Yěhuā
A Xiān Kè Lái Extras Collection
By: Aviantei
[Shibuya Operation – Story Storm]
5. Lotus (5)
"Whoa, spiky dude in the living room. Yoh, you did not tell me about the spiky dude in the living room."
Asakura's infuriating chuckle grates into my concentration as I try to finish my reading. Class starts next week and I want to be prepared.
"Sorry," Asakura says, sounding as lazy as he looks, stomach pressed against the floor and legs kicking in the air. Headphones moved to his neck for a moment allows his music to sneak out—some funk track from a record player that doesn't look like it should power on, let alone play music. "Horohoro, this is our new roommate, Ren. Say hi, Ren!"
I turn the page of my textbook, regretting my decision of a tight budget. Funbari Onsen is cheap and close to school, but those facts don't cancel out how annoying my host and housemate is. What's more, Asakura Yoh is one of six. Based on his reaction, the second seems to be just as bad.
The newcomer to the room strides over to the couch and stands in front of me, his face entering my peripheral as he leans over and confirming my suspicion that he's worse than Asakura, however that's possible. Blue catches my attention, and I make the mistake of locking into eye contact.
"Horohoro" blinks twice at me, then scowls.
I don't hesitate to return the favor.
"You're reading a schoolbook during vacation time?" he gripes. "What's wrong with your head?"
"It's called initiative," I retort. Japanese insults come to mind faster than I expected. A headache already pounds at my temples. I should've stayed in my room. "I don't know which part of the slacker brigade you belong to, but I intend to maintain my GPA this semester." As if spurned on by the mention, Asakura props himself up on his pillow to watch the exchange. "Don't go crying to me when you can't keep up with the material."
Horohoro twitches, leaning farther into my face. "You callin' me stupid?!" The couch squeaks as I lean back from his spittle.
"Only fools fail to prepare for the challenges they know are approaching."
"Well, well, don't we seem to have energy today."
Horohoro flinches at the sound of the voice, and Asakura attempts to slip his headphones back on and feign sleep. Kiyoyama Anna, Asakura's fiancé and veritable slave driver, storms into the room with the force of an autumn typhoon. I don't show it, but the anger conveyed in her even tone is just enough like my mother to give me chills.
I really should have stayed in my room.
Anna tosses her hair and surveys us all. "If you have the energy to fight, you can do yard work," she commands. "The weather's warming up, so weeds are starting to come in. Clean the garden, then we'll see after that."
"What?" Horohoro protests in indignation. "I just rearranged the entire attic for you this morning. You seriously can't expect—"
Crack!
The blue-haired menace is the first to fall to Anna's sharp slap. "Any objections?"
Asakura, for once, doesn't hesitate to ditch his headphones, not even bothering to turn the record player off before scrambling to the door. I take a moment to mark my spot in my book, step over Horohoro, and follow.
6. Aster (1)
The doorbell rings and I answer the intercom. The speaker crackles, and Min Jia's voice comes through.
"Ready for pickup."
"I'll be right down," I promise, reaching for my bag. I forgot to empty out my school supplies, and the weight tugs on the strap. Min Jia will wait a few minutes. I upend the bag on my couch, pencils clattering as they hit the floor and bounce off the table. My wallet peaks out from between a biology text and a half-used notebook. I snatch it up, along with my phone charger.
Is there anything else? I can't come up with anything, so I swing my bag up and head out the door. On the way down I tuck back stray ends of my hair and stop my dress from bunching up under the backpack strap. Yellow flower patterns glow in the sunlight as I step outside.
Min Jia waits by the front of the apartment and tosses me a wave. We step closer and exchange quick kisses, his fingers tangling with mine. "As cute as always."
I tap a finger to his nose. "You're cuter."
"Not sure how I feel about being cuter than a girl in a mini dress," Min Jia comments, swaying me back and forth. Our footsteps disappear into the afternoon crowd as we head down the sidewalk. I shrug. Not my fault he's attractive. "Well, since we're both on point, let's go be cute somewhere together. We'll get lunch, then hit the park. Sound like a plan?"
I smile, enjoying the sunlight and the promise of spring outdoors. Plenty of flowers will be coming into bloom at the park. Plus I've never been one to argue with a bite to eat.
"Sounds great," I answer, and tuck into his side.
