For the first time in months, Mondo found himself eager to get out of bed.
Chihiro was already at the café the next day, the table covered with bits of paper. He quickly cleared Mondo's side as he sat down.
"Teacher gave me a ton of homework so I'm trying to get two weeks' worth of homework done in one afternoon."
"So long as you don't pass out. I don't wanna carry you back."
"That might be hard. I haven't slept in three days."
"Why the hell not?"
Chihiro glanced back down to his papers and continued to write. "Because when I get back, me and my roommate trade English notes. He can do all the speaking and listening fine but he can't get his head around the reading and writing. I'm the complete opposite so he helps me practise. And then I get distracted by personal programming projects so I don't end up going to bed until, like, one am."
"So? You said most of your lessons don't start until the afternoon, right? Can't you sleep in?"
"Nah, my roommate wakes up at six every morning to do radio calisthenics."
"You're kidding."
"Nope. He says he hasn't missed it in seven years. I tried it once but I don't have that kind of energy that early in the morning."
"Maybe you would if you went to bed earlier."
An offended gasp escaped him. "How dare you!" Chihiro tried to hold his scowl but he soon dissolved into giggles. Mondo found himself falling in love with the sound immediately. Not in a weird way. No, not at all.
Most days, after he'd finished his work and Chihiro had finished his classes, Mondo found himself in the same café, attempting to drink the same bitter coffee while Chihiro chattered away about his day or various stories about his roommate.
"The very first thing he did after arriving was yell at people for running in the halls. That didn't make him any friends," Chihiro said, pausing for a moment to figure out a particularly difficult problem before continuing, "People started to leave horrible notes on our room slate. He stopped rubbing them out after a while so I had to do it instead. That's how I found out they were doing it in the first place."
"He didn't care?"
"He tries not to let other people get to him. I respect him for that. If it were me I would've left months ago. Especially after..." he trailed off. Mondo frowned in confusion.
"After what?"
"Someone left a dead bird outside our door," Chihiro said simply, as if he were commenting on the weather, "we had to clean it up ourselves. He told me I should move if I didn't want to get messed with for hanging out with him, but I refused." A look of determination crossed his features. "I couldn't leave him to face it alone."
"Shit man, that's so fucked up. Why the hell didn't the school do anything?"
"We never found out who did it. I think it was Samashiwa, but my roommate won't let me go after him."
Mondo snorted. Chihiro scowled at the sound.
"What?"
"Never thought I'd hear you say something like that."
"What do you mean?"
"You saying you're gonna beat someone up but being totally serious about it."
Chihiro smiled slightly. "I took a self-defence course last spring. Most of the guys in our dorm don't know how to throw a proper punch so I could probably take down most of them without even trying that hard."
Mondo let out a harsh bark of a laugh. "Remind me to never fight you."
"Just don't get me too angry and we'll be fine."
Chihiro glanced to his watch and sighed, pushing to his feet.
"It's that time again."
Mondo frowned and checked the wall clock. "Shit! I have work in, like, ten minutes!" He shot up so fast that he almost fell over. He tripped over himself running to the door, pausing for a moment as Chihiro shouted after him.
"Same time tomorrow?"
"Yeah, sure!"
Akamokuzai Furniture had been making various pieces of mediocre quality for generations. Mondo was the next in a long line of kids looking for training that they couldn't get anywhere else. Despite the negativity swirling around the position, Mondo enjoyed working there.
The store was run by the elderly Owari couple and their daughter, an aspiring gymnast who had no interest in continuing the family business. He rarely saw her but when she did appear she was always friendly and actually looked happy to see him. He thought Akane was her first name, but their conversations were so sparse that he wasn't certain.
This particular evening she was hanging about in the back as Mondo carved a delicate design into a table leg, humming a cheery pop song he'd heard on the train. Owari was doing push-ups, occasionally stopping to get to her feet for some stretches before she went to sit-ups and repeated the pattern. Mondo had tuned it out when she suddenly spoke up.
"You sound happy," she said with a smirk, "did you get a girlfriend?"
Mondo went red, furiously shaking his head. "No way!"
"Boyfriend?"
"What? No!"
She held up both hands in surrender. "Alright, alright! Just asking, jeez." She went back to stretching. "I wouldn't judge you if you did, ya know."
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I'd tell you anyway."
A mischievous glint flashed across her eyes. "Ooooh, so you do have a boyfriend!"
