It is a clear warm day over the village of Asahigaoka. Over at the Koshigaya residence, the door opens and Komari, a thirteen-year-old girl who looks ten, emerges to leave. She hurries down the driveway while humming happily and onto the side of the highway.

As she walks along, she gets a sensation in her nape of someone behind her and turns to see a man behind her walking on her side, going her way. His pace is a stiff but brisk one.

Blonde hair? She thought with bemusement.

Komari continues staring at the approaching man as the distance between them closes by the second.

A foreigner?! She gasped inwardly as she begins to tremble as her expression turns into a frown with blank white eyes.

The man continues walking ever closer at that steady and stiff but brisk pace. He is quite tall and wears a white long-sleeved button up shirt that is open to reveal a green T-shirt underneath, blue jeans, and carries a brown backpack upon his back.

Komari can now see that the foreign man has a stern expression, making her more afraid. So much so that she turns and runs.

A foreigner! What's a foreigner doing out here?! She squeaked inwardly. I thought they kept to the cities?! And he looks so angry! Wha-Wha-What's he gonna do to me?!

She starts gasping when she comes upon a familiar house.

H-Hotaru! I'm saved! Komari sighed with teary eyes.

She runs up to Hotaru's house, all the way up to the door and rings on the doorbell repeatedly. She looks around for the foreigner, but he is nowhere to be seen. The door finally opens and there stands Hotaru. Like Komari, there is a mismatch between her biological age and chronological age; unlike Komari, her biological age is older.

"S-Senpai, what's wrong?!" Hotaru squealed as she clasps her kohai's shoulders upon seeing her distressed look.

"Th-Th-There was a foreign man following me!" Komari squeaked while pointing back without looking.

Ahhhh! Senpai looks so adorable when she's scared! Hotaru sighed inwardly with a closed-eyed smile.

"Hotaru-chan! Quit daydreaming and help me!" Komari exclaimed angrily.

"Wha-What do you want me to do?!" Hotaru fretted.

"When you lived in Tokyo, you dealt with foreigners, right?" Komari reasoned.

"I did see foreigners around," Hotaru admitted, "but I never dealt with them."

"I still want you to come with me," Komari explained as she hugs Hotaru's arm while looking up at her with that scared expression. "I'm afraid I'll run into that foreigner again! Just come with me, please!"

"O-Okay," Hotaru said. Then turns to tell her mom that she is going out with Komari, and they leave together.

They walk along as Komari continues hugging Hotaru's arm and repeatedly looks around, her head darting like a bird's, all while bearing that blank eyed frown and whining softly.

Ahhh! I get to protect senpai! I feel like I'm her bodyguard! Hotaru sighed inwardly while smiling warmly.

"Why are you scared of a foreigner, senpai?"

"B-Because he looked really mean! A-And I've also heard that they like hugging and k-k-k-k-kissing!"

A woman suddenly runs pass them.

"That was Sensei!" Hotaru stated upon realizing that it was the village teacher, Miyauchi Kazuho. "Hey, Sensei!"

But Kazuho was not listening to them as she continues running without looking back. Two more girls suddenly run up to them panting. There are Kazuho's little sister, Renge, and Komari's little sister, Natsumi. Although Natsumi looks to be the big sister instead.

"Candy Store's in danger!" Renge rasped with concern.

"Eh!?" Komari and Hotaru exclaimed in unison.

"She called nee-nee!" Renge gasped. "We could hear her shouting over the phone! She sounded really scared!"

"Yeah! Come on! Come on!" Natsumi urged.

The four girls hurry after Kazuho, who had already outpaced them so that they end up arriving a minute later at the candy store. The owner is a young woman named Kagayama Kaede, whom the the young girls all call, Candy Store.

"What's going on?!" Natsumi gasped.

"That's what I'm trying to get to the bottom of," Kazuho answered back while gasping, also winded from having to run. She always seems to have her eyes shut. She turns back to regard Kaede. "Now just calm down, Kaede-kun, and tell me what happened."

Kaede takes a deep breath and begins . . .


Kaede was leaning over her counter with her hand pressed against her face. The sound of the door sliding open compelled her to straighten and greet a customer. It was immediately followed by the sound of thumping and a shout of pain.

