1

“So. Library? No. Muffins.”

 

Teruko woke to the sudden music of his alarm clock. He groaned and sat up, slapping the infernal machine to make it stop. It hit the floor with a loud thud. As much as he liked the song it was playing, he hated hearing it at 8:00 in the morning. Obviously, that’s why the clock was set to that. Any other song would be even worse. Teruko absently rubbed the scar on his eyebrow and threw off his dark colored blanket. He stepped onto his cold, black-carpeted bedroom floor. He was lucky to be an only-child. Having a room all to himself was heaven, unlike Shounen, who had to share his bedroom with his twin brothers, Hiro and Hiroshi. He was just about to get dressed when he heard a familiar, ding! It was his computer.

Teruko decided to put off getting dressed until later. He grabbed his laptop off his desk and flipped the screen over the keyboard, instantly converting it to a tablet. He loved this ingenious invention. A small symbol popped up on the screen, indicating that it was powering on. Teruko swiped the screen, and the home page popped up.

Teruko tapped his chat icon and found that Shounen had messaged him:

Dude, you wanna take a trip with me to the library today? : )

Teruko grinned. Shounen obviously knew how much he liked books. He replied saying:

Totally! I’ll invite the girls too. C U there.

Teruko hit ‘Send.’ Five seconds later, a smiley face emoji appeared from Shounen.

Teruko tapped Sayakae’s name on his tablet and sent her a message. He did the same for Kimi and Natsuki. He was looking forward to seeing Sayakae again. It had been a whole week since they’d seen each other. Sure, he had video chat, but that didn’t count.

Teruko didn’t even wait for a reply from his three friends. He carefully closed his laptop and set it back down on his desk. Opening a few drawers, Teruko grabbed his favorite black Under Armour shirt and jeans and slipped them on. He found out that he couldn't multitask when he tried to stuff all his electronics into his backpack and tie his sneakers at the same time. His phone began to ring.

Teruko slipped his hand into his pants pocket and found it. “Hello?”

“Hey, TK! What’s up!?” Natsuki’s voice blurted from the phone. “I got your message about the library. I’ll probably be there when you guys arrive, but I am running a quick shift at the coffee shop downtown. Ok, bye!”

Teruko brought the phone away from his ear and stared at it with a confused expression. Natsuki could be so random sometimes. She was always taking jobs and volunteering at places. He shrugged and shoved the phone back into his pocket.

Teruko finished tying his sneakers and zipped up his backpack. As he raced down the stairs he remembered that he still needed breakfast. Whatever, he thought to himself, Shounen and I’ll just stop at the coffee shop and get a muffin or something.

Teruko waved his mother goodbye and headed for the door. As he stepped out onto their front walk, the warm summer air blasted him. He began heading in the direction of the library, when he saw someone walking toward him on the sidewalk. Teruko recognized his lanky build immediately. It was Shounen.

He was wearing his regular white, short-sleeved T-shirt with the word ‘Determination’ on the back in Japanese, and had his phone in his bandaged hands—not because he was injured, though. He wrapped his hands in cloth to look cool. Other than that, he wore them because of the fact that if he was ever in a  fist-fight, his hands would be protected. It was a boxing technique. Shounen took martial arts, boxing, and self-defence classes from his dad, who had lived in Chicago. But, then his family moved to Japan. Teruko had no idea why.  Though Shounen was tall and thin, he was muscular. Teruko was taller than Shounen by at least half a head.  Teruko was six feet, two inches tall.

Shounen had his earbuds in. He was probably watching another episode of Avocon, his favorite anime. His blue eyes scanned the screen intently.

Teruko decided to walk past and see what he did. Shounen kept walking without even stopping—still staring at his phone.

Teruko turned around and started following him. “Dude. Shounen. Earth calling Shounen Yoshi Ozora. Hey! Can you hear me?”

Shounen spun around so fast, Teruko thought he might slip on the not-even-possible-to-be-slipped-on sidewalk.

A smile spread over his face immediately. “TK! Sup? I was just heading over to your house to come get you.” Shounen popped his earbuds out and slung them over his shoulder casually. He slipped his phone into his pants pocket.

“So. Library?” Shounen asked.

“No. Muffins.” Teruko replied.

“Dude, you haven’t eaten breakfast yet?”

“Well, no.”

Shounen grunted. “Well, then, let’s go,” he gestured over his shoulder in the direction the coffee shop was located.

Teruko started walking. Shounen paused to play his episode again.

 

In ten minutes, the two were finally standing under the awning at the coffee shop. Teruko gripped the door handle and swung it open. He came face-to-face with a girl with long blue hair. Natsuki.

“Teruko!” Natsuki gave Teruko a tight hug, then stepped back. “Shounen! What are you guys doing here? I thought we were going to the library. I was just about to head there myself, actually.”

“We were, but Teruko forgot to eat breakfast.”