He rolled his eyes and went back to work. "Shut up. It's nothing that exciting."
"Then what is it? Reunited with a childhood sweetheart?"
"Close. He was never a sweetheart."
Owari nodded, letting out a loud yawn. "But this is when you start chatting and realise it was always meant to be."
He was seriously considering hurling a tool at her when his boss wobbled in on an old wooden cane.
"Akane," Mr Owari said in a gruff yet somehow gentle voice, "could you run the counter until closing time?"
She looked indecisive for a moment before she nodded and plodded away. Mr Owari turned his attention to Mondo and offered a kind smile.
"You've been working hard today," he said, "you can head home."
"Are you sure? I don't mind sticking around."
"No, no, it's alright. Though, there is something I'd like you to do before your next shift."
Mondo pushed up to his feet and tilted his head to one side. "What do ya need?"
"I'd like you to read a manual. Nothing too specific but..." He sighed, leaning against his cane. "With my age, there are a few things I cannot teach you practically. I hope it is not too much trouble."
"Sure, that's fine, I'll find something."
"Ah, marvellous," Mr Owari chuckled, hobbling across the room as he continued, "Well, I shall see you next week."
Mondo got back home by seven, picking a stray splinter he had missed earlier from his thumb in the bathroom. The tiny, old TV was playing in the other room, playing as background noise. He hated silence, it only served as a reminder that he was alone.
His inoffensive, default ringtone blared over the news announcer's disinterested voice. He would've ignored it if he hadn't seen Chihiro's name on the caller ID.
"Sorry, I know it's kinda late, but I've gotta do some studying tomorrow for a surprise English test so I'm gonna have to cancel on you," he said, his voice quivering down the receiver. Mondo faltered, but was thankful that Chihiro couldn't see his expression fall.
"Whatever, these things happen."
"I feel really bad about letting you down though..."
"It's cool. I gotta find a book for work anyway."
"What do you mean?"
Mondo briefly explained the situation. Chihiro made a soft hum of understanding.
"Maybe... maybe you could come with me to the school library? We want to hang out, I need to study, and you need the right kind of book so that's, like, three birds with one stone!"
"You sure we'll find one?"
"They've got everything in there. I'm sure there'll be at least one book on carpentry in there. If we can't find one, we'll ask them to get it in! I'm sure we can-"
Mondo stared up at the ceiling, lips twitching into a weak but genuine smile as Chihiro chattered down the line. The campus was a good half-hour walk and he was slightly reluctant to attempt the trek. He wasn't sure if he had the energy but listening to Chihiro's excited rambling... He couldn't refuse.
"Alright, when do you wanna meet up?"
"Why aren't you at school?"
"School's stupid."
"How are you gonna get a job if you don't go to school?"
"I'll do odd jobs. Mow people's lawns and wash their cars and stuff."
"Is that really what you wanna do with your life?"
"... Not really."
"Exactly. So you gotta go."
"Fine..."
"Come on, we'll break a few speed limits and get you there before your first lesson starts."
"Daiya?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
It was raining the next morning. It wasn't particularly heavy, but the humid air meant wearing a coat was more trouble than it was worth.
Mondo got dressed, skipped breakfast, and headed out, following Chihiro's texted directions to his dormitory. The walk wasn't too far and he was honestly surprised that they hadn't run into each other any sooner given how close they were.
The dormitory was located at the top of a small hill, surrounded by various stores and office buildings on every side. A tall camphor tree stood outside the gate, shielding it and the nearby pavement from the rain.
As soon as he walked inside, he was hit by the overwhelming stench of community living that made him thankful that he lived alone. The lobby was basic, with only a few tables and chairs, a line of vending machines up against one wall, and an old TV up in one corner surrounded by tattered sofas. A few young men were sat around one of the tables, playing cards.
Mondo approached them and asked where he could find Chihiro's room.
"Who's Fujisaki?" The man in a red polo shirt asked.
"The one who shares a room with Ishimaru," The one in the dress shirt said.
"Oh yeah, poor bastard," Red polo shirt shook his head. He turned back to Mondo. "Yeah, up the stairs on the right. Floor 2, room 14."
Mondo nodded in thanks and followed the directions. Damp clothes were strung over the stairwell in a drying rack that was apparently used by every person in the building. It reeked of sweat and tobacco. A pair of men not much older than Mondo were hanging about at the entrance to the first floor dorms, smoking and using a crushed soda can as an ashtray.
