Chapter 1:

  Flustered? Who, Me?

  Today was just like any other day for the university student Chunhua.It’s been almost an entire year since she immigrated to Japan with her family. She was quite the diligent student, being extremely passionate about her major, fashion design. She would always go to a café or home after school and start sketching out her ideas or research new designs, her phone filled with thousands of dress sketches, a rose-gold iPhone of course.

  She woke up as always, climbing out of her bed on the second floor of her home. Her window offered a view of the garden outside, adorned with delicate flowers in soft colours. After stretching, she enjoyed the free time to relax, having woken up an hour and a half before school starts.

  She got in her fluffy slippers and then opened her wardrobe Filled with many clothes, dresses, hats, and every kind of accessory imaginable. She picked out her clothes: a cream coloured, loose-fitted sweater, a light brown plaid pleated skirt, a black belt with gold-ish clips to match with her hair and finally crew height socks matching with the colour of her skirt. Finally taking off her pyjamas and wearing the outfit she just put together. Then she topped everything off by adding a thin gold necklace with a heart to her outfit and walked out of her room towards the bathroom. In order to do her make-up; Chunhua first preps her skin and then uses a sheer foundation with a touch of concealer, then a soft pink cream blush to her cheeks and some lip gloss. Adding a thin mascara to her eyelashes, and finally she adds a bit of highlighter to give a subtle glow. Chunhua picks up her bag, sketchbooks, and a couple of

  scissors for today’s hair styling class. She walks downstairs; her lunchbox is already waiting for her, some dark chocolate she eats before going towards the door leading outside. She puts on her boots tapping the ground once or twice. Of course not forgetting to say goodbye to her mother before leaving. Her father has already left for work as always. So she sets outside to her school in only walking distance, she meets some of her classmates on the road before entering the university’s front gate.

  Everyone seeing her must think that at every part of her life she must have been hearing soothing music, as if she had no care in the world walking around with eyes closed. A complete, pure, and naive human being. If she were to count her favourite type of music it would definitely be classical music, jazz and blues; which it is. Though, her favourite band being System of a Down does complicate things a bit but no one can really hear what she is listening to, on her light blush pink headphones.

  School is mostly the same for her. She listens attentively to her teacher, maintains good relationships with her friends, and enjoys her lunchbox after class. Just like any other day, she sat at the table and had lunch with her friend.

  “Okay girls. I think this guy from class 3 likes me” said Ayane, someone who obviously spends about as much time as Chunhua getting ready.

  “Who?” Said Rika, not caring enough to look up from her phone.

  “You know the one with the glasses and brown eyes” she said while shaking Rika to get her attention.

  Rika put her phone down and said after taking a sip from her drink.“I don't think that's a good description, that's like half the class”

  “Well I don’t like him anyway. He is too boring” she said looking elsewhere.

  While this was happening Chunhua was sitting silently as she was engrossed on her phone watching a trailer that piqued her interest.

  Rika, realising Chunhua is stuck watching something, snapped her fingers a couple of times to get her attention, she leaned in closer and again snapped her fingers but no Chunhua was not hearing it through her headphones. Ayane touched her shoulder, and said “hey” to get her back from her own world. Chunhua snapping back into reality took her headphones off.

  “Girl, what you watching” said Rika, trying to get a better view into what Chunhua's attention was directed towards.

  Chunhua closed her phone and put it in her pocket. “Oh, it's a movie trailer, it's really cool.”

  Before rika could ask how it is chunhua started talking about it. “It's this guy whose dog gets killed and then he just goes out and kills everyone, with like uhh… I think heckler & koch” she says moving in her seat looking mostly looking down before raising her head

  Two girls looked at her a bit, blinking a few times. Both of them thought for a second, trying to think of something to say. Rika, at the end, put her elbows on the table, supporting her chin with her left hand and said, “I…didn’t know you knew about guns.”

  Chunhua got quite tense, fidgeting with her fingers, continuously touching and retreating her pointing fingers between each other. Her head looked up and down between her friends whilst brainstorming what she should say.

  Ayane gets closer to her on the table, “Is your dad a hunter or something?”