In stepped a foreign man with blonde hair, blue eyes, and wearing a white long sleeved button up shirt that is open to reveal a green T-shirt underneath, blue jeans, and carrying a backpack upon his back. He was tall. So tall that he had banged his forehead on the top of the doorframe in his attempt to enter as he was rubbing his own forehead.

The foreigner hurried toward Kaede, who let out a squeak of fear while backing away on an impulse so that her back is pressed against the wall behind her. She fearfully wondered if this foreign man had come here to rob her. When he reached the counter, Kaede was forced to crane her head back in order to stare up at him, all while keeping that same shocked expression. This time with sweat trickling down her face and her eyes rippling as a trail of tears rippled down her cheeks. She wished that she knew English.

The foreign man suddenly took hold of a part of the counter and flipped the movable part so that the board banged against the counter top, causing Kaede to nearly shriek. The man removed his backpack, walked behind the counter to where Kaede is, and placed it at her feet.

He hurried through the curtained door.


" . . . Th-This is his backpack," Kaede said with a grunt as she holds it up, then puts it down.

"I s-saw him too!" Komari stated with solid white eyes and a frown of intent. "H-He f-followed me with an angry expression, so I ran!"

"But why did you call for me and not the police instead?" Kazuho asked Kaede.

"B-Because you know English, Senpai. And you were all I could think of at the moment."

"Wha-What do you suppose he wants inside your store?" Natsumi pondered as she looks to where that foreign man had run off to.

Renge suddenly runs forward.

"Ren-chon, no!" Kaede called out to her with solid white eyes of fright while reaching out to her.

But Renge is quick to enter that room, finding herself in Kaede's living area. She searches around and hears the sound of relief from behind a door. Renge walks up to it and stares up at the door with an intense expression of expectation.

It is not long before she hears the sound of a toilet flush.

"Ooooh, so that was what he wanted!" Renge said to herself.

A short while later, the clicking of a lock is heard from that door and it opens. The foreign man steps out, having to stoop to exit. He finally stands tall, the top of his head passing the top of the doorway.

Renge gapes upward in awe while making a husky gasp. Her eyes are as wide as her mouth. The foreign man appears like a giant to her.

The foreign man stares down at Renge, and next kneels to be eye level with her. She can see that he indeed is Caucasian. His face appears kind with blue eyes that express as such. His hair seems like the sun.

"Touch my hair?" The foreigner asked slowly and gently, bending his neck forward so that his hair hangs down.

Renge slowly reaches out, getting the feel of blonde hair.

"Ooooh! So soft!" Her tone of delight and wonder, and reaches out with her other hand to get double the feeling.

She runs her fingers through his soft blonde hair for several more seconds until the man stands up once again, prompting Renge to lower her hands. He turns side on to Renge and next slowly extends his open hand to her.

Renge gets the hint and slowly takes his hand, of which the foreigner gently clasps.


"Senpai! Why aren't you doing anything?!" Kaede fretted angrily at Kazuho. "Your little sister is in there with a strange foreigner!"

"I don't think he's gonna hurt her," Kazuho countered patiently. "He did leave his backpack with you, so I get the feeling he had a reason for running in there."

Renge finally emerges, leading the foreign man along by the hand. The rest of the group give their usual start at the presence of the foreigner. For Kaede and Komari, it is one of fear, with Komari hiding behind Natsumi.

"Kazu-nee, Kazu-nee, guess what, guess what?!" Renge said excitedly as she runs up to her sister. "He let me touch his hair! It was so soft!"

The foreign man picks up his backpack, puts it back on, and steps out from behind the counter.

"English?" He finally asked while looking around at the others.

"Ah . . . I can speak English," Kazuho answered with stilted carefulness.

"And you are?"

"My name is Kazuho. Miyauchi Kazuho. I am the teacher at the local branch school and these girls are my students."

"My name is Eric. Eric Johnson," the foreign man said. "I am from Canada. Who is the owner?" As he gestures at Kaede.

"Kaede. Kagayama Kaede," Kazuho answered.

"Could you tell Kaede that I did not mean to scare her," Eric said to Kazuho. "That I only needed to use her washroom."

Kazuho does so.

