"Sumimasen." Shion plastered her face with her best fake smile as she approached the owner behind the desk of the record store. It wasn't a very large shop but it was snug and homely. It seemed that the store got on just well enough to get by without being so popular that it was bustling with eager customers. It was a relaxed atmosphere, perfect for someone to come in and quietly appreciate music.

In short, it was the perfect job for her.

The owner Yoshida-san, was a middle-aged man and he smiled at her when he noticed the job flyer she'd picked up earlier. "Are you perhaps here to apply for the position we have available?"
She nodded, and relaxed slightly. It was quiet here and he seemed friendly - what was the harm in it?
"Excellent. I was worried that I wasn't going to find someone anytime soon. Our store is a bit tucked away so not many people pass by. Ah - but that won't affect your pay."

She did her best to match his smile, fiddling with the sleeves of her sweater. He seemed to notice her nervousness.

"You seem quite young still - are you a high school student? Do your parents know you're looking for work here?"

She shook her head. "I… just graduated. I moved into my apartment yesterday, so now I'm looking for a job."

"I see." Yoshida-san nodded thoughtfully and then grinned. "Well, I'd be happy to take you on Miss…?"

"Nishimura Shion." She said, bowing her head. "Thank you for this opportunity."

He rubbed the back of his neck, a bit sheepish. "Ah, it's nothing. I could do with an assistant since it seems my age is catching up to me. If you could work every weekday and Saturday, I'd be happy to give you Fridays off."

She bowed again. "That would be perfect. Thank you. When can I start?"

He laughed. "So eager. Then I'd appreciate it if you could come in on Tuesday. I have another part-timer starting then and it would be good if I could show you the ropes at the same time."

"Tuesday then." Shion said. It was Thursday now, so she had a lot of time to kill.

•─────⋅雨⋅─────•

On the way to the closest grocery store, Shion bumped into her two housemates.

"Shion-chan! How did it go?" Nana-san asked, eyes shining. If she had a tail it would definitely be wagging.

"It was… okay. I start next week."

"I'm so happy for you! You're so lucky to find a job so quickly." Nana-san sighed. "I'm still trying."

It felt weird to see the usually cheerful woman so downcast. "Oh, um… I'm sure you'll also find a job soon, Nana-san. You're very energetic. People would be lucky to have someone like you."

She perked up immediately. "Really? Do you think so?"

Osaki-san observed their exchanged with amusement. "Energetic, huh? Ne, Shion-chan, don't you think she's like a dog?"

Before she could stop herself Shion found herself nodding solemnly. Nana-san blushed.

"Not you too!"
Shion immediately bowed her head in apology. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, iie - I was just joking you know." Nana-san then laughed. "We're going to look for some furniture in a shop nearby, wanna come?"

"Actually I was going to buy some food first." Shion said, hesitating before adding, "Is there anything you'd like me to get for you?"
"Beer would be nice." Osaki-san said dreamily. "Oh, but you're still underage… Well, I guess I can drop by later anyway. If you could buy some stuff for dinner tonight then we'll come up with a plan for food later. How's that?"

Shion nodded. "Okay. I'll… do my best."
Osaki-san flashed her a smile. "Thanks. Oh, you don't have a key yet, right?" The dark-haired woman fished around her jacket pocket and then brandished a small key in front of her face. The metal was warm under Shion's fingers as she took it.

Osaki-san turned to her other companion, "Let's go then, Hachi."

Nana-san pulled a face, "Hachi? So mean, Nana!"

•─────⋅雨⋅─────•

With grocery shopping out the way Shion headed back home, hands occupied with shopping bags. It was almost evening and the sun had begun to set, leaving the sky with a hazy orange glow accentuated by the streetlights. When she got back to the road that lead along the river, she stopped to sit by the riverbank, setting the bags down and bringing her knees up to her chin as she watched the water ebb and flow.

It wasn't a busy road so you could barely hear the noise of the city from here.

"This is nice." She murmured under her breath, bringing her head to rest on her knees. "Really… nice."

Her eyelids drooped, her lack of sleep catching up to her but she snapped awake when she realised she still had the key Osaki-san gave her.

Brushing her clothes off, she quickly got to her feet and hurried back to the building groceries in hand and making every flight of stairs painful to climb up.

Room 707. She'd rushed out that morning without really taking in anything. The metal of the key was warm in her hand as she opened the door to the empty apartment.

"Tadaima." She whispered under her breath.

She finished putting away the shopping and was mortified that she hadn't realised they didn't have a fridge yet. Thankfully she hadn't bought anything that required one.

Her housemates had yet to return.

"I wonder where they ended up going." She muttered. Even though she wasn't the biggest fan of people, being here by herself only made her feel more lonely.

It reminded her of one her favourite songs to play: Kojou no Tsuki. Before she knew it she'd found her way back into her room and unzipped her violin case, hands stroking the cool wood.

