(phrases between '**' are the character's thoughts!)

 

Subway, August 30th, 2018, 05:30 PM

*“I don’t know why I insist on trying to ever see them again.”*

*“Do they even have such a desire to be able to hug me like I want to hug them?”*

*“Do we even have a chance? Will my hard work ever be enough to bring 3 people from Japan to come live in Korea?”*

She lets out a long and full of stress sigh. “We’re not dead until our last drop of hope dry, right Hana?” Momo picks her phone up and starts tapping the screen, looking through unnecessary numbers for a certain contact. “It’s here… let’s just do it...”

“Papa! We did it! Sana and I just left the real estate agency, the apartment is rented by us now, she had to go back work so I’m waiting for the wagon alone, but it really doesn’t matter! It’s a step closer so that you guys can come over to see me again, right? I know that you’re working so I’ll just leave to say more when you get a chance to call me so… take care and call me as fast as you can please, I miss you all! Bye bye!” The girl used all her force to sound just as joyful as she always is with her family.

* Beep *

“Urgh, come on Hirai, since when your happy side is so weak?...” She snarled to herself. “I shouldn’t have come to this country...”

Even after years, the girl still has a bitter feeling that this is just not where she will achieve her dreams, this is not the place where she thought she could bring her family some proud, this is not the place where she will ever feel like herself ever again. With the whirlwind going on in her mind, Momo dragged herself to the considerably full wagon and sat at the last empty seat, right next to the door.

*“There still 3 stations until I get ‘home’, and this place is not exactly where someone who can explode from anxiety like me should be…”* She thought but tried to don’t show any sign of nervousness and discreetly started to peel off dead skin of her thumbs, not taking in the consideration that it might bleed later. After 3 minutes, the train stops at Houston’s station, and Momo started to feel overwhelmed by how many persons are inside the wagon now and started to feel suffocated, but something caught her attention just in time. She saw in the corner of her eye someone in her left side almost falling in sleep with their head against the cold hand support and with a backpack almost falling from the person’s arms. She slightly turned to the person and saw now clear that it was a young woman, probably just as old as her, with a messy black medium hair, a simple black large t-shirt covered by a green hooded coat and dark blue jeans, she also noticed that the items that were almost falling from her bag was ballet shoes, pain relievers and a bottle of water almost empty. *“Definitely a dancer, and she looks exhausted, I shouldn’t let her be standing under this conditions...”* Momo thought to herself, even if she has a hard time to control herself from having a panic attack right there, your principles of helping others comes first.

“Excuse me miss, would you like to seat here? You seem a bit tired...” Momo touched the woman’s shoulder and the girl quickly widened her eyes and tightened her grip in her bag, but when she saw that it was only someone being gentle, she apparently calmed down.

“Oh, there’s no need, you sat there first, don’t worry,” She turned the offer down politely and nicely with a kind smile.

“Your things are even almost falling in the ground and your neck must be hurting, it would be rude of me letting you sleep like this,” Momo insisted, already getting up, the other girl didn’t said anything and finally sat at her place.

“Could you wake me up when we get to Franklin?” The girl shyly asked.

*“Franklin, that’s where I’ll be living for now on in a few days...”* Momo vaguely thought, while nodding and smiling with her lips closed. Momo could hear her small ‘Thank you’ but before she could answer it, the girl already had fallen asleep.

“Hm, you’re welcome,” Momo lowly chuckled.

* “Next stop Canal, disembark on the right.” *

After the warning sound ended and the doors opened, the wagon got emptier and Momo felt rather relieved to seem so many persons leaving the wagon and letting more space to let the girl breath a bit. She took the opportunity of seating again since the family next to the sleepy stranger left and now there were more than 3 empty seats, and she decided to seat to the one closer to the another girl.

“Kids are a nightmare, 99% of them are loud for absolutely no reason,” The girl mumbled, making Momo be quite surprised seeing her wake.

“Did they wake you up?”

“Yeah, but we’re almost at my stop anyway, it doesn’t matter that- oh ...” The girl’s ballet shoes fell out of her backpack before she could finish her sentence, but Momo got it quickly thanks to her good reflex.

