Nine months ago.
Saturday morning.
Moving day.
Ami can hardly believe it and is surprised she was able to sleep at all. She's showered and fed within an hour of waking up and is checking and double checking everything she packed during the week, waiting for her mother to get home. Kaya worked the night shift last night or Ami would have moved onto campus yesterday.
It had taken much convincing for Kaya to finally allow it, being overprotective as she was of her daughter's safety. But the two women finally reached a compromise: Instead of a dorm room, Ami would rent a room in one of the local "college houses." That is to say, homes with extra rooms that were rented out to college students that were considered on campus. It meant fewer people Ami had to live with and she would have her own room.
After looking at several places over the summer, Kaya had found one such place; a house rented out by an elderly woman with three rooms to spare. The woman, Hana Sato, had been very pleasant and kind. She didn't charge much for the rooms she lent, wanting to make sure the students had a safe place to be while in school. Kaya got the impression she may have also been lonely, her husband having died several years before and having no children of her own. But the woman and Ami seemed to get along well and the place was close enough that Ami could walk to her classes without much fuss and a quick bus ride could take her into town for groceries or to visit dear old mom.
So the lease was signed (a formality) and a move in date set. And Ami found herself counting down the days.
It's still early when her mother walks through the door. Technically, but late for Kaya. But she can't brush this off another day. So the elder Mizuno grabs a quick bite, and helps load the things her daughter will need while at university into her car and they make the drive to Tokyo U.
It's not a long drive to campus. Just over an hour. But as Kaya pulls into the driveway of the house that will be Ami's home for the next eight months, Kaya can't help but feel that prickly sensation of loneliness settle along her spine. Truth be told she had already been feeling it since she signed the lease and it had been creeping up on her the last week. But today was different.
Kaya turned to smile at Ami. "Are you nervous?"
Ami returned her mother's smile and pushed her glasses up her nose. "A little."
Kaya's smile grows and she gently pats Ami's knee before unbuckling her seatbelt. "You'll do fine." Then she exits the car, hearing Ami follow suit.
As Kaya opens the trunk of her car, the front door to the house opens. A plump, cheerful elderly woman waddles out, a cane in one of her hands. She smiles at the pair. "Morning, Ami and Kaya! Welcome, welcome!"
Mother and daughter smile at each other before approaching the woman at the door step. "Good morning, Sato-san. I hope we're not too early?"
It's only just past nine in the morning.
"Never too early," Sato-san says with a smile. She steps inside and Ami and Kaya follow suit. "In fact, Ami, you're technically late."
Ami had been looking around, taking in the open floor plan when Sato-san spoke to her, causing her to turn toward the older woman. "Late?"
Sato-san hums. "Oh, yes. The other three girls are already here. Moved in yesterday!"
Ami's heart sank. Moved in yesterday? But wasn't today—?
"I thought move in day was today," Kaya asked, sensing her daughter's distress.
"Officially," Sato-san replies. "But some students move in the day before to avoid the rush." She turns to look at Ami. "Your flat mates are all seasoned students, so they moved in yesterday."
"I thought there were only three rooms," Ami asked softly. If she moved in a day later and there are only three rooms and there are three roommates and rooms are first come, first serve then—
"There are. The two singles on the second floor, the double in the attic." Seeming to sense Ami's worry, Sato-san smiled kindly. "It's very spacious and there is a room divider. I promise there is plenty of room for the two of you. It's nearly a whole floor to yourselves."
Ami sighs. There's nothing else for it. A miscalculation on her part. Something she didn't account for. She'll do better next time. For now, though...
Ami does her best to smile without it seeming forced. "Where's the room?"
It's bit of a trek up two flights of stairs. But Ami packed light, thinking she would have a smaller room. She looks longingly at the doors on the second floor that lead to the two single bedrooms and wonders who claimed them.
Down the hall and past a large bathroom, remodeled to accommodate four teenagers and their hygienic needs, is another door that, when opened, leads up. With a sigh, Ami follows the stairs, her mother behind her.
