Quick disclaimer: I don't own Durarara! and I sadly never will ;-; But I DO own this fanfic and all the ocs in it^^ I hope you guys like it!
?: Hey Karin
Karin: ...? Hello? Who is this?
?: It's Azuki lol
Karin: Σ(･口･) !
Karin: Azuki! OH WOW! How r u?
?: Am good n u?
Karin: good! ｡^‿^｡
?: lol
Karin: Did you get a new phone? I didn't recognize the number
?: Yeah but I was stupid and lost all of my contacts
Karin: How'd you get my number? lol
?: I bumped into your sister on the street the other day!
Karin: Rly? She never said anything
?: yeah she said you were back in town
Karin: Oh geez. What else did she say?
?: Just that you were taking a break from school
?: I guess America wasn't as great as you thought it would be?
Karin: lol nah. University life just wasn't for me.
Karin: Plus I felt super homesick lol
Karin: What about u? R u still going to school?
?: Nope lol we're pretty much the same right now lol
Karin: lol yeah
Karin: I'm on my break at work rn btw
?: u work?
?: Where?
Karin: lool yeah!
Karin: I work at a family restaurant v('ω')
?: Where? Can I stalk u?
Karin: lol in Shinjuku
Karin: I'm trying to save enough money so I can move out of my parents' place.
?: lol same
?: I'm trying to move out of here too
?: My dad's been super annoying since I quit school n its driving me crazy
?: It must be worse for u tho
Karin: haha yeah... (´∀｀；)
Karin: My parents threatened to kick me out of the house if I didn't get a job
?: Srsly?
Karin: Yeah. Honestly, it's been pretty bad since I moved back in.
?: They didn't want you to major in art right?
Karin: Yeah...;;
Karin: And I failed even tho I went to study abroad, which only makes things worse. (╥_╥)
Karin: So they hate me more now than they did before I left...
Karin: But I've been getting a lot of hours at work so I've been saving a lot.
Karin: I just really wanna get out of here as fast as I can...
?: You will Karin
?: I know u can do it!
?: ok we need to hang out
?: Oh I need to get you high at least once!
?: WE NEED TO PARTY!
Karin: lol wut?
?: What's the craziest thing you did while you were at uni?
Karin: lmao
Karin: You've turned wild since going to college ಠ_ಠ
?: hahahaha nah just a lil bit
?: I can't wait to hang out!
Karin: What about karaoke? I haven't gone since I came back to Japan
?: r u serious?
?: u need to go out and live woman!
?: we aren't kids anymore u know
?: R u free tomorrow? I'll take you to this one bar in Ikebukuro
?: No little kids allowed
?: it'll be fun
Karin: Well I kind of wanted to stay in and just draw tomorrow... (-｡-;
?: um no
?: We haven't hung out in forever! I'm gonna go all out baby!
?: I'm gonna help you meet a guy!
Karin: lol
?: U can do it!
Karin:〔´∇｀〕;;;;
?: U need to live a little. Take a break from drawing and hook up with someone
?: Ur a grown ass woman now!
?: It's not like we're 5 lol
?: I'll be your wingwoman!
Karin: Azuki plz no lol
Karin doesn't lose her smile even as she shakes her head at Azuki's antics.
It's been almost a year since Karin's abrupt return to Japan, and hearing from Azuki was probably the best thing she could've asked for right now. What with her mother wanting to murder her for being"the family disappointment" and her father treating her like less than a stranger; this was definitely the highlight of her year.
Even though the conversation on the topic had been brief it sounded like Azuki's college experience also hadn't gone the way she'd planned, and Karin couldn't help but feel a tiny bit relieved about that - as selfish as it was. Though a part of her would be lying if she wasn't at least a little taken aback by her friend's sudden fixation on partying and insistence that she just "live a little". Okay, really taken aback, but this is Karin we're talking about here. She's always been a bit of a late bloomer when it came to these sorts of things, and they weren't teenagers anymore so they weren't being rebellious or anything, it was just what people her age did. It was completely normal, and normal wasn't something Karin found easy to do. It wasn't like Karin was a total prude, either. Her time abroad had certainly proved that...
Plus, Karin and Azuki had gone their separate ways after high school so what had she expected? That everyone she'd left behind in Japan had put their lives on hold during her two-year stay in America? She knew that she should just be grateful that Azuki was back in her life at all, but Karin couldn't help but want to go back to the times when the most they had to worry about was what they'd have for lunch. Not whether or not they had enough savings in case their parents finally kicked them out of the house.