Somehow she felt like playing while looking out over the river. The window view would do.

Her hands moved into position and with her bow poised and ready, she began to play.

Flowery feast in spring high up in the castle

Cups of sake were passed around

Lit by the moonlight through the old pine branches

Where is that old moonlight now?

Encampment in autumn was white covered with frost

A number of geese honked as they flew across the sky

The moonlight shined on the swords thrusted upright into the ground

Where is that old moonlight now?

Now at midnight the moon is right above

For whom does it shine like in the past?

Nothing remains on the rampart but some ivy

Nothing to hear but the rustle of pine branches in the storm

Up in the sky the moon and the stars remain unchanged

But in the earthly life, rises and falls come and go

Does the moon hang there to reflect those changes?

Ah! the midnight moon over the ruined castle

The last note lingered before suddenly there came a burst of applause from behind her and Shion's heart plummeted.

Nana-san and Osaki-san had returned and they were beaming in her doorway. Part of her flushed with relief that she'd sounded okay. The other part of her just wanted the ground to swallow her. Already her mind was going over her previous performance and scanning it for errors that her unknown audience might have picked up on.

"That was amazing, Shion-chan!" Osakii-san enthused. "I wondered what was in that case - so you're a violinist, huh?"

Nana-san on the other hand was wiping away a tear from her eye. "I really felt it." She sniffled. "The loneliness in your playing… It sounded so beautiful but… so sad." Osaki-san just grinned and ruffled her hair.

"It's raw emotion, Hachi! That's the best thing about music! Hey, Shion-chan - will you play for us again?" Immediately Shion was shaking her head. "I couldn't. I'm really not very good and that was the first time I'd played in a long time so it really won't sound good."

Osaki-san frowned. "I don't think you have to worry about that as much as you are. You want to hear her play too, right Hachi?"

Nana-san smiled sheepishly. "Actually… I have to get ready to meet Shoji so… maybe another time?"

"Oh right, I forgot." The other woman said with an amused expression. "Yes, you go and have fun. Me and Shion-chan can wait for the furniture to come."

"Furniture?" Shion asked, who had begun loosening her bow and wiping away the stray rosin on the violin.

"Yeah, we've bought some stuff from a shop down the road. Mizukoshi said he'll drop it off later but he'll probably need a hand to get it up the stairs."

"I even managed to get a job working there!" Nana-san said cheerfully. "So I'm gonna celebrate with Shoji!" With that she disappeared into her own room, humming happily under her breath.

"Guess we only have to worry about dinner for the two of us tonight then." Osaki-san said. "What did you end up getting?" Shion followed her out to the kitchen where Osaki-san began rummaging through the cupboards.

"It's not much." Shion said quickly. "I'm not that good at cooking so I just bought simple stuff. Rice, noodles, eggs, and some vegetables…"

"This'll be enough for tonight." Osaki-san said. "Is there anything in particular you feel like having?"

Shion hesitated.

"Shion-chan?" Osaki-san smiled encouragingly.

"Well," Shion began. "I'd like… omurice."

"Omurice?" Osaki-san repeated, a hint of amusement twinkling in her eyes. "Got it. Omurice it is. I guess for now we can just put the rice on - oh wait."

Shion looked at her quizzically.

"I may have forgotten that we asked Mizukoshi to drop off our kitchen stuff at the same time as the furniture… so it looks like we won't be eating until after we've helped get everything in."

Osaki-san smiled apologetically. "Sorry about that. Are you hungry now? We can always go to the convenience store."

"No it's okay. Let's just wait then."

They didn't have to wait very long. No sooner had she said it, the doorbell went off.

Osaki-san threw it open and welcomed in a tall man who Shion guessed was the owner to the furniture store. He was carrying a large cardboard box with a plastic carrier bag balanced precariously on top.

"Mizukoshi! Thanks for bringing everything!" Osaki-san said with a grin taking the box from him and putting it down next to the kitchen counter. "Need any help getting the rest of the stuff up?"

Mizukoshi's face flooded with relief at the offer. "If you would. I can't believe this building doesn't have an elevator."

She laughed and turned to Shion. "If you stay up here and start unpacking, I'll help Mizukoshi. That okay with you, Shion-chan?"

"Oh um, I can help too if you need me?" Shion offered. Osaki-san shook her head. "Nah it's okay. The two of us will manage, right?" She turned to the large man and he nodded.

"Nothing's too heavy, it's just getting them up the stairs which is gonna be tough."

The two of them left, leaving the door open on the way out. Shion quickly began unpacking what Mizukoshi had already brought up. Inside the cardboard box was a rice cooker, some bowls and plates, and a small frying pan. Inside the plastic bag on top was cutlery, and most noticeably three small glasses with a strawberry pattern. It definitely seemed like something Nana-san would pick out.