“I told you that your things were almost falling,” Momo jokingly said and the girl laughed of her own carelessness and said a quick and low ‘thank you’.

“Can I ask you how long have you been into dance?” Momo said, straightening herself back to her seat, but now turned into the girl’s direction.

“Oh, I do ballet pretty much since I know myself as a human being, but when I was in middle school I got more interested in others styles, and what about you, do you dance?” “

I do, I’m studying contemporary dance for almost 2 years by now and work in a little studio nearby, but I also dance since I was a kid,” She said, smiling and remembering the good memories that she has of dancing with her sister years ago for pure fun.

“What a coincidence then! Do you guys ever record any dance? I’m a bit interested now,” The girl asked taking her phone out of her coat, catching Momo out off guard.

“You’re interested in seeing me… dancing?” Momo asked quite disbelieving in the girl’s words.

“Hm? Of course, why wouldn’t I?”

“I’m not accustomed to it I guess… but anyway, uh, you can search for ‘Chase me studio millennium girls cover’ it might appear in kanji though...”

“Kore wa watashi ni totte wa mondaide wanai, watashi wa anata ga subarashī dansāda to kakushin e imasu… (This is not a problem for me, I am convinced you are a wonderful dancer...)” She said a bit low while writing it down on her phone, but loud enough to Momo hear.

“You’re Japanese?!” Momo asked, surprised but also happy finding another Japanese in Korea.

“Yes, from Kobe province to be more exact- oh the video loaded,” Mina said, immediately focusing on the video. Momo felt her palm sweating but didn’t stopped the girl from watching it. The girl only got to watch the first minute of it before the wagon roughly stops and the doors open, but it was already enough to make goes wide open, the same for her eyes.

“You’re… amazing… seriously amazing,” It was all the girl could comment but was enough to make Momo feel her cheeks burn.

“N-not at all, and please don’t wait until the doors close, they’re pretty fast you know...” Momo tried to get the girl out of the trance.

“I’m not even exaggerating, your moves and flow is just… beautiful… I-i need to go now, but if you ever have the time, look forward the ‘growing stars’ studio and say that you’ve been invited by Myoui Mina, it would nice to see more of your talent anytime,” She said with a big smile and glowing eyes.

*“Is she really that impressed?”*

“Uh, s-sure, I will,” Momo said with a little smile and a surprised face, and with that the girl seemed to be more than satisfied with the answer and waved to Momo while quickly leaving the wagon. When the doors close transport starts to move again, Momo deflated in her seat.

*“Why I had to meet such a kind person right here where I don’t have any chance to see her ever again?”*

Momo and Sana’s apartment, September 8th, 2018, 03:12 PM

* CRACK *

“Goddamn-”

* CRACK *

“hell!-”

* CRACK *

“Momoring!!”

“Sana, what heck is happening!?” Momo screamed from her room, putting on her long sleeve shirt and ran to the living room. When she gets in the room, she can see Sana terrified and paralyzed a few steps forward the couch, with several broken glasses on the ground.

“I asked you only ONE thing, you just had to put the cups in the cupboard...” Momo sighed and took the remaining glasses from her hand.

“I know but they just started falling! I’m so sorry...” Sana said, with tears in her eyes already, but Momo wasn’t mad, she was surprised actually, she is aware that her friend is beyond clumsy, but she didn’t know that she could do something like this.

“Yah it’s all right, come here. I’m going now ok, I don’t want let Hana waiting,”

Momo brought her friend to a long hug and could feel the girl’s smile in her shoulder.

“Ok, I hope everything goes well, if it doesn’t, come right way home that we will eat all the ice cream that we can, and will watch Disobedience!”

Sana said, even if she sounded happy, it was pretty obvious that she was worried about Momo.

“Noo, it will make me even sadder, when I get back I’ll help you to unpack everything, I promise,” Momo said with a weak smile and kissed her friend’s forehead and left the apartment.

