Seeing Yuki when I walk into work reminds me that I forgot to respond to her message. Oops. What did she send me again? I don’t have enough time to check my phone before my shift starts.

We go about our usual work routine until lunch is over. As I pull my bag out of my locker, Yuki shuts hers and turns toward me.

“By the way,” she says, looking up at me through her long eyelashes. “Are you still interested in seeing Virtual Memory?”

That’s right, the movie! I was going to ask her if she wants to see it together.

“Yeah.” I grin.

“Do you want to see it with me?” she asks with a tentative smile.

I freeze for a second, surprised that she invited me out before I could ask her. She must really be interested in me.

“Yeah!” I say in a more enthusiastic tone than intended. “When are you free?”

“Well.” She tucks her hair behind her ear. “I’m not doing anything tomorrow.”

“I’m free tomorrow too!” I reach for my phone in my pocket. “I’ll check the screening schedule.”

I’m immediately distracted by a LIME notification.

Shun
Im free tomorrow
But why would you want to spend your
weekend with me?
Did the girl at yumeya reject you or
something?🙄

What the hell? Does he think I’m so shallow that I’d only hang out with him when a girl rejects me? It’s not like I’m obsessed with her or anything.

I look up at Yuki, who looks back at me with expectant eyes. What should I do? Hesitating, I re-read his messages. I’d be doing exactly what Shun thinks of me if I suddenly tell him something came up and go out with Yuki instead.

“Sorry.” I awkwardly rub the back of my neck, avoiding meeting her eyes. “I almost forgot I already had plans for tomorrow. Can we see the movie a different day?”

“Oh, really?” she says, a hint of disappointment in her voice.

“Sorry,” I apologize again.

“It’s okay,” she shakes her head as cheerfulness returns to her tone. “Just let me know when you’re free, then.”

“Okay,” I nod.

After seeing Yuki off at the intersection, I immediately call Shun. The dial tone plays over and over. I’m already anticipating a “no answer” notification before I hear a click followed by a skeptical “Hello?”

“Hey,” I reply and wait for him to say something in return but there's nothing. I stammer, trying to remember why I called him.

“What?” There’s irritation in his voice.

“What time do you want to meet tomorrow?” I ask hastily.

There’s a slight pause on the other end. I don’t know why, but I begin to feel embarrassed. What am I doing on the phone with Shun? What’s gotten into me?

“Tomorrow.” His tone softens. “I'm free anytime.”

“Then how about we leave around 2pm?”

“Sure.” His answer is slow.

“So, I'll meet you in the kitchen then?”

“Okay.”

“Cool.”

There is another moment of awkward silence between us. Not being able to see his face makes it even harder than usual to guess what he’s thinking.

“So, see you tomorrow,” I add.

“Yeah. Bye,” he says quietly before the call ends.

For some reason, I feel kind of proud. I take a moment to remind myself I only asked Shun out to get my hands on a pair of V-3 shoes and to prove I'm not girl-obsessed. That's all.

When I enter the kitchen, Shun is already sitting at the table with an empty mug in front of him.

“Hey,” I greet him cautiously, observing the expression on his face.

“Hey,” he returns softly. I'm relieved to see he doesn’t look angry anymore.

“Ready?” I ask.

“Yeah.” He gets up and wanders toward the sink. I lean against the kitchen table, watching his back as he silently washes his cup.

“So, where are we going again?” I ask.

“Shimo-Kitazawa.” His tone lacks emotion.

“Where’s that?”

He turns and walks straight to the door as he comments, “You really are new to Tokyo, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, I only just moved here,” I remind him as I follow.

“Which places have you been to so far?” he asks.

On our way out the door, I list the areas of Tokyo I can remember visiting within the month and a half I’ve been here.

“What about Odaiba?” he asks.

“Nope.”

“The Skytree?”

“Nope.”

“Asakusa?”

“Not yet.”

He gives me a baffled look. “Had you never even come to Tokyo before moving here?”

“I had but I hardly did any sightseeing.” I shrug.

“I see,” he grunts. “Why haven’t you tried exploring more since moving here?”

“I guess I just didn't have anyone to explore with. My university friends usually want to meet up in Shibuya or Takadanobaba.”

He nods his head slowly. “Well, hopefully you’ll befriend someone interested in bringing you more places.”

I smile to myself. After I get together with Yuki, we can go on dates to places all over Tokyo. It’ll be great.

We don't talk much the rest of the way to the station. The beeping of our IC cards at the ticket gate sounds louder than usual. On our way down the stairs to the subway platform, I can hear the screech of a train pulling in.