7. Lotus (6)
Dinner at Funbari Onsen becomes a habit. I started joining in because Ryu is, surprisingly, a good cook. And in the months after that, I guess I've gotten used to the company. If nothing else, their chatter makes for background noise. I sip at my soup, keeping an eye on the sukiyaki in front of me for the right moment.
Horohoro's chopsticks snatch the piece if beef I was eyeing, and I send him a glare across the table.
"Haven't you had enough meat already?" I accuse.
Horohoro pauses with the beef halfway to his mouth, glances at me, and takes the piece in one bite, grinning. A growl rumbles in my throat. "You snooze, you lose, man," he says, without any trace of apology. "I dunno what it's like for you at home, but sukiyaki is war."
"I'd like to see you talk so tough if Anna were here." Our foul-tempered hostess has gone out for the evening with Tamao for a girl's night. It's the sort of thing my sister would like. I'm just glad for the reprieve.
Horohoro grimaces, but his next grab from the pot is a mushroom. I take the opportunity to snatch up some beef before it disappears. Asakura laughs, and Ryu takes his duty to add more ingredients to the pot. "No need to fight, there's enough for all of us," he assures.
That doesn't stop me from hoarding the next few vegetables to my plate. "I'm surprised that Anna would let us eat like this without her, though," Asakura remarks, nowhere near in a rush as Horohoro is. The sukiyaki doesn't seem like as much of a war with just one participant. "I mean, she's usually pretty tough with money…"
"Maybe something good happened?" Ryu asks with a shrug. "You guys are at the end of the trimester, right? Maybe she's trying to treat you."
Asakura stares into space, considering. Horohoro seems glad to just keep stuffing his face. "If you keep up at this pace, you're just going to vomit," I remark.
The Hokkaido native flips me the bird and keeps chewing.
"Well," Asakura says, that stupid grin plastered over his face, "whatever it is, I'm not gonna complain. This stuff's really good." There's something all four of us can agree on. "Hey, maybe if we all had girlfriends they could hang out. And we could do this kind of thing more often."
Ryu's chopsticks clatter to the table. Horohoro chokes while swallowing and has to beat his fist against his chest to dislodge it. Having no intention to get involved in such a stupid conversation, I add some chrysanthemum to my most recent catch of potato and enjoy the bite.
"Just shut up," Horohoro wails, once he's gotten use of his windpipe again. It's a shame he didn't choke. "You and Anna have that whole childhood sweethearts thing going on. It's not that easy for the rest of us!" And Horohoro has tried, in spades. It's tiresome hearing him whine about it.
Asakura tilts his head, rocking the headphones around his neck. "It's not?" he asks. "What do you thi—Uh, Ryu, you okay?"
Ryu hasn't started eating again, instead muttering under his breath. If I didn't know better, I'd say his pompadour was drooping to match his mood. His crush on Tamao has gone unrequited for some time.
"Maybe if you fools put your energy into studying instead of women, you wouldn't sound so ridiculous," I add in, hoping to bring an end to this conversation. There's only so much babble I can take. I'll need an extra-long exercise routine tonight to keep the rubbish from sticking. "You are in college to improve yourselves, after all. Try and put some effort in."
There's a stunned silence as the other three stare at me. I focus on the food in front of me, savoring my next piece of meat. Even with Ryu's latest additions, we're running low on supplies. This can't last much longer.
"Is that your excuse, huh? That you don't have a girlfriend 'cause you're not trying? You sayin' you could get a girl if you decided to grace her with your presence?"
"You're just too scared to try. There's no way a guy with a shitty attitude like you could ever win someone's heart. Don't act so high and mighty!"
Horohoro and Ryu's outbursts are accompanied by two pairs of chopsticks pointing in my direction. Asakura stays out of the accusations, though it's not like he has a bone to pick anyway. That guy has his love life worked out. The other two are just venting their frustrations.
"I don't have any intention of dating until I'm done with school," I say. Ryu scowls. Horohoro mocks my words under his breath. "Yes, I plan to have a family one day, but that won't be until later. But if you two want to waste your time on such endeavors, then by all means." More than full after eating my share, I set my chopsticks across my plate and stand from the table. "If you'll excuse me, I have more sensible concerns to deal with now."
As I exit the room, Horohoro gripes, "What the hell's wrong with him?"
Asakura laughs. "Don't you think that seriousness is what makes Ren so cool?"
"Like hell it does!"