As Ami ascends the stairs to her new room, she is grateful that the room is as spacious as Sato-san says it is. Along the wall opposite of the stairs, Ami sees, in order, a bookshelf, a desk, a mini fridge, a couch, another desk and then another shelf. The shelf directly in front of her already has books on it and she assumes those belong to her new mystery roommate.
Opposite of the desks, shelves, and couch are the beds, separated by a large green screen room divider. The bed closest to the stairwell isn't really a bed Ami notices, not in the traditional sense. It's a thick Japanese styled bedroll with a green comforter cast over it. There is a tall dresser to the left of the bed that has three drawers in the bottom and a closet for hanging clothes at the top. The doors are slightly ajar and Ami could see a few shirts and pants hanging inside. There are boxes surrounding the mattress and Ami can see random things inside but she doesn't take the time to consider what they are. There are also sports posters (hockey players, Ami notes) and a rainbow flag hanging along the slanted ceiling above the bed.
"That's reassuring," Kaya says as her eyes land on Ami's roommate's space, her eyes lingering on the flag.
Ami turns to look at her mother before stepping around the screen, and sees her own bed. It's smaller and a traditional western style bed and a single at that, pressed against the wall with a window above it. Ami briefly wonders why her bed is so small compared to her roommate's but shrugs to herself. She notices she has a similar dresser/closet combo on her side of the screen, to the right of her bed instead of the left. Between the bed and dresser is a small nightstand with a shelf on the bottom and a drawer at the top. Ami sits the suit cases down on her bed and shrugs her backpack off and into the floor gently as her mother deposits the two boxes she'd been carrying on the desk opposite of Ami's bed before turning to face her daughter with a smile.
"Well, this is it," Kaya says. "My little girl is all grown up, going to school." She smiled at Ami, who blushed but smiled in return. Kaya opened her arms and Ami stepped into them, and the two hugged one another.
It wasn't as awkward as Ami would have figured it would have been. They weren't a touchy family and most people looking in on their lives would have said it was a cold relationship. But Kaya did care greatly for her daughter, and Ami loved her mother as well.
Kaya pulled away first, cupped Ami's face gently in her hands and pressed a kiss against her forehead. "I love you Ami. And I am so very proud. I don't think I say it enough."
"Thanks, Mom," Ami replied. Ami pulled out her phone and checked the time. "You should probably get going. You've been up a long while and have a long drive back."
Kaya smiled. "Pretty sure I'm meant to be the parent." Ami smiled.
Kaya took a deep breath and looked around the large room before looking back to Ami. "You have your debit card right?"
"Yes, Mom."
"And you call me if you need anything, okay?"
Ami's smile grew. "Yes, Mom."
Kaya nodded. "Okay." She hugged Ami again before walking to the stairs and disappearing down them.
Ami waited and listened as she heard her mother trudge down the steps and the attic door open. When it shut, Ami took a deep breath, wiping her hands on her skirt. Then she turned and got to work unpacking.
She emptied her suitcases first, organizing her clothes into the closet and drawers, and sat her toiletries bag inside the closet at the bottom. She easily found the outlet next to her nightstand. She took out one of the small lamps she brought and plugged it into the wall. The base of the lamp was also a charging station for her phone and although it was mostly charged, Ami plugged it into the stand anyway.
Ami unpacked another lamp along with a power strip. She sat the lamp on the desk and, after finding the power outlet next to the desk, plugged the strip into it and then the lamp into the strip. She took her laptop from her book bag and, after feeding the cord behind the desk, also plugged it into the strip.
Ami moved to begin unpacking what was left in the boxes she had brought. There were only a few books that she felt she needed to bring, most of which were for her classes. There were a few medical journals as well and she organized them on the shelf. She also had brought a couple of her favorite romance novels, in the off chance Ami finds time between studying to reread them. The rest of the items were school supplies (notebooks and pencils and pens and the like) and she organizes those on the desk. When she's satisfied, Ami breaks the boxes down and puts them under her bed, along with her suitcases.