Coffe&Cia, September 8th, 2018, 3:18 PM

Since their new home in a very calm and familiar place, there were tons of coffee shops, groceries stores, and playgrounds, so Momo decided to meet up with her sister in a small coffee a few buildings after hers. When she got there, she waited at least 10 minutes until her sister finally appeared. For a moment, Momo opened a big smile and could feel her eyes watery seeing her sister after so many years have passed, but the feeling has gone away quicker than she wanted. When Hana got closer and sat on the chair in front of Momo, the girl could see how her cheerful and positive sister became someone completely different, she had such a cold aura, her eyes had big black bags under them, Hana’s narrow eyes were penetrating Momo, and she could feel how her sister wanted to show all her remorse, anguish and disgust in a simple glare.

“Hana-” Momo tried to light up the mood and went to hug her, trying to look as innocent and happy like she was when she was in her homeland.

“Cut it Momo, I really didn't come all the way from Japan to handle all this fake lovely attitude” She coldly said, Momo felt intimidated and stepped back looking down to her hands, and again, started to peel off the skin of her thumbs, now all full of bandage because of her others almost panic attack moments.

“How’s mama?” Momo asked, a bit scared of the possible answer.

“Rotting in the hospital, the docs gave her 5 months.” Hana said coldly, but she let her voice fail when said ‘5 months’ and Momo wasn’t even surprised, saying something like this and trying to sound emotionless is something that only a monster could do, and as far as she at least remembers, her sister would never have such a personality.

“F-five months?” She stammered, and Hana only nodded, never stopping the intense stare that she was having with her sister.

*“How did I let this happens...”*

“And Pap-”

“Working his off every ing day to get paid with ¥13350.”

“And y-”

“Teaching stupid talentless kids just like you for ¥2500 each.”

“But it can’t be that bad, Hana I have been sending $400 each month,”

Momo said now a bit more brave and angry, she has been sending all her money to her family for almost a year now, and what she doesn’t send, she used to give to Sana’s parents to help with the rent, leaving her with pretty much nothing every month.

“And we have been trying to keep her alive and keep papa away from the same path as her every week, Momo,” Hana said, just as mad at her.

“Send her here then, I can find another job I-”

“There’s no need, this is actually why I came alone and why I’m leaving in tomorrow.” Hana started and Momo got intrigued by what she would say.

“I found a job where I’ll get paid with almost $3000, so you can stop sending your money,”

Hearing this made Momo gets instantly happy, not because she wouldn’t have to send money to them anymore, not because she would be ‘free’ from her responsibility, but because in her poor mind, there was the damn last drop of hope, waiting to something save itself, waiting so that her fountain of hope would be filled up again.

But, as always, Momo’s life simply doesn’t see to want to give the girl any break.

“And you can also stop sending billions of messages to our dad and make a big favor of stop contacting us at all.” She said clenching her jaw.

“What?!”

*“What do you mean?!”*

Momo wanted to scream, she wanted to make the biggest scene ever in front of every single person in that coffee, every single person in the street, she wanted to know why they want her to suffer so much. But she didn’t. She just stayed in her seat, not even noticing the dozens of tears coming out with no stop from her eyes, in a state of shook.

“You come to U.S.A chasing your ‘teenage dream’, you left us knowing so damn well that if you waited a few more years we could be in popular dance teams in Japan, we could have saved mama, papa could be even retired,” She said sharply, but not screaming, she wanted that every single word craves in Momo’s mind and heart and kill the girl slowly.

“T-this is not true, i-i wanted to help, Hana you know that all I wanted was make everyone proud,” Momo tried to argument, but she couldn’t understand anything that was coming in her mind, everything she could think of is simply scream.

“Not true? Do you even know that every backup dancer in Lia’s team gets at least $1500 each month? Do you have any idea of how someone in second place in that team would have? Do you have idea how the post that was YOURS could have really saved us?” Hana said, now her eyes were watery, but she just rubs her eyes and got her bag, already ready to leave.

“I don’t know why they still want to see you, you’re so ing pathetic, if you still love them, be grateful that I’m not letting a disease like you get near them ever again,” With that, she put her bag in her shoulder and already turned towards the door, but Momo had to try the only thing she could let out.

“Why do you suddenly hate me?”