"Eric-san, Eric-san, I know Engrish too," Renge next said eagerly in that stilted accent. "I am Renge. Miyauchi Renge. She is my big sister." Pointing to Kazuho.

"Your English is pretty good, Renge," Eric said. "How old are you?"

"Six!"

"Smart kid," Eric said with approval. "And what about the rest of your friends?"

"I also know English too," Hotaru answered in stilted English. "My name is Ichijo Hotaru and I am from Tokyo but I live out here now."

Eric nods, then looks to the Koshigaya sisters.

"I remember you," he said as he points to Komari, who hides behind her sister with a gasp of fright and blank white eyes to match her feelings. "You were walking ahead of me back on the highway. You turned to stare at me, then ran away. Let me guess, I must have looked scary. It's because I was trying to find someplace that had a washroom and this was it. I'm sorry that I scared you."

Hotaru translated.

"Her name is Koshigaya Komari," Renge next said to Eric in English.

"Please to meet you, Komari," Eric said to her warmly, causing Komari to flinch.

"And who are you?" Eric asked Natsumi.

"Her name is Natsumi," Renge explained. "She is Koma-chan's little sister."

"E-Excuse me, little sister?" Eric inquired curiously.

"Natsu-chan is twelve and Koma-chan is thirteen," Renge explained.

"Seriously?!" Eric gasped as he kneels slightly to stare more intently at Komari, who continues to cower behind her sister. "She looks like she's ten!"

Renge translates that to Komari, causing her to yelp with blank white eyes as the image of an arrow with the words, looks ten, sticks into her.

"E-Even people from other countries think I'm a little girl," Komari muttered despondently as she stoops over to stare downward with a dejected expression.

"D-Don't worry, Senpai!" Hotaru fretted. "You still have more growing to do!"

"What are you doing here in Asahigaoka, Eric-san?" Renge asked. "Usually, you foreigners stay in the cities."

"I decided to hike out into the countryside," Eric answered. "Before I came here, I had this impression that Japan was nothing but cities. But upon my arrival, I ended up discovering that that was not so. It's impressive."

"I'm glad you think that way," Kazuho said. "Truth be told, almost all Japanese live in the cities."

"Anyway, I have to be leaving soon," Eric said.

"So soon?" Renge asked, then spreads her arms as she continues with that usual intense tone of hers. "You could stay here and help us with English."

Eric laughs as he bends over as he reaches, then ruffles Renge's hair. "What an adorable little girl you are. I will do some things first."

Eric returns behind the counter to stand before Kaede, who expresses unease. He suddenly reaches out, clasps her shoulders, and pulls her into an embrace. Kaede squeaks with fright with open mouth and blank white eyes as her arms go rigid down by her side.

The others gape at his boldness, but they react with outright shock complete with vocalizations when Eric kisses Kaede on her forehead.

Hotaru covers her mouth with both hands as her eyes go wide. Natsumi and Komari gape with wide blank white eyes, with Komari's being more intense. Renge's reaction is the same as back when Fujimiya Konomi, Komari and Natsumi's next-door neighbour, showed off that trick with her thumb. Kazuho also gapes, yet her eyes still remain closed.

Kaede's reaction is the most intense out of them all as she squeals and pulls back from Eric while covering her forehead.

"C-C-Careful, everyone! He might try do that to the rest of us!" Komari fretted intently with blank white eyes while still hiding behind Natsumi.

Eric stands there with a bewildered expression while Kaede has a weary expression with blank white eyes and her spirit hovering out of her mouth.

"Oh ah, okay," he began meekly as he steps out from behind the counter, then turns to Kazuho. "Kiss?" Holding out his arms.

"I knew it!" Natsumi clamored. "He's gonna k-k-k-k-kiss us all!"

"Ah, ha, ha!" Kazuho chuckled uneasily while making an X with her arms. "Sorry. No hug, no kiss."

"Okay then how about a handshake?" Eric asked assuredly while holding out his hand.

"That I can do," Kazuho said as she does so.

"Now then, I think I will buy some candy," Eric said as he looks around. "Though only some because I am on a tight budget."

"Have you eaten pocky, Eric-san?" Renge asked in English as she holds up a box.

"I've always wanted to try those," Eric said as he takes the box from her to look over. "So what are they exactly?"

"Thin sticks of cookie with chocolate-covered tips," Renge answered.

