The young boy looks in the hall mirror. Steeling himself. He hadn't meant to look, but when he caught sight of his own furrowed brow on his way out, he had to stop. Take just one more deep breath. Recite inside his head the mantra that he knows is logical and true: "If you don't ask, you cannot get the information you require."
Fourth-grader Koushiro Izumi has already formulated the plan: This would be an entirely transactional encounter. So what if he gets a weird look, a rude question, or some backhanded snide comment from the boy who lives downstairs? He can weather it, as long as he succeeds in the small and, he reminds himself, entirely achievable mission that he has set before himself.
Out the door, into the summer air. A little humid, but faintly sweet…Reminds him of summer camp. That upcoming summer camp - the inconvenient begetter of this current gap in knowledge. Why couldn't this be handled online? (If the camp organizers had just added a social media component…) Why does his next hope rest on a physical encounter? Annoying.
The most dreadful part is, he's already stuck with this Yagami kid in the same Summer Camp group, whether he likes it or not. So, he'll try to make a good impression. Be as inoffensive as possible. If Yagami has a problem with him - well, that will just have to be on him, then.
As he shuffles along the outdoor terrace on his floor, he is faced with the memory of an encounter with some of his classmates last week.
"What do you have there, four-eyes?"
He rolls his eyes - inside his imagination only. I don't even wear glasses, he thinks.
"It's, uhm, it's my personal Timeline…I can get all kinds of information from different sources…"
"Wow, that's boring. What a loser. You know what tablets are for, Poindexter?" The offending classmate elbows his buddy and beckons him over for a look. "Hey, Tanaka. Look at all that nerd stuff Izumi's got over here."
"Tablets are for playing games, duh."
"Totally."
"Watching TV!"
"That too."
Koushiro's classmates start miming their impression of a studious person tapping away at a tablet and adjusting an imaginary pair of glasses.
He sighs. It was easy to walk away from that one, and most of the others before it. He can do it again, if needed. But he would really rather not make another enemy right here among his own neighbors at his own home…especially the older fifth-grade kid he'd soon be forced to spend Summer Camp with. He knows this Yagami kid is somewhat popular – which is probably bad news for him.
Down the stairs, around the corner. It will all be over soon.
He checks the doorplate to make sure he's got the right unit. Yagami. Yes. Here goes…
The door opens. He takes a step back. "Um…"
The Yagami boy suddenly looms before him.
"Hello, I'm from upstairs…" Koushiro manages.
Yagami smiles and lights up with recognition. He leans forward confidently. "Ah, I've seen you around! You're a fourth grader…"
Koushiro Izumi is surprised that any of his neighbors, let alone another schoolkid, has paid enough attention to know what grade he's in. He straightens up and provides a proper introduction. As proper as can be. Introductions, at least, are a social playbook he can follow.
The Yagami kid is relaxed. A little too relaxed. Clearly, introductions are nothing sacred to him. No big deal.
But…while most kids his age would probably just mumble through, shrug it off and try to get back to whatever it was they'd been doing before their parents or a schoolteacher had forced them to interact, this kid is totally different. His grin covers his entire face, and he looks completely…genuine.
Koushiro releases some of the tension in his shoulders and tentatively offers a smile back. He returns the greeting. Yagami…Taichi-san, was it? Maybe he would actually be kind of a nice guy. Maybe he wouldn't give him any problems at all and summer camp would be…tolerable?
Oh, right. Summer camp! The reason he had come. He stammers, trying to find the best way to preface his question. But before he can properly ask, Yagami starts talking over him. Casually invites him inside. And, he says… "Just call me Taichi."
Koushiro stares. He is quite frankly baffled by this kid's behavior. He couldn't possibly just step inside a stranger's home so suddenly…
An urgent newsfeed catches his attention. Something is going on…downtown?
This looks bad. The two new acquaintances watch together for a moment. This is no time to worry about being teased – ! The tablet device comes out, and Koushiro starts scanning for some posts he saw a little while ago that might be connected…
He's in his own world for a moment, but suddenly he senses the other boy behind him, leaning in close. Fixated on the tablet with surprising intensity. As soon as he reaches full awareness of this, Koushiro reflexively offers up an apology and explanation.
But this kid…Taichi Yagami-san…He looks genuinely interested. Would he actually…care to know more? Koushiro continues, uncertainly. "This is my 'Timeline'…"
There's no way to miss it – The other boy faces him squarely, trying to soak up every detail as he listens intently.
"Wow."
"Huh?"
"I'm really bad at that kind of stuff." Taichi leans in closer. Practically in his face. With a big, goofy grin and an excited glimmer in his eyes. "You're awesome!"
Koushiro is momentarily frozen. None of this…none of it at all…is what he expected. He turns. He…smiles back. There's a moment. A moment where he feels light; he feels – seen? He feels appreciated in a way few other than his parents have ever…
Oh! R-right. There's an urgent matter at hand and, um, what is he thinking anyway?
He clutches the tablet to his chest and dives back into his task.
Suddenly, all of the hesitancy from before is gone. Taichi may not be following every technical detail, but he's right there on the same page. They talk through scenarios. Their dialogue flows as naturally as though they've known each other for years.
At the same time, Koushiro's heart is racing. He soon starts babbling again – But this time it's idle practicalities in the face of a possible disaster. Electricity? Batteries? Before long, he really doesn't know what he's even been saying anymore... But he's forgotten his earlier anxieties and hesitations completely.
I met this boy today, Koushiro reflects much later in the day.
A lot – A LOT – has happened since then.
But it had started just then – Something pumping his blood, something that wouldn't stop. The adrenaline had started just around the same time, and it had carried him, brutally and relentlessly, through the next hour or two.
When that adrenaline rush had finally abated, there was still a lasting feeling. Not anxiety. Not the kind of quickened pulse that would typically drive him to a self-preservation instinct.
Why is he inclined, even now, to smile when there is no one around?
He leans back in his chair and studies his reflection in his bedroom mirror. There's some dried sweat above his brows. Yes, it's definitely time for a shower soon.
There's also some kind of quality that he finds difficult to classify. Something that could be described as a "glow"? He is unable to come up with a hypothesis for what is causing this phenomenon.
His eyes linger for a moment and then his gaze drifts toward the window.
I wonder if I'll see Taichi-san again? He pauses. B-before summer camp, I mean?
Summer camp has become an event to look forward to, he concludes. How many days left? Not days of anxiety and dread, this time, but maybe…No, definitely…Koushiro can hardly wait!