course. How else would I have known?

Mimori began to walk ahead and Kasumi followed.

Although she recognized the mall they were at—Chiihina Mall, to be more specific—there were still things that registered to her as being unfamiliar, and, dare she, primitive. The music she heard from the speakers sounded cheap and tinny, the posters on the windows of the shops looked bright and had models in outdated clothing, the fact that she couldn’t smell anyone vaping was also a surprise.

Everything’s so different. Why do I kinda like it?

“So,” began Kasumi in a chipper voice, “What’s the first store we’re gonna go to?”

Mimori looked at her with a large grin on her face. “Hot Topic, of course!”

“Ah.”

Right, right. Mimori’s somehow radical change over the summer.

Yes. Starting when summer was in full swing, Mimori suddenly started listening to emo music, which was very out of the blue for her. Although she enjoyed the usual Fall Out Boy or My Chemical Romance song, never once in her life did she express any love for them. Then all of a sudden, a text came to Kasumi on Messenger saying that she really loved this “emo/pop punk” mashup song and that she was going to start listening to that kind of music.

It’s so weird. How do you go from liking late 90s boy bands and rock music to emo music? Shouldn’t it be the other way around or something?

Was Mimori beginning her *big gasp*... emo phase?!

“Right, right,” Kasumi said, chuckling somewhat nervously. “I forgot. You’re totally in your emo phase right now.”

“No I’m not!” her friend replied brattily, blush already lighting up her face. “I just like some of the songs, that’s all! Plus,” she continued. “I wanna see if I can get a System of a Down or Sum 41 shirts from there. Oh, and something for you, too!”

“Ah, System of a Down. Here we go, that’s more your speed.” Kasumi then had to wonder if Mari had any shirts from her favorite bands. I sure as hell don’t see her wearing any.

Oh, and Sum 41. That one band that Mimori was also getting into recently that she found hard to label. On one album they were pop punk, on another heavier (maybe?) punk, and on the next one almost metal (and also emo).

The girls walked around the mall, going through three sections and occasionally laughing at the outdated fashion and advertisements on the sign-thingies, until they got to Mimori’s Shop of Choice.

“¡Voila! Here we are!” The girl stood in front of the store, likely embarrassing herself and giving other second-hand embarrassment (if they cared, that is.)

Kasumi chortled. “Yeah, okay. And wow, look at it! It looks so… emo!”

Having walked past many a Hot Topic before, she was shocked at how it looked back in the day. The logo was a fluorescent red and written in gothic lettering, and the doors were actually gates.

Looking at it all, Kasumi didn’t care that much about her friend being dorky and just simply said “Woah…”

No sooner after saying that did Kasumi feel Mimori tugging at her shirt sleeve. “C’mon Kasumiii, let’s gooo!”

The girls then walked in and were immediately greeted with a metal band playing loudly from the speakers. One metal band that Kasumi could only guess was Korn because not only did the vocalist sound familiar but they also had a bass that sounded like what she could describe as a “pogo stick.”

“AHHHH IT’S KORN!!!” shrieked Mimori, showing no remorse whatsoever for the other people within the store.

Kasumi glanced at the cashier, who was actually a mildly attractive emo guy, to see his reaction… which was of course an amused snort.

Hmm, wait a second. Now I’m suddenly interested in talking to this guy. But first, I should probably tell Mimori that.

The girl found her friend gazing at all of the shirts that were on display on the left-hand side of the store—undoubtedly the women’s section.

“Hey, Mimo-chan!” she said in the nicest voice she could muster.

“AHHH! Kasumi-chan, LOOOK!!” Mimori pointed at a shirt on the wall, one that she could just barely make out as being a Foo Fighters one. (It was on a guy’s neck, okay?)

“Ah, cool. Foo Fighters, huh?”

“Yeah! I think I’m gonna get it!” She then frowned. “I don’t see any System or Sum though. Uguuu, I should’ve gone to 2001 instead. But I didn’t wanna deal with 9/11 and all of that…”

Ah. She was right about that.

Wait—that happened in America though…?

“Ah, okay. You gonna continue looking then? I wanna try talking to this cashier guy.”

“Um, alright? Have fun, I guess? I’ll go looking for something for you then!”
Kasumi gave her a thumbs up and went back to the register, where the man was. (Luckily, there was no one there at the moment.)

The girl crossed her arms and leaned against the register, which she hoped he wouldn’t get her in trouble for.

“Sooo…” she drawled. “I can imagine that you come across people like my friend quite often?”

The man, whose name tag read “Kei” in equally gothic letters, laughed. “Yup. All the time. Especially girls that are huge fans of older bands like New Order and stuff.”

“Hm, mm-hm.” Kasumi pretended to know what he was talking about.

Kei eyed her up and down and then cocked his head to the side. “Okay, this is gonna sound weird but… you look like you’re from a totally different decade.”

“Ah HA!” Kasumi said nervously, which ended up sounding like an evil cackle. “Yeah, I get that often. My friend is more of this de—I mean, my friend is less futuristic than me.” That is fact, actually.

“Heh.” Kei smirked and then started scribbling something down on a piece of paper. Oh God, is he actually flirting with me? How old is this guy even? He looks like he’s almost in his twenties.

Still cute though.

“So what kind of bands are you into? Or TV shows or whatever?”