“Why are you trying to break me even more?” What have I done wrong? When did I do not show all my love to the three of you?” She whined like a child, but in such a broke and small voice, that it made Hana look back for a few seconds, but she turned again and rushed to the door, leaving her sister alone with her tears in a mere coffee shop.

After a few minutes, Momo decided to leave the coffee and sat in an empty bank next to a newsstand. There she could only think of calling Sana.

“Momoring! How did it go?” Sana said excitedly through the phone.

“Terrible, just… terrible.” Momo said, with her right hand holding her cellphone and the left in her forehead.

“Oh no… Momoring, come home already then,” Sana said, now with pain in her voice tone.

“I will don’t worry,” She said, chuckling sad with her friend’s preoccupation “I’m next to that newsstand, I need some time to think I guess,” She sniffed a bit and prayed that Sana wouldn’t try to talk at that moment, because she didn’t want to cry like an idiot in public.

“I understand, I’ll wait for you them! Just don’t go get wasted on a bar or anything, your friend right here will do something a way better than cheap beer and drunk guys for you!” She said sounding so determinate that Momo could only laugh at her friend’s disposition.

“Thanks, San...a,” Momo suddenly got lost at her words when she saw a few meters away, the same girl who made her day a few days ago, Myoui Mina if her memory wasn’t failing, leaving the newsstand, the same saw her as well and waved happily to Momo.

“What happened?” Sana asked.

“Nothing, I’m hanging up now, I’ll be home soon”

“Oh, alright then, bye bye!” The other girl said and with that, Momo turned the call down and went greet the girl.

“Momo! How have you been?” Mina asked, with a bright smile.

“Hey Mina, I’ve been… fine what about you,” Momo said, even if she was still broken inside and probably with swollen eyes, Mina somehow has an effect that until this day, only Sana had on her, that was the effect of making the girl feel sincerely relieved, even happy.

“I’ve been accompanying your videos actually, your dances are just… really inspiring, and really really pretty to see,”

“Pretty? I don’t really think so, but thank you...” Momo said a bit shy, rubbing her neck.

“It really is! But changing the matter, do you live nearby?” Mina asked.

“Now I do, that day when we meet I actually had left the real state agency, I and my friend are renting an apartment in that building right next to the playground,” Momo pointed to the building and noticed that Mina got shocked.

“No way… I live there too! So were you guys the ones who are living in the apartment 204 now?” She asked curiously but never losing her happy aura.

“We are! Woah, how did we never meet there yet...” Momo said to herself but she was sure that Mina heard her too.

“I was out to visit my parents, I just came back, it must have been why,” Mina said easily, but the word ‘parents’ hit Momo hard and brought her back to her reality.

“Oh, right, I see...” Momo said, trying to don’t show hurt, but she could already feel her eyes watery.

“Hey, can you sit there with me for a while?” Mina innocently said, Momo nodded and both of them sat at the same bank that Momo was before.

“I noticed how your eyes and nose are red… I-i don’t wanna push you to say anything obviously, we don’t even know each other, but it doesn’t seem right to don’t even try to help you,” Mina said calmly, but with a tip of concern listenable.

*“How’s a stranger more friendly than most people around me daily?”*

“Oh, this, it’s pretty visible right, it’s just… family issues, don’t worry, I’m fine,” Momo had to do the same as always, pretend to be fine, but this time it was simply to don’t make a girl who barely knows her be concerned with her.

“Hm… were you going back home right now?” The girl asked.

*“Uh? All of sudden?”* She wondered but didn’t minded.

“Not really, I don’t even know what I was going to do...”

“If that’s the case, can I take you somewhere? It’s right after that groceries store right there” Mina said, pointing to the groceries store a few buildings after the newsstand.

“S-sure...” Momo said nodding a bit confused, but getting up right after the girl. “But why?”

“I’ll explain when we get there, I think it’s easier to understand when you see it,” Mina said, making Momo even more curious.

*“Normally I would insist in an answer, but I don’t think I need to be like that with her, or at least I hope so...”* She vaguely thought while walking side a side with the girl to the mysterious place.

“It’s right here, my safe place when I’m stressed or sad. Better known as Daiki Family: records store though.” Mina proudly said with a small smile in her face when she introduced the store to Momo.