  Chunhua stepped back into reality and raised her head, eyes open to the end, doing signs with her hands to deny it completely, “Oh, no, no. I just heard it somewhere… I wouldn’t know anything. I don’t even want to go and see that movie anyway”

  Rika and Ayane turned to each other and gave a little laugh. Ayane said, “No need to explain, we know how you are.” Rika continues by affirming, “Well, anyhow, it doesn’t matter, okay to be awkward at times.”

  Chunhua sighed in relief as the conversation shifted back to its usual topics: classes, teachers, exams, and designing. Her school day and her relationship with her friends remained unchanged, concluding for today without any significant alterations. This was one of those days when she accidentally revealed something she hadn’t meant to, leading to the consequences of curious stares. The stares weren’t directed at the hobby itself, but rather at who had the hobby.

  After Chunhua waved goodbye to her friends, she, started to walk towards her favourite café, in order to sketch her ideas with some calming coffee and listen to classical music or jazz playing in the background, and of course to forget the weird interaction Her eyes never left the wall as she got sucked towards the alleyway.

  The intricate designs of the paintwork were vastly different from any she had considered adding to her work. The way the lines circled and interacted beautifully with the multiple colours. She wasn't really sure what it was written on the wall; it was almost impossible to understand a single letter from the word. It seems like this artwork has become something so much different from the original word and has just become its own unique shape.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  She took the picture of this alien-looking artwork with her. She was so busy trying to decipher the art that she didn't hear the footsteps coming closer to her.

  “Well, well, what's a fancy lady like you doing here alone?” said a towering man with a fractured looking nose with a band-aid on.

  “Are you lost mam, could we help you out?” said the second of the pair.

  Being slightly spooked from the noises suddenly she heard when her fascination with the artwork wasn't enough keep her mesmerised for longer, opening her mind to the outside world.

  Chunhua swiftly turned towards the voices, as it would be rude not to. She composed herself, aligning her bag to her side and turning her attention to them. She gave a gentle smile before talking.

  “Ah, no thank you. I was just looking at the artwork. I am fine” she took a step back averting her eyes.

  “Oh come on no-“ they get interrupted by a rough looking woman “Oi!” She had a varsity jacket on her with some stains on it, a long black hair with long boots and a a fast food

  brand’s cap on her. She had an annoyed expression, having her head to the side. One of her eyes is considerably squinted as if she is sizing them.

  “Hey mind your own business” said the shorter of the two as the taller one put his hand on his shoulder.

  “Ah, h-hello Jiya, sorry for bothering you, we were just on our way.” He said while walking away. But the second of the pair walked out “you wanna go c*nt”

  She walked closer and caught the shorter guy from his arm “shut you mouth or I’ll bash yo teeth out. She said no.”

  As the two men slowly parted, one more confused than the other, Jiya took a breath out of annoyance and then eyed chunhua. She took a look at how she was dressed, how meticulously designed her hair was. She finally spoke, her expression unimpressed “Try not to be a dumbass in an alley, alright” she said dismissively, turning away and putting her hands in her pockets with a swift motion.

  Chunhua, of course, after a few seconds of nervousness and surprise, clutched her bag once again as her expression transitioned into an excited smile, her iris shining like a star as if she emanated a soft light. Chunhua clenched her hands together as she managed to get a single word out: “Cool!”

  The girl, presumably called Jiya, turned around looking down at her bewildered. “Huh! What?” She threw out, after a few seconds she glanced over to her watch “Oh sh*t It's past my break I couldn't even get to do any cigs, Uhhhgg.” After taking a breath she looked down at chunhua’s mixed expression. “An-Anyway, see ya.” She said as she quickly walked away.

  Chunhua tried to call out to her. but her frail voice did not reach. She was gone, her hand a bit disappointed lowered down

  The utterly unapologetic form of this peculiar individual, her bold attire, and her entire presence were the solar opposite of everything Chunhua embodied. She placed a hand over her heart, feeling as though she might burst, yet there was an inexplicable warmth spreading through her. This person, who had unexpectedly entered her world for just a fleeting moment, bestowed upon her something no one else ever had—hope. All the things she felt passionate about, which others deemed ‘not cute,’ suddenly felt justified. A warm smile graced her face from this small yet unforgettable encounter, unlocking a door that had been firmly shut in her mind. Even without a key crafted for that door, this stranger had crashed into it, shattering it into a hundred pieces.