Even though she'd fought her parents tooth and nail and made the decision to get away, she'd still failed anyway. Now she's back and she has to start over again and figure out where she fits into the world again. It was all so tiring.
With no sign of Azuki's reply, Karin goes ahead and saves her contact info.
"Hanazawa-senpai," Ayano calls as she enters the break room. "Your lunch is over."
Karin immediately pastes on a smile. "Ah, thanks, Kishii-san." She straightens her waitress uniform and reluctantly places her phone back into her locker. "How's it looking out there?"
"Pretty crazy. I had no idea the dinner crowd could be this rowdy."
"Well it's only your second day here, that's usually how it goes." Working as a waitress at a restaurant was something Karin would've never pictured herself doing in a thousand years, but it was the best she could do on such short notice. "You'll get used to it. If I can do it, then you definitely can."
Karin was on the brink of collapsing when the last of their customers finally made their way out the door. She bowed and thanked them from the bottom of her heart as her long and torturous day at work finally came to an end. Locking the glass doors behind them was the only silver lining to an otherwise lackluster day of service. Despite what she'd said to Ayano earlier, the job never really got any easier in Karin's opinion, but that was probably because she didn't like being around people she didn't feel comfortable with. And that included most people. Dealing with low-life shitheads who'd only bitch and complain about their food whether overcooked or not on the daily had become her day to day life, but Karin was always trying to convince herself that the shitty treatment would all be worth it as long as she got her paycheck. She really really tried.
As she fought to desperately climb out of the hole she'd dug with her bad life choices, Karin glances up and before she knows it has collided with a waitress carrying a tray. All of their plates are knocked loose from their delicate stack and shatter on the brown tile floor.
"I-I'm so sorry Shinomiya-san! I didn't see where I was going."
Shinomiya Hina, who'd also been hired around the same time as Karin 8 months ago, tries to smile despite the exasperated look in her eyes. "You really need to be more careful, Hanazawa-san. Grab me a broom and help me clean this up."
"I'll go get it," Ayano says. Karin notices her cleaning a table nearby with a small smirk on her face, and she hurries ahead before Karin can move. "Wow, I didn't know you were such a klutz, senpai."
"Not usually," Karin says, breathlessly.
Ayano gives her a doubtful look and snorts.
The way Ayano had spoken to her that night had really unsettled her. She'd never seen her talk with anybody else at work with that tone, and the way she'd looked at her had been almost patronizing. Karin's been accused of being overly sensitive in the past so she hoped she wasn't reading too much into her behavior. Ayano was only 16-years-old, after all, which made her Karin's kohai. She didn't have as much experience as Karin did in the workplace and probably hadn't meant anything with her comment, so it had probably just been a slip of the tongue. No big deal.
The next time Karin works with Kishii Ayano again is two days later.
Things were off to a good start in the beginning: Ayano and Karin exchanged curt greetings as they both clocked in, and then they each went off to attend to their guests in their assigned seating sections. Ayano had only needed a few days to acclimate herself to the job and she was currently steamrolling her way through her shift like no tomorrow. It was definitely impressive, but even Karin wasn't about to sell herself short today. Not only was Karin able to convince a five-year-old to stop running around the establishment without causing a scene, but she'd also been able to summon an absurd amount of patience while explaining each item on the menu in meticulous detail to a group of old ladies with one foot in the grave. She'd also had her fair share of rude customers throughout her shift but even that wasn't out of the ordinary.
No, what was out of the ordinary was the sensation of being watched throughout the day.
Karin hated drawing attention to herself, but being a waitress meant it was normal for there to be eyes on her at any given moment. The prying eyes just came with the job.
But this was different.
Everyone in her section had been attended to and was either enjoying their meal or in the midst of conversation. When she went around to each table asking if she could be of any further assistance everyone thanked her and insisted they were fine. There wasn't anyone in line waiting to be seated, and there wasn't anyone loitering outside of the restaurant in front of the large windows. Maybe it was just Karin being overly sensitive again, but she just couldn't shake the feeling of someone watching her.
When she glances over at Ayano she sees her effortlessly attending to customers with that same bright smile on her face, and Karin decides it's all in her head. You're being paranoid, she tells herself. You should be working right now.
As she quietly adjusts herself and turns back toward her section, she notices a lone man waving to her from his table.
"Yes? How can I help you?"
"Oh, I was wondering when you'd finally turn around. You seemed rather distracted over there."
Karin feels her face flush and immediately bows. "I'm so sorry, sir. It won't happen again."