“The train is here!” I shout before dashing for its door. I slip into it and turn around to find Shun approaching slowly.

“Okay, bye.” He waves.

“‘Bye?’” I frown.

The "doors closing" chime plays, but Shun comes to a complete stop on the platform. I quickly jump out of the train to join him.

“Did you decide to come with me after all?” he asks with a straight face.

“Why didn't you get on?” I pout.

“Because that's our train there,” he answers, pointing in the direction of a train arriving on the opposite side of the platform.

I stare at it dumbfoundedly. I've never taken the train in the other direction so it didn't dawn on me that it was an option.

“Why didn't you say so?” I complain.

“You looked so excited. I didn't want to kill your mood,” he teases and walks to the other side of the platform.

I don't know what to say now. I just feel stupid while I follow him.

“You sure like embarrassing yourself,” he comments.

“I'm not embarrassed!” I retort.

“Then is that blush you’re wearing on your cheeks?” he says, smirking as he points to my face.

I cover my warm cheeks with my hands while the train comes to a halt in front of us. Him saying those things only makes my face hotter. However, my embarrassment takes a 180-degree turn when Shun trips in front of me while entering the train.

“Ha!” I exclaim. “Now who’s the embarrassing one?”

The eyes of people in the half-full car turn toward us. It hadn’t yet occurred to me how much quieter the train is compared to the drafty platform. I cover my mouth with a hand to shut myself up.

“Sit down and be quiet, Idol Wannabe,” Shun orders, pointing to a section of empty seats.

The awkward silence is back as we sit shoulder to shoulder. Shun takes out his phone, and I stare straight at the empty seats across from us. Our reflections are clear in the black window. I've never considered myself macho, but he looks thin compared to me. He just looks small overall. He must be around 170 cm or shorter. More than anything else, though, I find myself admiring his facial features and how they look flawless in his reflection. Has he always had such a pretty face?

I turn to look at him directly. His nose is sharp and his lips are full. They’re perfectly balanced with the shape of his chin. His dark eyes are shaded by long eyelashes. How can anyone have such an ideal profile? His might even be more attractive than mine.

It's only a few seconds later that he looks up from his phone. I try to look away before he notices, but realize I’ve failed when he says, “What?”

I shake my head.

“Were you staring at me again?”

“No,” I deny.

“Liar.”

“You want me to stare at you or something?” I counter.

He snickers. I’m preparing my next comeback before he catches me off guard.

“We have to change trains next.”

I look up at the screen above the doors displaying Next stop: Kichijoji.

I follow Shun through the station until he leads me to a train that’s livelier with chatter. Shun and I find two empty seats in between an elderly woman and a group of teenage girls.

“So, how do you know the friend who runs the shop?” I ask, tired of the silence.

“He's a graduate from my school,” Shun answers.

“Oh, I see.”

Shun puts his phone away, which I take as him accepting my offer for conversation.

“You said you study fashion design, right?” I ask.

“Yeah.”

“Do you want to become a fashion designer?”

“Yeah,” he says again, crossing his arms over his chest.

There’s another moment of silence and I begin to think maybe he doesn’t feel like talking after all.

“What about you?” he suddenly asks. “You go to WU, right? What are you studying?”

“Commerce,” I answer proudly.

“Commerce, huh?” he repeats. “Is there something you want to do with it in the future?”

“No clue,” I laugh. “But I figured it would give me a lot of options.”

He nods. When I glance at him, I see what looks like a subtle smile tugging at his lips. I can't tell if this guy hates talking to me or enjoys it.

After we exit the station, we head down a sunny, crowded street of thrift shops and other locally owned businesses. I walk a few steps behind him while observing the cafes and secondhand clothing stores we pass by. He leads me down another street before stopping in front of the millionth thrift stop.

“This is it,” Shun declares.

The shop is packed with racks of clothes squeezed together. There are shoes and bags sitting on shelves both high and low. More clothing items are hung on the walls. I’ve never seen so many clothes in one place. There are several other people looking around while Shun brings me to a counter in the back.

“Shuuuuun!” a high-pitched male voice sings out from my right. I turn to find a buff man with flamingo-print shorts and spiky bright red hair approaching us. He’s wearing thick-framed purple glasses and a button-up denim shirt with several bead necklaces hanging from its collar.

“Shun! It’s been so long!” he exclaims, reaching for Shun’s hands. Other customers are turning their heads in our direction.

“How have you been?” Shun says with a full smile.