“Oh, you must be so hungry! Here.” Natsuki handed Teruko a ten dollar bill and smiled.

Teruko held his hands up and said, “No, Natsuki, I can’t take your money.”

“Uh, you’ll have to,” Shounen was digging in Teruko’s backpack—while it was still on his back. “you don’t have any money in here,”

Teruko facepalmed. How could he have forgotten such a simple thing? He opened his hand and Natsuki placed the bill in his palm. “Thanks.” Teruko said, embarrassed.

“No problem!” Natsuki grinned. “I work here, so I make plenty. I can spare some for my friends.”

Teruko quickly bought them all cherry muffins, and in a minute, they were back on the sidewalk again. Natsuki gobbled up her muffin like she hadn’t eaten in weeks. She loved food.

As they walked, Shounen was still watching Avocon.

“Dude, is that show even worth it?” Teruko asked, doubtful.

“Yeah, it’s totally awesome,” Shounen said, thrusting his phone in Teruko’s face. Teruko caught a glimpse of a guy with silver hair talking to a tiny dragon.

“Maybe I’ll watch it sometime.” Teruko said to pacify Shounen.

“You totally should, bro.”

Natsuki just kept walking. She wasn’t on her phone or paying attention to the boys’ balderdash talk. She was enjoying the beautiful day.

The three passed streets that were crowded with busy people—most of them either talking on the phone or lugging armfuls of shopping bags to their apartments. There wasn’t much green space in the city where Teruko and his friends lived, but there were usually small parks full of patches of grass that were blooming with all different varieties of flowers.

Within the next five minutes, they were all walking up the library steps. Teruko texted Sayakae:

Hey! We’ve got Natsuki. We’re heading for the library.

 

2: Chapter 2

2

Sayakae Mae Noroshi

 

Usually, Sayakae didn’t need an alarm to wake her up in the morning. She naturally woke up at 8:00 every morning, even though she was still a little tired. However, this morning her phone woke her up. It was a message from Teruko. He was inviting her to the library. Sayakae smiled and got up, stretched a little and yawned, petting her kitten Nyan’s head. Nyan planted his paws in the covers and stretched his back out, his brown jaws parting for a huge yawn. Still in her pajamas, Sayakae strutted to the bathroom—little Nyan right behind her—to brush her hair and teeth and splash some water on her face to wake her up a little more. Her long, wavy auburn hair was a mess. The brush got caught in it while she was trying to smooth the horrid mass of tangles. The brush wouldn’t budge. She decided she would leave brushing her hair to a different time, and forgot all about it.

Sayakae was dressing herself in a red T-shirt that said ‘Have you seen my unicorn?’ and shorts when she heard a ding on her phone. It was a message from Teruko,

Hey! We’ve got Natsuki. We’re heading for the library.

Sayakae grinned and answered,

KK. C u there!

Sayakae plopped her phone into her shorts pocket and dashed down the spiral staircase in her apartment and skipped into the kitchen. Her mother was standing at the island, frosting cupcakes to make them look like kitten and puppy faces. Her mom’s black hair was pulled into a tight ponytail, and her apron had brown, gray, black and white frosting smeared all over the front. Sayakae’s little brother, Akitsu, was eating cereal and stuck his tongue out at Sayakae. Sayakae did it back. As soon as her mother was distracted, Sayakae snatched a half-frosted cupcake off the tray, stuffed it in her mouth and sat down on a chair beside her little brother. “Sayakae Mae Noroshi!” exclaimed her mother in her thick Japanese accent.

“Ooooo, someone's in trouble!” teased Akitsu.

“Shut up, Akitsu!” yelled Sayakae.

“Those are for the fundraiser at the pet shelter tonight. Please ask next time.” said her mother in a loving, patient tone.

Sayakae rolled her eyes, “Ok, mom. Soooo . . . I was thinking of heading to the library with Teruko, Shounen and the other girls pretty soon. Can I go? Pretty please? With whipped cream and a cherry on top?”

Her mother, still frosting one of the puppy-faced cupcakes said, “Well, as long as you get back in time for lunch. Your father would like to see you. Besides that, I don’t see why not.” said her mother.

“Got it. Thanks, mom!” Sayakae smiled as she got up off the chair, heading towards the door.

“Sayakae, before you leave, can I ask you, why on earth do you have a brush stuck in your hair?” Asked her mother, laughing, yet confused.

Sayakae looked at her, puzzled, then she felt the brush that was tangled in her hair. She giggled and blushed, “Oops, I need to fix that . . .” She grinned at her mother as she pulled the brush out of her hair, trying to straighten all the unruly tangles. Soon, she had her hair completely fixed. “Bye, mom!” shouted Sayakae.

“Bye, hunny! Remember—10:00 sharp.” answered her mother.

Sayakae made a run for the front door. She was planning on heading over to Kimi’s house. The moment she stepped outside, she regretted her decision. Her obnoxious neighbor, Akira was shooting hoops in his front yard. As always, he had to stop what he was doing and start a conversation with her. Sayakae pretended not to hear.