8. Aster (2)
You'd think that after living in the city my whole life, I'd be used to the atmosphere, but it's super different when you're by yourself. Even with the fresh furniture funded by my parents, my new apartment feels empty. It's full of things, but not much else. With the gap between high school graduation and my new schedule at university, I have too much time to spare. Not wanting to be stuck inside while the weather's still nice, I grab my bag and head out the door.
Bodies press in from all directions, dragging in the August heat. The chatter and smoke and press of bodies don't matter as much as the sunlight. Despite living in the same city, it feels like a different place. Funny how moving from one end of town to the next can do that to you. Making sure my phone has a full charge in case I get lost, I let myself get pulled into the flow of foot traffic.
Living on my own. It's a strange idea. But after Dad went to counseling, Mom spent all her time tidying things up. We didn't talk much. It shouldn't be so different to be by myself, but there's something wrong knowing that there won't be anyone cooking dinner when I come home, that there won't be someone to share company with unless I invite someone over.
A staple of my life is now gone.
I haven't even been moved for twenty-four hours and homesickness twists my stomach like pretzel dough.
Laughter and sunshine and potted plants speckle in my memory. I miss before Dad's breakdown. That's where I want to go back to. But it's a place that doesn't exist, and I'm too scared to build my own sanctuary. If I could, I would go to the greenhouse at school, but I'm not supposed to go back to campus until classes start. Fiddling with my phone, I look up florists, hoping for some sort of plant life to boost my mood.
A few clustered train transfers later and I'm back topside. The sun's higher, the heat's thicker, and the general attitude of people is unpleasant. Plenty are excited to be on their vacations, kids of all ages clinging to their parents, but most gripe about the heat. I fish a pair of sunglasses from my bag and try to follow the directions on my phone the best I can. The crowds push me against the storefront windows, and I catch the occasional scent of lunch wafting out the doors.
As I'm trying to decipher which street I need to turn at next, a swatch of color in one of the windows catches my eye, and I almost drop my phone. Someone pushes past me, and we knock elbows. Forgetting my intended path, I glace around and push back against the flow of people to stumble in the door.
The faint jingle of a bell signals my arrival. The door handle slips out of my hand. As it closes, the sounds of the outside world disappear into a vacuum, replaced by faint chatter and soft music. Mom never did any of the fung shei stuff, but I imagine this peaceful vibe is what that aims for.
Not that it compares to the flowers.
They're everywhere, in the patterns on the walls to hanging basket arrangements to small pots on each table. And let's not discount the window display I noticed in the first place. I close my eyes and inhale, and the subtle scent of blossom and leaf feels the most like home I have since I found the greenhouse during my campus tour.
"Um, ma'am, table for one? You're free to sit wherever you like."
When I open my eyes, a server is standing in front of me, concern across their face. I try to apologize, but get sidetracked by the gold stitched flower pattern across the pale green uniform apron.
"This place is perfect," I decide. I can even feel the grin stretching across my face. "Wherever I like, hm?" I scan the tables and find one open next to a window, a placement of yellow-orange marigolds calling my name. "There," I say with a point. "That's exactly what I need. You have a menu? Thanks a bunch."
The florist forgotten, I hum as I scan the menu in crisp summer sunlight.
[Author's Notes]
And we're back in action for week two. Hope everyone made it into the New Year nice and safe. I'm on vacation myself now, so some much needed free time has been occurring. Perfect for catching up on reading, such as my fellow Saucer's [Shibuya Operation - Story Storm] collaboration. Chronic Guardian and EeveeGen9988's The World Ends with You fic, Tin Pin Turnabout is hosted on the Sauce Project Collective account and is looking to be a good time this season, so check it out!
Of course, thanks are in order for those who have checked out this story as well. Mad props to patamon642 for the favorite and follow. I appreciate it and hope the rest of the extras collection is enjoyable! Speaking of the extras, this week we have:
5. Lotus (5) - Ren's second year of university abroad, with some very familiar faces in Japan.
6. Aster (1) - Some time of when Bai and Min Jia were dating pre-Xiān Kè Lái. In case it wasn't clear, Lotus sections are Ren's POV, Aster sections are Bai.
7. Lotus (6) - Dinnertime adventures with the Japan gang debating love lives.
8. Aster (2) - Bai finds her favorite cafe soon after moving in on her own, which will lead to a special encounter in Xiān Kè Lái.
I hope everyone's having a successful start to 2018. I'll see you next week for part three!
-Avi
[01.01.2018]