The first wave from Osaki-san and Mizukoshi brought in a dresser that was destined for Nana-san's room and a futon.

"That's for you, Shion-chan." Osaki-san said, wiping her forehead. "We noticed you didn't have anything in your room yet."

"It's okay, you don't need to-"

Osaki-san patted her shoulder. "It's fine! Me and Hachi have got bed frames and mattresses coming up, but we didn't know what your situation was and we felt bad just leaving you with nothing. It's a gift, okay?"

"Thank you." Shion mumbled. The act of consideration left her heart aching. When the other two disappeared back down the stairs, she took the futon into her room and quickly set it up for later that night. Already it stared at her, and she wanted nothing more than to collapse into it and sleep forever; the exhaustion from the previous night catching up to her.

While they continued to bring things up, Shion took the opportunity to put the rice on with the rice cooker that had arrived. Hopefully it would be ready by the time Osaki-san had finished up. She also put up all the curtains in the house and made beds up for Nana-san and Osaki-san. More than anything she just wanted to prove that she was useful to her new housemates.

Thankfully within the next forty minutes Osaki-san had declared everything had arrived and Mizukoshi bid them both goodbye. She looked so tired that Shion couldn't help herself.

"I can handle dinner by myself, Osaki-san." She said quietly. "You should go and get some rest. I made your bed - I can call you when I'm finished."
Osaki-san smiled gratefully. "You're a gem, Shion-chan." Shion blushed and looked away.

The older woman disappeared into her room with a CD in her hands and closed the door and Shion got on with dinner. Omurice was easy to make and the first real thing she learned how to cook but it also reminded her of happier days, when her father would make it for her and write silly messages in ketchup on top. She'd always laugh as she gobbled down the food while her stepmother looked on with unapproving eyes.

Don't think about that anymore. She told herself firmly. You've left that part of your life behind you now. You've moved on.

When she'd finished making two servings on the plates they'd bought, she searched for the ketchup she had bought and the bottle hovered over the food as she thought on what to write. None of the messages she'd written before seemed appropriate. Eventually she settled on the traditional ganbare!.

"Osaki-san?" She tested the door which was unlocked and peered inside. Osaki-san was sprawled on her bed, chest rising and falling slowly and eyes closed. She could hear faintly the music from the earbuds that were still in the woman's ears.

"Osaki-san?" Shion said again. "Are you awake?"

No answer.

Not wanting to wake her up, Shion quickly retreated back to the kitchen where she finished her own meal quickly, barely tasting it before she covered Osaki-san's portion with plastic wrap and tucked it away into the fridge that they'd plugged in that evening.

Exhaustion was now also threatening to pull her under as well and she headed to her room. She didn't bother undressing and just sank into the futon with a relieved sigh before her eyes drooped and darkness took her.

•─────⋅雨⋅─────•

When Shion woke up to the sound of hammering she was horrified to see she'd slept into the afternoon. By the time she'd dragged herself up it was almost one o'clock. In the room outside she could hear Osaki-san humming to herself happily. It didn't seem as though anyone else was home.

Shion slowly opened her bedroom door.

Osaki-san was nailing pieces of wood together - when she focused properly Shion made out that it was a table. Upon seeing her staring, Osaki-san grinned at her. "What'dya think? I wanted to surprised Hachi since she was feeling disappointed about not finding a table that fit by the window properly."

"It's good." Shion said. "Nana-san will love it."

Osaki-san twirled the hammer in her hands as she studied Shion carefully. "Sorry about last night. I was shattered. The omurice was great though - I had it for lunch."

Shion gave her a small smile in response.

"Oh! Hachi brought back burgers from her date last night. I've already had mine so help yourself to the other one." She nodded towards the fridge where a paper bag rested on top with the writing: For Nana and Shion-chan!

"Thank you." Shion said awkwardly. This talking thing, it was weird. Last night it seemed like she was doing well and here she was struggling to make conversation again. The embarrassment just made her want to run back to her room again. Was it because she'd just woken up?

Whatever the case, Osaki-san didn't seem to mind. In fact, she seemed to understand more than anything. She smiled. "Still adjusting to life away from your family?"

Shion swallowed. "I guess. I'm just not good… with people. Moving out and everything… it was so sudden that I didn't really get time to process it."

Osaki-san nodded. "I get it. Hey, later tonight we're gonna have dinner and share stories. Wanna join us? No pressure."

Maybe it was her sympathetic nature, or the way Osaki-san seemed to carry her own feelings of loneliness that made Shion feel comforted by her presence. Strangely enough despite only knowing her for a couple of days, she felt safe around Osaki-san and had a sense of security that she hadn't felt in a long time.

"Okay. If it's not too much trouble."

Osaki-san grinned. "That's the spirit! Look forward to it Shion-chan."

•─────⋅雨⋅─────•