“I don’t really know what you like at all, but I had to give my best shot at the moment...” Mina explained herself as if she was scared that Momo didn’t enjoy this kind of place.

“This place is a paradise… I can’t believe I didn’t know about it.” She answered while looking at all the discos and CDs that she never had the chance to buy or even see it in any physical store.

“I agree, my babies really make this place somehow special don’t they?” A man said a few steps away from Momo, she jumped and almost cursed, but Mina stayed perfectly calm and laughing a bit.

“Shigie, I already told you that you can’t scare your clients like this, it’s creepy man,” She said while giving the man a quick hug.

“I’m sorry, is a habit of mine, but you can look around as much as you want, there won’t be any other sneaky seller.” The boy said, curving all down to his knees but quickly straightening himself with a contagious smile.

“Momo, that’s Daiki Shigeoka, he is the owner of the store, along with his brothers. Shigie, that’s Hirai Momo, a… a friend of mine.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, and feel free to look at all, any doubts just tell me! or ask her, she knows about the store just as much as me anyway,” He shook his hand with Momo’s with the same big smile and went back to under the counter, doing only god’s know what.

“He’s… something else, but very friendly I promise,” Mina said looking a bit embarrassed to the counter where he jumped under.

“I could tell don’t worry, but… can I ask something?” Momo said, lightly running her fingers over the discos, and not daring to look at the girl.

“Of course, what is it?” Mina asked nodding a bit.

“Why is it your safe place? Do here make you feel like… relieved, happy?...” Momo asked rubbing the back of her neck, she totally liked the place, but she felt the necessity of knowing a bit more of the girl.

“I never really stopped to think about it, but let me see… you have your safe place too don’t you?” She asked and Momo nodded.

“And in your safe place, you can do your favorite thing, or at least one of them right?” Momo only nodded again and thinking about her safe place.

“Well, here I can buy as much as albums as I want, and I can learn about music too, this place is just something that makes me really happy, just as the studio I feel happy and free, but there’s this little feeling of too much responsibility and overwork since it’s my work, here is where I can be surrounded of amazing songs and wouldn’t have any bad feeling, if it makes sense to you,” She formulated her answer according to her feelings involved with music and how it affect her feelings.

“Can I ask what’s your safe place? And why it makes you happy?” Mina tried to know more about the girl as well.

“I think if you asked me like two hours ago, I would say the dance stage, but now I think it is just wherever my roommate is,” Momo said, remembering that her biggest inspiration to the dance was the same person who just killed another part of her heart hurts too much, there I no way she can say that she feels happy about dancing anymore.

“Wow, please don’t tell me you are being friend-zoned, it would be even sadder,” Mina said joking and Momo got shocked at her thought.

“It’s not like that!" She said chuckling. "She’s basically my sister! Is just that… what happened earlier, that made my face look like this mess is very related to my motivation to dance, and after all that happened, dancing is more to a nightmare than something to be happy about, but Sana would never be like this, she’s always the only one person who can make my mood brightened up again, so I guess she’s the real one safe place that I know that won’t ever change.” Momo tried to resume all her feelings in the speech, but nothing he could tell what was going on in her mind, there was so much mixed things, hate, love, disgust, sadness, nostalgia, there wasn’t any easy to say it all, but it was good to let it all out and hear herself to try put every thought back to the normal.

“Woah I was needing to say that,” Momo said out loud without noticing and Mina giggled at her sudden realization.

“I’m glad to hear it,” Mina said with a sweet smile and walking to Momo’s side to see the rest of the discos “you’re such a nice person, you don’t deserve to go through so much,” Mina said, looking down to the discos and now with her smile lower and with her cheeks with a light pink tone in appearing in her cheeks.

“I don’t think I am, but I won’t stop you from saying it either,” Momo said in a playful voice and a fake snob smile.

“I’ll take this masterpiece right here, will you buy anything?” She asked while looking amazed at the cage the elephant’s ‘unpeeled’.

“I came here yesterday and bought 6 new CDs so I can’t give myself the luxury to buy anything today, I came more to show you the place,” Mina explained while Momo paid to her new disco.