The man in black smiles and waves absently at her apology. "Ah, I didn't mean to reprimand you or anything. It was just an observation. It's probably been a long day for you, am I right?"
"Oh, you have no idea."
There's a short pause before the two of them laugh at the same time, and Karin finally feels some semblance of calm as all the tension she's built up is released from her body.
"Could I get you a refill?" she asks attentively, gesturing to his emptied glass.
"Could you? That would be great, thank you."
However, when Karin tries to take the cup from his hand the man refuses to let it go. She feels herself flinch as he's positioned closer to her now, and her eyes flit back to him questioningly. His voice is soft and gentle as he whispers in her ear.
"By the way... Does waitress-chan over there always give you the evil eye?"
Karin's heart plummets as all the other people in the restaurant completely vanish.
"Huh?" she replies, but it comes out in more of a harsh whisper.
"The waitress-chan over there," he says louder this time. He looks over her shoulder without any sign of discretion. "She's been giving you the evil eye this whole time. In fact, it's been pretty unsettling if you ask me. I was thinking you could give her the evil eye back to give her a taste of her own medicine!"
He lets go of the cup as Karin turns around to look at Ayano, who was practically vibrating with fury as she collected plates off a vacated table nearby. It was the first time she'd ever seen her so outwardly angry or upset, so what other explanation could there be except that she'd been caught red-handed? As a result of the man's outburst, Karin is also vaguely aware of the silence that had fallen over the restaurant. Everyone was really watching her now.
"I'm sure she's just tired or having a bad day," Karin says, giving him an encouraging smile.
He gives an abrupt laugh. "Is that right?"
"Yeah, it's only been a few days since she's started working here so she probably isn't used to it yet. Try not to take it personally okay?"
"My mistake then. Thanks for clearing that up, miss."
Her explanation seems to satisfy the rest of their lingering onlookers as their attention moves onto something else and the restaurant comes back to life.
Karin feels her energy rapidly depleting as she excuses herself to finally refill the man's drink. Ayano says something under her breath as Karin passes by, but she doesn't hear it because her heart is beating in her ears.
At the end of the day, Ayano makes a show of bidding everyone in the restaurant farewell. She takes her time telling each of the kitchen staff goodbye while cracking jokes, then walks around Karin so that she can hug Hina before leaving the restaurant without so much as a backward glance.
When she gets home from work, Karin notices a familiar user on the Picgem website has sent her a direct message.
Miki-chan: Good evening~~~~ (๑ᴗ๑)
Rin: Haha, good evening! （＾∀＾；）
Miki-chan: Oh no! Did I catch you at a bad time, Rin-chan? (´；ω；｀)
Rin: Not at all! I'm happy to stick around now that you're here, Miki-chan ^^
Miki-chan: Aaaaw~~~! I just wanted to tell you how much I loved your newest drawing!
Rin: Again? lol
Miki-chan: Of course! (人´∀｀)． ．。．:*･°
Miki-chan: I can never get enough of your drawings! You keep getting better and better each passing moment and I'll keep telling you how great your drawings are for many years to come! ( ≧▽^))
Karin gives a half-laugh and decides to hang out at her computer desk a bit longer.
Miki wasn't the first person to acknowledge Karin's artwork when she first started posting it online, but she was the only one who'd stuck around long enough to really see how much she's improved as the years have gone by. Miki's account on the illustration website they frequented only existed for the purpose of following artists she liked rather than post any art herself, but she preferred it that way and was always encouraging Karin with direct messages or notes on her profile. It was even thanks to her that Karin was able to get past an especially bad art block recently and was currently experiencing a comeback creatively since returning abroad.
Despite having never met in person or even knowing each other's real names, Miki was always encouraging her and had become one of Karin's most trusted online friends. Sometimes they'd even let out their frustrations about family or work to each other, or just mindlessly message each other about any new manga or anime on their radar. Talking to Miki was different than it was talking to Azuki since her best friend wasn't really involved with Karin's corner of the art world online, and in some ways, Miki fit the definition of a best friend better than Azuki did.
Rin: Thanks Miki-chan! (Ｔ▽Ｔ) Hearing you say that always re-energizes me and motivates me to keep going! It's really appreciated after the awful day I had at work today. OTL
Miki-chan: Oh no! What happened this time, Rin-chan?（・□・；）
Karin doesn't sleep until 4 am that night.
Picgem is basically this story's version of Pixiv~
Let me know what you guys think and hopefully I'll see you guys back in the next one ^^