  Chunhua, standing in the same alleyway, tried to gather her thoughts. She glanced at her watch, prompting her to awkwardly speed walk home. Her hands clenched tightly as she swung her arms rapidly. Chunhua’s mind was in some kind of frenzy, thinking about the situation without a care in the world for anything else around her. She passed through the gate to her house and opened the front door, struggling to insert the key into the keyhole. Her hands in a thinking gesture without even looking up, she quickly passed her mom in the living room to the upstairs, skipping her steps before she finally entered her room and closed the door. Without even changing her clothes she threw herself on to the bed filled with plushies. Chunhua looked at the Ceiling, thinking about the interaction she just had. Today was one of the first times in her life that she had an exciting experience.

  She clamped both hands over her mouth, but it didn’t stop the excited noise that slipped out. A squeal—high-pitched, uncontrollable, and deeply embarrassing. Oh god. I’m losing it. She draped the pillow over her face to muffle her noises as she tossed and turned in bed.

  “Sweetie?”

  Her mother’s voice made her freeze mid-flail.

  A second later, the door creaked open, and Chunhua barely had time to sit up before her mother peeked inside, brow furrowed. “Are you… alright? I heard—” She paused, scanning the mess of blankets and pillows Chunhua had thrown around in her excitement. “—some kind of… distress?”

  Chunhua gripped her pillow tightly, her face burning. “I-I was just… stretching! You know how I do all the time…”

  Her mother stared blankly. “Stretching?”

  “Yes! You know, after a long day, sometimes you need to move around and—” She waved a hand vaguely, as if that would somehow explain the muffled squealing and bed flopping that had just taken place.

  Her mother’s expression didn’t change. She stepped fully into the room, arms crossed. “Are you sure? Because it sounded more like a dying animal.”

  Chunhua let out a strangled noise and dramatically collapsed backward onto her bed. “Moooom.”

  Her mother sighed, giving her a long, knowing look. “You met someone, didn’t you?”

  Chunhua sat up so fast she nearly fell off the bed. “Wha— What?! No! That’s—why would you—”

  A tiny, amused smile tugged at her mother’s lips. “You only make that noise when you find something you really like.”

  Chunhua buried her face in her pillow again, muffling another squeal.

  Her mother shook her head fondly. “Well, whatever—or whoever—it is, try not to destroy the bed over it.” With that, she turned and walked out, closing the door behind her.

  Chunhua flopped onto her back, staring at the ceiling, her face still burning. Chunhua just lay in bed for half an hour, But as the night wore on, it was growing late, and she knew she couldn’t risk missing her bedtime—10 PM was a non

  negotiable rule she has agreed with her body.

  She slipped into her comfortable pyjamas, her movements slightly awkward and uncoordinated as fatigue began to take hold. Her eyelids grew heavy, struggling to stay open, and she let go of all her worries. As she did every night, she drifted into her subconscious, becoming completely absorbed in her thoughts and dreams.

  Ahem. then, she slipped into unconsciousness….

  After what seemed like forever she couldn’t get herself to sleep, her mind was too preoccupied with thoughts. An hour passed of her turning and turning in bed until she finally gave up on the idea of rest. With a sigh, she sat up, letting her feet dangle over the edge of the bed. The room was dimly lit by the gentle glow of the streetlight filtering through the curtains, casting an eerie pattern on the walls.

  Reaching for her phone, she decided to scroll through her group chats, mindless fun conversations taking place whilst she was struggling to fall asleep. This time perhaps because of her tiredness and need of sleep, she just wasn't able to add anything to the almost endless text, as if she was out of place.

  Eventually, she put her phone aside and wandered over to the window. The cool glass pressed against her forehead as she gazed out into the stillness of the night. The world seemed at peace, yet her mind wouldn’t follow suit.

  In a bid for tranquillity, she decided to make a cup of chamomile tea. The familiar process of boiling water and steeping the tea bag in her favourite mug decorated with flower patterns was comforting, the fragrant aroma filling the quiet kitchen.

  Back in her bedroom, she took small sips, feeling the warmth spread through her. Closing her eyes, she focused on her breathing, trying to clear her mind.

  Slowly, the tension began to ease, and before she knew it, she was back in bed, eyelids growing heavy. As she finally started to drift off.