Ami takes a look around at her new living space and smiles. It's a bit bland compared to her room back home, but it would do. Maybe she could buy a new blanket and rug for her "room" to spruce it up a bit.
Ami takes a deep breath and reaches for her phone. It's nearing eleven and her stomach gives a rumble. Perhaps it's time for lunch. Afterwards she can head to student registration and get her class information.
With that settled, Ami grabs her book bag (more of a satchel, made of dark leather) and checks to make sure her wallet is inside before heading down the stairs.
The second floor is still quiet and the bedroom doors are still shut. She passes a sitting area as she heads toward the second set of stairs that lead to the first floor.
Ami looks around and takes in the first floor of the house. She was in the middle of doing this when Sato-san had told her she'd be sharing a room and the details Ami had began to take in left her in her panic.
Standing at the foot of the stairs, the front door stood directing in front of her. To her left was a small hallway that led to Sato-san's bedroom and the living room was beside the door. There was a large couch and against the wall was a tv. Between the couch and tv was a low, square table.
To Ami's right was the kitchen and dining table. The kitchen was a decent size though the fridge looked too large for the space. Ami figured, though, with five people in the house that it needed to be large. A low bar top separated the kitchen space from the dining area and the living room and had three barstools at the counter. The entire floor plan was pretty open and felt welcoming. Ami liked it.
Sitting at the dining table was Sat-san, eating a bowl of soup. She noticed Ami and smiled, waving her over.
"Ami, join me for a moment please."
Ami walked towards her and sat in one of the seats, adjusting her bag on her lap.
"I want to apologize about the miscommunication," Sato-san began. "I know you wanted your own room but when your mother said you two would be early, I assumed she meant yesterday morning. By the time I realized the mistake, it was too late."
"It's alright," Ami says. "These things happen and as far as mistakes go this is pretty minimal. It's alright."
"I'm glad you're understanding," Sato-san says with a smile. She motions towards the bar top' corner and Ami follows her gaze to see a key sitting there. "For you. All you girls have one."
Ami looks back to Sato-san. "All the house mates are girls?"
Sato-san hums. "Two of which are sisters. Now for the rules of the house.
"I'm pretty lenient," she begins. "You're all kids and in college. You'll have activities or gatherings that will keep you out late. No need to call and let me know. I just ask you're quiet when you get home as to not disturb the rest of the house."
Ami nods and replies, "That's fair." But Ami knows she won't be one of those kids. It's not really who she is.
"I don't mind if you drink, but it's a hard no to parties in the house. And no smoking inside."
"Understandable but I don't do any of those things," Ami says.
Sato-san smiles. "They all say that." Then, "Also, no boys."
Ami blushes but can't help but chuckle. "No issue there, either." Sato-san raises her eyebrows and gives Ami a knowing look.
"And no taking things that don't belong to you," the older woman says. "That means no stealing in general but I say this mostly in regards to food. I plan on buying groceries for the house for everyone to use but you are welcome to buy your own things. Just be considerate."
Ami nods. "Of course."
Sato-san nods herself. "I think that's really it. If you have questions, feel free to ask. This is your home for the school year and I want you to feel comfortable here."
Ami smiles. "Thank you, I appreciate that."
Sato-san smiles as well. "Well, shoo, I'm sure you have important school things to do today. Have fun and I'll see you for dinner."
Ami stands and asks, "When's dinner?"
"Dinner is usually at seven," Sato-san answers. "No need to let me know if you're not going to make it. I don't make dinner every night and typically not on weekends. But it being your first night here, I wanted to welcome you properly."
Ami bows deeply to Sato-san smiles. "Go on. I know you have things to do and I've taken up too much of your time."
Ami continues to smile as she turns. She moves to the counter and picks up the spare key to the house. She unclips her key ring from her bag that holds the keys to her mother's apartment and slips the new key on before reclipping the key onto her bag and heading out the front door and making the short trek to the college campus proper.