The hallway was a little cleaner, excluding a roll of toilet paper that had apparently exploded about halfway down and the occasional bottle or empty can lying on the lumpy carpeted floor.
Each door had a bronze number and a small whiteboard screwed on with a pen attached by a line of string. Most of them had small doodles of animals or, since this was the boys' dorms, badly drawn penises. Some had messages scribbled across them, ranging from 'good luck on your test' to 'remember to buy more milk.'
He soon reached Chihiro's room and frowned at the door. While the odd few boards had joking jabs or playful banter, this board was much harsher and downright cruel.
'No one wants you here,' 'fuck off already,' 'go jump in front of a train.' All of them were presumably directed at Chihiro's roommate. Mondo rubbed them all out with his sleeve and knocked on the door.
It only took a few seconds of waiting before the door swung open. Chihiro's hair was pushed back out of his face with a hairband, still damp from his morning shower. He was being swallowed by a dark green hoodie that seemed much too thick given the temperature.
"Sorry, I was grabbing the last of my papers. You can sit on the bed while you wait. Top bunk is his, bottom bunk's mine. You don't have to take off your shoes if you don't want to."
The room was small, though it felt more cosy than cramped. The walls were painted a calm cream colour with dark wood flooring. The window was large, but designed so that he could only open a small crack, the blinds pulled a quarter of the way up. Mondo had passed a sign indicating a communal shower block on the ground floor so wasn't surprised at the lack of bathroom. There was a bunkbed, a low table with a cushion flanking each side, and a tiny kitchen that could barely hold one person.
"The kitchen is off limits to me after I burnt some mackerel and we couldn't get rid of the smell for weeks," Chihiro said when he spotted Mondo checking it out, "my roommate does all the cooking now. He's pretty good though, to be fair."
It was much cleaner than the rest of the dorm. In fact, it had the sanitation of a hospital. There wasn't a speck of dust to be seen in the entire room. If it weren't for the few personal items, Mondo would've sworn that the room hadn't been lived in since it was built.
On the wall by the bunkbed, Chihiro had put up various photos and posters. Mondo assumed his roommate had put up some photos of his own on his bunk, but couldn't see them from this angle. A small stuffed rabbit sat on the desk. It was missing an eye, but it was generously loved by time as it was completely whole otherwise. A small, outdated radio sat beside it. The antennae was bent but still functional.
Chihiro stuffed a notepad and a few scraps of paper into a messenger bag, then slung it over one shoulder.
"Alright, ready to go!"
They took the subway to a part of the city Mondo was unfamiliar with. He trailed closely by Chihiro's side, but his companion didn't seem to mind too much. The rain was starting to let up, as was the humidity, so the walk from the station to the campus wasn't too painful.
"Um, I forgot to mention," Chihiro said as they neared their destination, "you're not allowed in the library if you're not a student."
Mondo frowned. "How am I gonna get in then?"
"I know a back entrance we can use. It just means if a faculty member comes over you have to run and hide before they ask for your ID."
"Sounds easy enough," Mondo said with a shrug.
They slipped in through a fire exit at the back of the library and set up at a table close by in case Mondo needed to flee from questioning staff. Chihiro took out his papers and started to work through them, jotting down repeating English sentences as practise on a blank piece of paper.
The library was modern and simple, modestly sized with signs directing to each section making it impossible to get lost. It was mostly non-fiction, with only four or five shelves dedicated to fiction books. Mondo easily found the books he needed in the neat, well-kept shelves and returned to the table.
They had been settled for only a few minutes when a young man entered through the main doors, scanned the room, and came over to the table. He was only a little shorter than Mondo, with pale skin, red eyes, dark hair, and the largest eyebrows he had ever seen. He wore a white dress shirt and black pants, a satchel hanging over one shoulder. Most notably, he had a large, flowery gauze pad on his left cheek.
Chihiro smiled as he approached, though it was weak, almost sad. "How was your lecture?"
"Very informative!" the man said, much louder than necessary. Chihiro winced slightly at the volume. The man immediately lowered his voice. "I was shouting again, wasn't I? I'm sorry, Chi- Fujisaki-kun."
"You're getting better," Chihiro giggled, "You can call me Chihiro, it's okay."
"Yes, yes, I know, it just feels bizarre-"
Mondo interrupted before he could stop himself, "What happened to your face?"