“Hey, Sayakae! Where are ya heading to?” Akira asked in his disdaining, cocky voice. Sayakae sped her pace to avoid eye contact, or any contact at all, but failed as her neighbor stepped right in front of her to block the sidewalk. Jeepers, he was fast.

“Excuse me, Akira. Could you please get out of the way so I can pass?” she asked, miffed.

Akira laughed, “Haha, no. Not until you tell me where you're heading to.” Sayakae tried to act as calm as possible; this was not the most annoying he’d ever been.

“Look, I'm heading to Kimi’s house and would appreciate it if you’d just butt out, alright?” Her face was as red as a tomato at this point, completely annoyed.

He gave a slight smirk, “Well, fine. I was just wondering. Jeez . . .” He said as he grabbed his basketball and walked off. Sayakae ran across the sidewalk for two minutes straight, then finally slowed her pace to catch her breath. “Wow . . . I need to rest . . .” She whispered to herself, breathing more heavily than normal.

She spotted a bench just a few feet away and rested on it. Natsuki’s house was just a few more blocks away, just across the pond where people usually fed the ducks and the park where she occasionally went to to either draw, paint, write poems, or just take a break from life. Ding. She got a text on her phone. It was from Teruko.

Hey! Kimi’s with us now too. Meet us at the library.

Change of plans. She turned around and headed in the direction of the library. That meant going by Akira again. Hopefully he doesn’t notice me, she thought. Sayakae rushed by his house, and once she was a safe distance away, she began walking again.

3: Chapter 3

3

Books, Books, and . . . More Books

Shounen, still sucked into Avocon, didn’t notice they were there yet. Teruko had to smack him on the shoulder before he realized they were at the library. He took out his earbuds and shut off the phone. He was here to get books, not watch Avocon. Even though it was his favorite. Maybe just a little more wouldn’t hurt . . . No. Shounen decided. I have to read something. Something interesting, hopefully. The library was a huge brick building. The cornerstone read 1980. They opened the old-fashioned doors. The bookshelves seemed to stretch on forever. How did they ever get so many books? Shounen wondered. He noticed that Kimi was sitting in a bean bag chair, reading. She found one fast, he thought. Then Sayakae walked in.

Shounen waved to her and shouted across the library, “Sayakae! We’re over here!”

Everyone in the library hissed, “SHH!” Shounen winced, then smiled sheepishly at Sayakae. She facepalmed. Shounen’s smile wilted a little. He felt his face getting hotter as everyone stared at him. He went back to looking at the books. Well, that went well. Eventually, Natsuki and Sayakae had found books, leaving Teruko and Shounen as the only ones who had not found anything.

Shounen spun on Teruko, “What genre do you read? Any recommendations?” Teruko shrugged and started to walk up the stairs to the second floor towards the Japanese Mythology section. Shounen looked around at the maze of books once more before following. Teruko suddenly turned a corner, and Shounen lost him. Shounen peeked around many different shelves, before finally giving up. He worked his way over to the manga section, all the while humming his favorite song, “Renegade”. When he saw what was on the manga shelf, he almost started salivating. All of the Avocon mangas, in one place. He picked up the first book, and started reading.

 

Before he knew it, he had read the entire Avocon series from Seasons one through forty-four. He would have read more, but It was 9:20 now. They had spent about an hour at the library already. Shounen reached for another manga, but his hand only smacked wood. He looked at the shelf. No more left. Apparently, they didn’t have any more books made, since Season's forty-five through forty-six were too recent. Or maybe they had made them, they just weren’t in this library. He sighed, put back all the books, and gazed at the shelf wistfully. Shounen browsed through the shelves. Nothing looked good to him that he hadn’t already read. He turned and tried to return to the main lobby of the library to find his friends, but had no luck. After turning corner after corner, he finally found Teruko.

Shounen exclaimed, “I’ve been looking for you!” But Teruko paid Shounen no attention. He was examining a very old book titled “The Book of Worlds”. “What’s that?” Shounen asked. Teruko opened the book and rifled through the pages. “Hey, talk to me!” Shounen said, playfully punching Teruko on the shoulder. He almost dropped the book.

Teruko glared at Shounen, “What’s your deal?” Shounen looked at his feet, surprised by Teruko’s sudden outburst. “Look, I’m sorry. Come on, let’s get back.” Teruko gave a small smile. He turned and started toward what Shounen thought was probably the direction of the library lobby. He still had that dusty old book in his hand. Teruko motioned to Sayakae and Natsuki that they had to go.

Kimi was already looking around for another book, and said, “Okay, if you guys need to go, I’ll come with you.”

Shounen followed without a word. He wasn’t at all interested in this “Book of Worlds” thing, but he didn’t want to have anyone else snap at him. Teruko led them out of the library, still staring at the book.