Chapter 4: Restless (Afternoon of Tuesday, April 3rd, 2018)
As the school day winded down, Yumeko was organizing her new books and accessories on her desk, when suddenly, a small group of girls walked up to her, and nearly flanked her from all sides. Taking a good look at her surroundings, Yumeko put her hand in her pocket and leaned back on the chair as the girls surrounded her like a vulture surrounds its meal. The rest of the class had already left, save a few stragglers. She didn't have Mayuri by her side this time, but she could take care of herself. The first move was hers.
"Is there anything you need from me? Because if not, I'd like to go home."
Yumeko said in a calm voice. Keeping her right hand tightened and ready to strike, she used her left hand to tap on the desk, hoping to lessen the tension. A girl with dark brown hair and blue eyes approached her from the front and spoke.
"Oh, nothing. We just wanted to see who the new girl was." She put her hand on the desk.
Leaning forward a bit more, she seemed to examine Yumeko a bit more. Feeling the tension rising with her stare, she was ready to talk it out and hopefully get away from her. Before she could speak, she extended her hand to her.
"I'm Kumiko Hana. Student Council President. Nice to meet you."
Yumeko just stared blankly at her hand. As if it was a foreign object and she was afraid to touch it. The other girls around her looked at her with awkward stares as she didn't return the handshake back yet. Eventually giving in, she shook her hand, and there was no tight tugs or squeeze from her.
"I hope you enjoy your stay here at Masayume High. I'll do my best to help all my fellow students. Including you." She took a small bow and left the room.
"What…. Was that?" Yumeko asked herself as she picked up her bag.
She walked out the door and into the hallway, finding Mayuri. Mayuri greeted her as usual and the two of them walked outside to the school gates. As they passed the numerous amount of students surrounding the school courtyard, a young girl passed by the two of them, like she was late to a meeting. The young girl had dark gray hair, she had styled her hair in a braid, and had red eyes. She looked at the two of them quickly and apologized for nearly running into them. She took a small bow and ran off.
"Geez, I wonder what's with that girl," Mayuri said scratching her head and adjusting her backpack. Yumeko nodded and they moved on to the school gates. The two of them walked to the nearby mall, as Mayuri insisted on showing her around the area so she could get used to being here. The mall was gorgeous, it overlooked an artificial man-made lake and was nearly 4 stories high with a rooftop that was also a hangout spot, outfitted with vendors and couches. The two friends decided to skip most of the shops, only going to the 3rd story to grab some takoyaki and ramen to eat on the rooftop. They faced the man-made lake and enjoyed each other's company.
"So, what do you think of the mall huh? Pretty fancy?" Mayuri asked as she poked at her takoyaki. The scent of the octopus was strong, but Yumeko knew she didn't mind at all.
"I like it a lot. It's pretty. I'm glad it doesn't get too hot up here." Yumeko replied cheerfully as she let her ramen sit for a minute.
"Right? I used to go up here a lot before, but I always got so caught up in Cheer Practice that I could barely hang out often after school to just relax y'know?" Mayuri looked a bit down as she looked at the lake. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head.
"Oh, I know! Why don't you join a club after school? We've got a lot of options you know. We should get you a physical activity club and a more artistic club. You do need to work out a bit, I can see your face getting a little bit more round already!" Mayuri teased.
Yumeko became flustered a bit and began to eat her ramen instead. Mayuri pulled out a piece of paper from her bag, it listed the available clubs after school. She started to mark up certain activities that could fit Yumeko.
"I can totally see you being a part of the tennis club! Ooh or even the Volleyball team! Just don't injure yourself too much though, I know you can be a bit frail." Taking another jab at her friend. She made off all the clubs that she knows Yumeko wouldn't want to join. After doing so, she started to show her the more artistic clubs.
"Drama, or the sleeping club?" And before Mayuri could say another word, Yumeko put her ramen bowl down quickly and replied
"Sleeping club. Please." Her mouth still had some ramen in it when she said it. Mayuri shook her head and laughing at the spectacle that was Yumeko.
"You dork! There is no sleeping club! Why would you take that seriously?!" She said chuckling at her. Yumeko looked a bit down and said
"Ugh. What else is there?" Pouting a bit.