Kasumi did the opposite of blinking—she didn’t blink. “Uhh… hmmm…”

What am I gonna do?!

“W-what’s on the radio, I guess?” Blush started to creep across her cheeks. “I mean, I do like some rock stuff too, like Nickelback and Staind and stuff…”

“Ooh, Staind?” Kei looked excited all of a sudden. “Damn, they’re pretty heavy though. I mean not as heavy as other bands in that genre but in comparison to Nickelback? They’re pretty heavy.”

“Hm, really?” Shit, I totally said the wrong thing, didn’t I?

Kasumi knew that she was already failing at the most basic rule of time travel: Know Your Stuff.

★

The time Kasumi and Mimori spent at the mall was the most amount of fun she had in a while. And if you’re wondering what Mimori got from Kasumi, here’s what the girl ended up with:

Red Hot Chili Peppers t-shirt (from their Californication era)

Strawberry Orange Julius from Orange Julius

Two soft tacos from Taco Bell

Oops…! I Did It Again CD (yes, Britney Spears)

Overall, Kasumi liked all of these things, and she even admitted to Mimori that she’d wear the Chili Peppers shirt in public on one of those non-school days.

Yes, her brilliant idea ended up being brilliant after all.

I like being right about these things.

After getting dropped off back at her house by Mimori (who said, despite knowing of these powers now, will not continue to use them because she liked Tomo’s Transportation Service better), Kasumi laid back on her bed, essentially getting back to square one at where she was before Mimori arrived.

Except this time, she was happy.

Actually, truly happy.

There was, however, one thing on her mind that refused to get out.

I wonder where the Kei dude is today?

Kasumi, of course, had no way of researching a guy she knew by his first name and one of his jobs that, let’s face it, he likely didn’t have for too terribly long… and that’s why she called in her reinforcements.

It’s Miharu Time.

Kasumi popped back into Messenger, found Miharu’s name, and sent her a message privately. The girl responded almost immediately.

Sure. I’ll be there in a second.

A flash of mint light appeared, and standing in front of her was the Girl, the Myth, the Legend herself: Miharu Komatsu.

“Sorry if I was kinda brief with you, I was in the middle of my homework. This shouldn’t take too long, though.” The reality warper gestured toward Kasumi’s phone. Kasumi gave it to her in a way that showed no reluctance at all, surprisingly enough.

With her phone pressed against her chest and her eyes closed, Kasumi felt her room’s air feel oddly chilly and weirdly fuzzy for a moment.

“There.” Miharu took the phone off her chest, glanced at it, and handed it back to Kasumi.

The twin-tailed girl’s eyes went straight to the phone.

Kasumi almost choked on her spit.

“Th-thank you so mu—”

Miharu was already gone.

Dammit.

According to the screen, his Facebook detailed that Kei’s full name was Kei Tanaka and that he was born in 1982.

So eighteen. Nice, he’s not too old then.

Not that she was into him or anything.

Okay, now for the plan.

With a deep breath, Kasumi pressed the Message app button and began typing, letting her brain spill its thoughts out before she inevitably forgot them.

Hey. This is gonna sound really weird but I’m the girl that you saw like sixteen years ago today. You probably don’t remember me but my friend was screaming about seeing a Foo Fighters shirt and all that.

Anyway, I wanted to thank you. Thank you for acknowledging my existence and talking to me. I really appreciate it.

… Also yes I am from the future.

Kasumi sighed and pressed send on that last message. He probably isn’t gonna believe me but it’s worth a try, she figured.

The girl then sat there, trying to figure out in her mind why she wanted to send the guy that message. Why did he stick out in her head so much? Did she really have feelings for him?

Well… Kasumi guessed not. She only assumed that the reason she couldn’t stop thinking about him was the fact that he was a male who didn’t act like a total dick to her.

Not like the other guys in her life treated her awful or anything… It was just Peter, and it’s not like she cared that much about him overall.

Just… seeing that guy gave Kasumi hope. It gave her hope that she’d come across a guy one day that she’d be really, truly attracted to, that she would listen to and give thought to what he wanted to do—mainly in the realm of what to watch on Netflix, of course.

But just like Peter was, Kasumi would work on self-improvement. She’d try to be less vain, less self-important—

And not to brag or anything, but she was already making progress.

★

It was the next day, and shockingly enough, Kasumi had actually forgotten about Kei. She went through school perfectly fine, focusing on her classes and all that.

Until lunchtime, when she was eating with Mimori.

Bzzt, bzzt.

“Ah! I got a message,” she said aloud, rather obviously.

She turned on her phone and saw the preview tab and the name.

Oh my God. He responded!!!

Kasumi tapped on the preview image, her breath shaky.

There it is. The message.

She read on.

Hey there, Kasumi. Yes, I do remember you. How could I forget? It may seem weird but yes I do believe in time travel, and you really confirmed it. So glad I got to meet you. I don’t know why you were there, or what your purpose was, but thank you for talking to me.

Kasumi’s heart skipped a beat.

No prob! She replied casually.

The dots at the bottom jumped again, and another message appeared:

I’ve got a band suggestion for you, by the way, since you said you only listen to music on the radio: Deftones. They’re great, check them out.

After reading that message, Kasumi grinned, replied to him again, and sent her phone down.

I think I will, Kei. I think I will.