The man instinctively raised a hand to his injured cheek, but he dropped it a few moments later. He looked at Mondo and frowned slightly. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"
Chihiro tensed as he glanced between the two and quickly cleared his throat.
"Um, Kiyotaka, this is Mondo Oowada, a friend of mine. Mondo, this is Kiyotaka Ishimaru, my roommate."
Mondo raised a hand to wave. "Yo."
"Good afternoon," Ishimaru said slowly. He turned to Chihiro. "Is he a student here?"
"Well, no, but-"
"Then he is not allowed to be in here. May I remind you that this is a student-only library, Fujisaki-kun."
"It'll only be this one time. He works as a carpenter, you see, and he needed-"
"He is still not allowed in here. It is against the rules, Fujisaki-kun."
Chihiro deflated and looked down at his lap, fussing with the page of his notebook. Mondo scowled.
"Hey man, it's not his fault, don't give him shit for it. It ain't that big of a deal anyway, Ishi."
Ishimaru looked at Mondo as if he had just suggested he remove all his clothes and take a dump on the table. "I would appreciate it if you used my full name, Oowada-kun."
"Yeah? And I'd appreciate it if you weren't an ass to Chihiro, but we don't always get what we want, eh?"
"I wasn't-!"
"Guys, please, keep your voices down," Chihiro shushed, placing a hand on Ishimaru's arm, "please Kiyotaka, he won't come back, just let him stay this one time?"
Ishimaru thought it over for almost a minute before he took the seat next to Chihiro. "I will allow it," he said.
"Well gee, don't I feel blessed," Mondo grumbled.
"Don't make me rethink my decision."
Mondo snorted and went back to his book. Ishimaru took a textbook and a notepad from his satchel and placed them on the table. There was silence for a few minutes before Mondo realised Ishimaru kept staring at him.
"What?" he spat. Ishimaru turned to Chihiro.
"I am surprised you are friends with someone like this, Fujisaki-kun."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Mondo growled.
"You don't seem like the type who would convince someone to break them into university grounds just to read."
"What can I say? I like being around pretentious assholes."
"Are you mocking me?"
"Hey man, I never said you were a pretentious asshole."
"You implied it!"
"You just assumed I was talking about you!"
"Excuse me,"
All three men glanced up to see the librarian stood by their table, a vicious scowl across her face. She reminded Mondo of a witch from a children's book.
"Please keep your voices down or I shall be forced to ask you to leave."
Ishimaru visibly tensed and nodded quickly. "Yes, we're terribly sorry, Miss Monomi," he said, bowing his head in shame, "we promise to settle down."
"Good," she said, eying the three up once more before she walked away, flat heels clicking on the wooden floor.
"Asshole," Mondo grumbled under his breath.
"Delinquent," Ishimaru spat in response.
"Please stop," Chihiro whimpered. Both men glanced to him and immediately faltered.
"Shit, sorry-"
"I'm sorry-"
"Just-" Chihiro placed down his pen, trying to even out his breathing. "Ishimaru, can you help me with this problem?"
Ishimaru nodded, his expression much softer than it had been previously. He was clearly disappointed at the use of his last name.
The three studied in uncomfortable silence for most of the day. Barring a few glares exchanged, Mondo and Ishimaru were relatively civil, though that may have been influenced by the terrifying librarian and the even more terrifying prospect of making Chihiro cry.
Eventually, Chihiro slowly got to his feet, muttering something about needing the bathroom before he scurried away. Once he was out of sight, Ishimaru turned to Mondo and took a deep breath.
"I would like to propose a temporary truce."
"-the hell does that mean?"
"A 'truce' is an agreement between enemies or opponents to stop fighting or arguing-"
"I know what a truce is," Mondo growled. Ishimaru didn't even flinch.
"Then you should understand why I am proposing one. For Fujisaki-kun's sake."
Mondo sighed and leaned back in his seat. "That sounds fair."
"So for Fujisaki-kun, we shall agree to avoid arguments at all costs."
"Fine by me."
Ishimaru extended his hand across the table. "Truce?"
"Truce." Mondo took it, briefly taking note of how satisfying the difference between their skin tones was. Not in a weird way, he told himself, just appreciating the colour contrast.
They shook hands and had returned to their own sides by the time Chihiro returned. He looked to Ishimaru, and then Mondo saying, "Where you two fighting while I was gone?"
"What? No-"
"Of course not-!"
"Right... Okay." Chihiro nodded. "That's good."