"Well, before I was so rudely interrupted, there is the music club. I know you used to play the piano, so I thought you'd like to join it? I mean I can't do music for the life of me. I tried playing the flute before because I watched these Chinese shows right? So-" Yumeko started to doze off as Mayuri began her long explanation about flutes. As Mayuri continued, she noticed that Yumeko was starting to fall asleep. She stopped herself and blushed a bit for going on about her story and refocused herself.
"So, I totally want to know what you'd join, I crossed off all the other ones since I know for a fact you wouldn't want to join cheer. Or Football. Or Swimming. Geez, I can't imagine you swimming. You burn easy." Yumeko looked down at the paper and sighed. In one deft stroke, she crossed off the "to be determined" options under both the sport and cultural club options. As she crossed them off Mayuri looked down and laughed again.
"Oh? What's so funny now?" Yumeko asked, starting to get a bit lost as to why she keeps laughing at her.
"Nothing! I just totally imagined you choosing tennis! You'd totally miss the ball!" Mayuri started to forget she had another pair of takoyaki as she started to laugh out of control. Yumeko sighed again and laughed at the prospect of seeing her doing any of these activities. The two friends laughed it up and enjoyed their company together.
The two of them enjoyed their food and watched as the sun started to set over the sparkling lake. They listened to whatever soundtrack they had on their phones, playing it out loud, regardless if anyone hears it. As much as they wanted to be in each other's company more, they realized it was getting late. The clock ticked away, and they decided it was time to head home. They walked each other to their respective train's, and Mayuri looked at her friend and joyfully remarked,
"Guess I'll be heading back to my place now! Thanks for the sleepover last night. See you tomorrow!" The two of them hugged and went their separate ways.
As the evening winded down, Yumeko returns to her home to rest. As she enters, she finally sees someone she hasn't met yet. Her nephew, Hayato. As she sees him, she notices that he doesn't react. He just looks at her and goes back to watching the TV. Junko is also there, her face sullen. But as she turns to look at Yumeko, it flips a switch in her. Junko runs up to her aunt and hugs her again. She can feel that she's pouring out all of her love into the hug, like a desperate cry to her. Junko holds her hand and asks,
"Hey Auntie, can we go out and eat somewhere? Momma isn't going to be home for a few more hours… And I'm really hungry." She gives her the most adorable puppy eyes ever. Yumeko couldn't help but smile, just to try and reassure her little niece. Dropping down on her knees, she looks Junko straight in her eyes and asks,
"Of course Junko. Where do you want to go?"
"Can we go to the bento box across the street? I really want some sushi…" Junko brushes her arm and looks down. A little tear comes from her eye. Yumeko can't tell if she's embarrassed, scared, or just shy to ask her. She quickly replies.
"You got it. Now come on, let's wipe those tears away okay? A princess shouldn't be crying." Yumeko gently wiped away her tears and gave her a hug.
"Go and get dressed, I'll be waiting here."
Junko was holding Yumeko's hand the entire walk to the restaurant across the street. The two of them looked like a pair of sisters enjoying their time together, even though their hair color and styles differ from each other. As they walked, Junko started to talk about her day, how her school was, and how she felt happy being with Yumeko. Yumeko herself still couldn't understand what was going on between Junko and Hayato. Why did the two of them act like complete strangers? Why does Junko become extremely depressed around Hayato but not around her? She resolves herself to find about this relationship between Junko and her brother because she can't stand to see her sad.
As the darkness fell over Kyoto, and the sun takes a rest, Yumeko slips into her bed and begins to do the activity she loves the most, sleeping. Taking a sigh of relief, she closed her eyes and drifted off. A calm, cool breeze brushed her as she slept. There was also a small ticklish sensation as if tiny hands were touching her. Wanting to know what was causing her to feel this way, she opened her eyes and found herself covered in a bed of flowers and roses. Slowly waking from her slumber, she looked around and found herself in a place that looked like heavenly otherworldly to her. Images of classical fairy tales, fantasy worlds, and wonders came to mind as she considered the sight in front of her. Looking up, she found what appeared to look like another planet, surrounded with rings no different from Saturn's, against the backdrop of a pale blue sky in the background with countless numbers of shooting stars moving through.