"Sounds interesting. What is one more thing that you can recommend, Renge?"

Renge looks around and settles on something in a bid and picks it up.

"This," as she holds something aloft. "It's a strawberry chocolate bar."

"Ooh, that should complete my purchases," Eric said as he takes it.

He turns and walks up to the counter with his intended purchases. Kaede tenses over the possibility of being grabbed and kissed again. But Eric takes a yen note out of his pocket and gives it to Kaede, who in turn takes it and rings up the purchases. She counts out the change and carefully hands it to Eric, still mindful of what he did and might do.

"Th-Thank you for your patronage," Kaede said hesitantly.

Eric pockets the money and turns to the rest.

"Hey, does anyone have a cellphone?" He asked. "That way you can take pictures with me."

"O-Okay," Hotaru said as she holds up her cellphone.

And so it goes as they pose with Eric. First off, is his picture with Kaede while she is still behind the counter. Another picture is taken with him standing alongside Kazuho; another picture is taken with him posing with Renge; another picture is taken with him posing with Hotaru and the Koshigaya sisters, though with Komari furthest away from Eric with an intense expression with blank white eyes.

Afterwards, they are all outside with Eric facing the group.

"Well, that's it," he said. "I should be on my way. Maybe one day I might come back this way. Until then, goodbye."

Waving while walking away, prompting the others to wave back.

"Goodbye, Eric-san!" Renge called.

Eric eventually gets out of view.

"He was very nice," Renge stated to the others.

"Nice enough to give Candy Store a kiss," Natsumi said devious while leering at Kaede with her fingers over her own mouth, then lowers her hand and turns to Kaede. "That was your first kiss wasn't it, Candy Store."

Natsumi puckers and makes smooching sounds, only get her mouth grabbed and painfully squeezed by the now annoyed sweet shop owner.

"What's the deal with foreigners casually calling us by our given names?!" Komari growled with solid white eyes. "And the h-hugging and k-k-k-k-kissing?!"

"That's just something they do in their countries," Kazuho answered with a shrug.

"This is Japan!" Komari stated in that outraged manner, then folds her arms and continues with a frown and closed eyes, making her look so adorable. "We don't go around casually calling others by their given name or . . . or hugging and k-k-k-k-kissing! That's something only done between people who are special to each other!"

That is when Natsumi hugs and kisses Komari on the forehead, causing the others to gasp.

"Waaah! Wha-Wha-What have you done?!" Komari exclaimed raucously upon shoving her sister away and giving her that blank white-eyed expression of outrage. "That was my first kiss and you stole it from me!"

"Well, we're special to each other, aren't we?" Natsumi said innocently.

"Soulmates!" Komari stated furiously. "Between soulmates, you idiot! You're my sister so we can't be soulmates!"

Hotaru stares at Komari.

I wonder if I should give my first kiss to senpai?


Renge and Kazuho's sister Hikage returns home. Whenever she returns home, she would brag about her time in Tokyo. And this time it is no exception.

"Look at this!" She said proudly as she shows off the pictures on her cellphone to Renge, Natsumi, Komari, and Hotaru. "I had my picture taken with an American girl's karate team!"

In the picture are a group of White and Black girls posing around Hikage. All of whom are bigger than her.

"I must say that I must be the only girl in Asahigaoka to have actually spoken and interacted with foreigners," Hikage boasted with that smug close-eyed look.

"We had a foreigner here too," Renge said.

"Eh?!" Hikage stated.

"Here, look," Hotaru said as she reveals her cellphone.

Hikage stares at the pictures with Eric and the other girls, including Kaede and Kazuho. They explain the story of how these pictures came to be. Hikage feels a sense of defeat that shows on her face with closed eyes and rippling mouth.

"He let me touch his hair, Hika-nee!" Renge stated. "It was so soft! And he took my hand in his and we went out to the others!"

"He also hugged and kissed Candy Store," Natsumi snickered. "And he offered to give Sensei one as well."

"Did any of these foreigners hug and kiss you, Hika-nee?" Renge inquired.

"No, they didn't kiss me but they did hug me," Hikage admitted. "It was unsettling."

"There is a whole world out there," Renge said with a sense of profoundness. "With so many different people in it."