“I see, well I’m definitely coming here whenever I can, thank you.” Momo thanked her with a smile that not even he was expecting to be able to give any time soon.

“You’re more than welcome,” Mina said with a little smile “Yah, Shigie! Your brother came here and attended and it isn’t even his turn, get out of there soon!” Mina said with a loud voice ad almost jumping the counter, but all she got as answer was an ‘I’m trying to save pink snout!’, followed by a high shriek that didn’t sound human at all, after the scream Momo didn’t even want to know what could even be ‘pink snout’.

After leaving the store, the two girls walked peacefully and calmly through the streets, talking about their favorite bands, series, dancers and dozens of other things that probably won’t add anything to their life, but still nice to have another person to talk about random stuff and discover more about that person.

Kitamachi building (Momo, Sana, and Mina’s building) September 8th, 2018, 04:22 PM

Mina insisted to accompany Momo until her apartment even if she’s living the very first apartment of the building.

“You could have already been home you know, it’s just one floor of distance,” Momo said, opening the elevator’s door and letting Mina pass first.

“Exactly, is just one floor, so I'll be home very quickly anyway,” Mina answered back knowing that there wasn’t any other reason left to her don’t go with her, and after all, she was right because Momo didn’t say anything after that.

“Sana can be quite excited so don’t get surprised if she-” Momo didn’t have a chance to finish her sentence, her roommate interrupted her when she opened the door and instantly pushed Momo to her arms.

“Momo I’m so so sorry! I knew I should have meet Hana with you!” Sana. dramatically said while holding Momo head In her shoulder and almost letting the girl out of breath.

“Sana we’re in the middle of the hall and there’s one neighbor seeing us.” Momo tried to say, and even if her voice came muffled, Sana heard it and wide her eyes when she saw Mina next to the wall, laughing a bit surprised at Sana’s drama.

“H-hi, pretty neighbor, I’m Minatozaki Sana! I’m sorry for all this...” Sana clumsily said and shook her hand with Mina, Momo saw her already tripping for Mina and was just waiting to see how long would take to her be her normal flirty self again.

“I’m Myoui Mina, it’s a pleasure,” Mina said with a bit of blush in her cheek because of Sana’s accomplishment.

“I’ll let you guys talk now, thanks for taking care of my Momoring pretty Mina, bye!” The shameless girl said and then went back to the apartment, leaving Momo and Mina alone once again.

“She didn’t make you uncomfortable did she?”

Momo asked a bit embarrassed. “Not at all, she is adorable actually,” Mina said, chuckling a bit at her own cheeks that were still slightly red. “But hey… please take care okay? I can’t imagine how painful all this situation must be, but I strongly believe that you’re strong to go through this,” She shyly touched Momo’s arm and gave her probably one of the warmest smiles that she ever saw.

*“How- is she even a human?”*

Momo was beyond amused, she was trying her best to understand this feeling, but all she could tell is that Mina simply made, for a few seconds, everything feels just… right, the calm girl in front of her made Momo think that everything could get better, that she wouldn’t suffer like this any longer.

“I-I will, yeah, don’t worry,” She forced herself to get out of her limbo of thoughts.

“Great, that’s all I needed to hear, I hope I get to see you around Momo,” Mina said, caressing her arm one last time before putting her hand on her jean’s pocket.

*“I need to say something, anything!”*

“Actually… since we now know that we live in the same building, can we, like, hm, go drink coffee or anything sometimes? Having a friendship with a kind person wouldn’t hurt...” Momo barely understood what she was saying, she never really did anything like this, so all she hoped was that she sounded so weird like on her mind. She was ready to hear the other girl laugh, or feel bad for Momo and refuse awkwardly, but instead, she simply showed her natural sweet smile, briefly rested her back on the wall and placed her hand on the hand support.

“I thought that I was going to be the one to gather courage up to say it, but since you did it… how about Thursday, 3 pm at that coffee shop 5 buildings away from ours?” The girl offered, standing her hand up to Momo shake it.

“I’m not crazy enough to decline it,” Momo said, biting the inner of her cheeks and shook hands with Mina.

 *“I hope it’s just the first ‘date’ out of plenty,”*