Getting on to her feet, she took her own tour of the fantastical new place she arrived in. There was a sweet, sensational scent moving through the air. Having lived in a city for almost all her life, she realized that the smell had to be fresh, clean air. Nothing like the polluted city that she had grown accustomed to, for indeed she could tell it was a smell she had to be dreaming of. As she walked forward in the meadow, she stretched her arms outward to her sides and felt the brushing of the foliage across her hands. Looking back, realizing how much progress was made, it astonished her that the entire garden was like a living breathing thing. The trees, the flowers, the hanging fruits that tasted just as fresh and powerful, she couldn't help herself to keep smiling throughout the whole entire waltz. Nearing the end of her lovely journey, she found herself at what looked to be, the end of the garden, where there is some sand, and a vast body of water that spans for as far as she could see. Only realizing now she was barefoot, she walked over to the water that gently brushed her feet against the calm, undisturbed water. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, and slowly opened them again to see up into the sky, the same beautiful canvas of planets and stars.
However, something felt quite off for her. Something was missing deep inside her that was preventing her from fully enjoying the experience she was having. Looking around, she found no one but herself, all alone on this magical land. Feeling a bit concerned, she rose from her relaxed position at the beachhead and decided to walk around, hoping to find someone.
What felt like an eternity, and three roundabouts around the same land, she could not find a single trace of anyone. Not her parents, not her friends, no one. Just her. Sweat started to drip down her cheek, she couldn't be the only one there. She called out in desperation.
"Hello!? Anyone here? Mom? Dad? Mayuri?... Anybody?"
She started to panic and felt that she needed to leave. Everywhere she turned, all she could see was the same exact surroundings that she had been through time and time again.
Feeling a sense of danger and claustrophobia, she had realized she was dreaming. There was no mistake about it, everything around her feels real, but she could start to see through the fake and now, will do her best to get out of this dream. Turning back, knowing that running around the island would be fruitless, she decided to jump into the vast ocean and hopefully, it will help her wake up from this hyper-realistic trip. Sprinting with all her power, she dived into the ocean, only to be uplifted off the ground. Stunned, she tried to move her muscles but she felt frozen, paralyzed. She had zero control of her body, and soon enough, she was hurled towards the planet with the rings like Saturn. Putting her arms up bracing herself, she screamed as she rapidly approached the planet.
"Auntie? Hey, Auntie wake up." She heard an unfamiliar voice this time. It wasn't Aika's, nor Mayuri or Junko's that's for sure. No, it sounded more, masculine than theirs.
Opening her eyes, she found herself face to face with Hayato, the reclusive brother to Junko. He was standing next to Yumeko as she laid in her bed.
"Hayato? What're you doing here?"
"I wasn't feeling good so Mother said I could stay home today until I feel better." Hayato looked toward the clock in Mayuri's room.
"I also came here to try and wake you up. Mother and Sister had to leave so they couldn't help, and I heard your phone going off but you didn't wake up."
Afraid to look, but needing to know the truth anyways, the time was now 12:00 PM. Seeing this revelation, she quickly jolted out of her bed, surprising Hayato, and she ran to the bathroom, uniform and makeup in hand. Within ten minutes, she was already changed and running out of the house and to the train station across the street. Looking at her phone, she noticed a barrage of text messages from Mayuri, with the general gist of them being,
"Where are you? You can't be late on your 2nd day of class! Come on wake up sleepy
head!"
Boarding and exiting the train in record time, she arrived to Masayume Academy at 12:30 PM. The gate was closed, but she saw her homeroom teacher, Ryo-Sensei. Apparently it looked like he was walking across the campus, to get some fresh air perhaps. Sensei noticed his student blitzing down the street. Waving at him from the other side of the gate, she yelled out.
"Ryo-Sensei! It's me Yumeko!" A look of confusion and worry was riddled all over his face. Marching over to the gate, he looked at her and said,
"Yumeko? What're you doing here so late? This is only the second day of school and already you're this late?" He said in a tough scolding manner. Taking a deep breath and scratching his neck, he crossed his arms and reached into his pocket and grabbed his keys.
"Listen. Since you're the new girl, I'll go easy and let you off the hook this one time." He said as he flipped through which key he needed to unlock the gate.
"But you have to promise me, no more late arrivals until the end of the year, unless there is a legitimate excuse, is that understood?" The key was inserted into the slot and he offered his hand. Yumeko looked down, apologized and shook his hand saying,
"Yes sir. I'm really sorry for running late, I guess I'm still getting used to Kyoto an-" Before finishing, she was cut off.
"Come on, no excuses. Just pretend this didn't happen and abide by the rules I laid out okay? Now come on in, lunch is just about to start and you should check in with your other teachers to make sure you catch up on what you missed." He unlocked the gate, and he walked her into the school.