“Wonderful! And who is this?” The tone of his voice clearly shows I’ve piqued his interest. His eyes scan me from top to bottom.

“This is my roommate, Makoto,” Shun explains. “Makoto, this is Akki. He’s the store owner.”

“H-hello.” I back away a bit as if it’ll save me from his eyes.

“Hello, handsome.” He gives me a suggestive smile. “Thank you for gracing my humble shop with your presence.”

“Y-you’re welcome?” My disoriented voice squeaks.

He turns back to Shun. “So what brings you here today?”

“Makoto is looking for a pair of V-3 sneakers,” Shun explains. “Do you have any in stock?”

“Ooh, V-3 sneakers!” Akki exclaims as if he’s excited about the shoe brand. “Yes we do!” He looks at me again. “What’s your shoe size, Hun?”

Being called “Hun” by a man gives me the most complicated feeling ever, but I work past it and answer Akki’s question before he disappears into the back room.

“Sorry,” Shun says in a low voice. “I probably should have warned you about him first.”

“No worries,” I force out while I try to distract myself with a rack of clothing. I definitely didn’t see that coming, but it’s alright. I can handle a little discomfort as long as I can leave with a good pair of shoes.

Several minutes later, Akki returns with three pairs of sneakers. I get a little flustered at the sight of him enthusiastically skipping toward me. I skim the faces around me in search of Shun’s emotional support. Where did he go?

“This is what I found in your size. Now take a seat so we can play Cinderella,” Akki giggles.

I obediently sit on a small leather stool Akki points out at the foot of the rack in front of me. When Shun returns to my side from wherever he had been, I feel relieved. He watches quietly while Akki crouches in front of me, unlacing a pair of shoes.

As I push my feet into them, Akki looks up at me and grins.

“I know this is random,” he says. “But you know, I would love it if you could model some of my clothes.”

“M-model? Me?” I stutter at the sudden proposal.

“Yes, you!” Akki beams. “With your face and physique, you would look perfect on the cover of our seasonal catalog.”

Me? In a catalog?

“Don’t you think so, Shun?” Akki looks up at him.

Shun’s face suddenly looks unsettled as he shakes his head. “Don’t ask me!”

Is he… blushing?

“Why are you acting shy?” Akki teases. “You must’ve noticed your friend here is a very attractive young man.”

Shun continues to shake his head before turning his back to us. I watch curiously as he wanders off, wondering if he actually finds me attractive. I know I’m good-looking by most girls’ standards, but what about his? I’m not sure how I’d feel if he found me attractive. I guess I wouldn’t mind it as long as he’s not having dirty thoughts about me. I mean, I’m not interested in him in that way, but I can still tell he’s an attractive guy too.

Oh God, he can never know that.

I try on each pair of shoes before eventually settling for one that’s around 9,000 yen with the discount. I can make up for that in two shifts at Yumeya, no problem.

“I’ll go ring these up for you,” Akki says merrily, cradling the sneakers in his arms. He then points a finger at me.

“But!” His sudden shout makes me jump. His lips spread into a scheming grin. “I’ll only apply the discount if you do me one favor.”

“What kind of favor?” I swallow nervously.

“There’s an outfit I want you to try on,” he elaborates.

“Oh.” I release the tension in my shoulders at the surprisingly simple task. “Just try it on?”

“Just try it on!” he assures me. “Come over to the fitting room.”

I follow Akki toward the back of the store where he opens a gray curtain to reveal a tiny room lined with mirrors.

“Wait right here,” he orders before he runs behind the counter and disappears into the back room again.

While examining my face and body in the mirror, I imagine myself clad in expensive brand clothing, posing on a set in front of flashing cameras. That wouldn’t be a bad life to have. I’m grinning at the thought when I notice a nonchalant Shun approaching.

“Is he making you try something on?” he asks, pressing his shoulder up against the wall in front of the changing room.

“Yeah,” I answer excitedly.

“Good luck.” He smirks.

Good luck? Before I get the chance to ask Shun what he means, Akki reappears, holding neatly folded black leather.

“Here it is!” Akki exclaims and lifts it up for me to see. It unfolds itself, revealing gaudy metal spikes and bulky chains attached in various places.

My jaw drops as he hands it to me. Is this an outfit for a video game character? I look at Shun, who appears to be trying to suppress laughter.

“What is this?” I voice my bewilderment.

“Hurry up and try it on!” Akki urges as he grabs my shoulders, turning me around to face the mirrors. “It’ll look good on you.”

Akki closes the curtain behind me, and I take another good look at the piece of work in my hands. Maybe it won’t be so bad.