The sun cast a warm glow over the courtyard, where colorful booths lined the edges, inviting students to play games, sample snacks, and enjoy the rare break from classes. Laughter and chatter filled the air as friends clustered around various stalls, cheering each other on in ring tosses and trivia contests. I stood with the girls, watching as Emma attempted to dunk one of our classmates in a water tank, her aim sharp and determined.
"Almost had him that time!" I cheered, laughing as the ball narrowly missed the target.
Emma shot me a grin, adjusting her stance with exaggerated focus. "Just you wait, Motosaki! He's going down this time."
As the ball flew, Otsuki, who had been quietly lingering at my side, slipped her arm through mine, her fingers curling lightly around my wrist. I glanced down in surprise, but her shy smile and soft gaze made it easy to brush off the gesture as friendly.
"So, Motosaki," Rebecca teased, leaning in with a smirk, "Didn't think you'd be Otsuki's shadow for the day."
"Ooooh, someone's getting all the attention," Naomi chimed in with a playful nudge.
I chuckled, feeling a faint warmth rise to my cheeks. "What can I say? Otsuki's just keeping me out of trouble."
Otsuki gave a small laugh, leaning into me slightly. "It's nice having you around," she murmured softly, almost as if she didn't want the others to hear.
The girls laughed, joking about how Otsuki was turning me into her personal protector. The teasing didn't bother me much, though; in fact, something about it felt natural, even comforting. With Otsuki staying close, a subtle calmness seemed to settle over me, easing any tension I might have felt. Somehow, her presence seemed less strange and more… expected, as though we'd been close friends forever.
"Come on, let's try some of the food stalls!" Aisha called, beckoning us toward a line of tables draped with treats from around the world.
We moved together through the crowd, grabbing plates of snacks and gathering around a picnic table under a tree. Otsuki settled beside me, close enough that our shoulders brushed. Every so often, she'd nudge my arm as she pointed out something interesting or offered me a taste of her food. The others kept up a steady stream of banter, occasionally throwing in good-natured jokes about how "attached at the hip" we'd become.
Between bites of food and rounds of laughter, I couldn't shake the feeling that something about today felt different—almost dreamlike. I noticed that, without thinking, I had begun to relax around Otsuki in a way that felt deeply natural. Her touch, her laughter, her soft gaze—it all felt familiar. Whenever I glanced at her, I couldn't help but feel a gentle warmth wash over me, one that kept any lingering doubts at bay.
As the time passed, the day of fun activities continuing around the courtyard, Otsuki squeezed my arm, pulling me out of my thoughts. "Motosaki, want to check out the arts booth with me?"
"Sure," I replied without hesitation, following her lead as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.
We wandered over to the art booth, where students had painted mini-canvases celebrating school pride. She picked up a brush, dipping it in a soft blue shade and glancing over at me.
"Here," she said, handing me the brush. "Add something to mine. Just a little something, whatever you feel like."
I took the brush, feeling an unexpected surge of calm and satisfaction as I added a few strokes of green alongside her blue, creating a pattern that seemed to complement her delicate design. The quiet smile she gave me was… enchanting.
When we returned to the others, I could tell they had picked up on something, exchanging knowing looks and smirks as we joined the group again. But, as the day carried on, the teasing faded into the background. The air was filled with laughter, and I could feel my earlier nerves slipping away, replaced by the quiet enjoyment of being right here, right now.
It wasn't until the final bell rang, marking the end of Spirit Day, that I realized just how close Otsuki had stayed by my side. As we left, her hand lingered on my arm a moment longer than expected. I glanced at her, only to find her gaze warm and unwavering, a look that sent the faintest shiver down my spine.
"Thanks for sticking with me, Motosaki," she whispered, her voice barely above a breath.
"Of course...it was no issue," I said, my tone mirroring hers, a soft smile curling on my lips as I gazed at her.
{Chapter 16: Calmness}
The six of us made it to the entrance of the campus, going over our plans for the afternoon. Emma and Rebecca decided to head to the mall for Emma's usual Manga Haul, Naomi was dragging Aisha to her house to gossip and practice for their major play coming soon.
This only left me and Otsuki to our own devices, the two of us not really knowing what to do at the moment with one another. We decided to stroll down the sidewalk together, Otsuki's hand still gently holding my arm.
"Are you sure you're fine with hanging out with me for a bit longer..?" Otsuki asked softly, walking side by side with me and glancing up to meet my gaze.
I looked down at Otsuki, locking eyes with her for a moment and gave her a warm smile. "I don't mind hanging out with you for a bit longer. It'll be nice to be a part of your world a lot more.."
Otsuki let out a gasp of happiness, a bright smile forming on her face. With a boost of energy, she quickly began taking me to the train station heading to Okinawa. I quickly followed behind her at a light job, chuckling softly at her twinkling excitement.
Once we made it to the train station, the two of us sat on a bench to wait for the next train to arrive and began talking about what to do in Okinawa. While we waited, Otsuki took out her phone and began showing me her home.
"Whoa, you live in Okinawa? Is this train even leading there?" I asked, looking at Otsuki with a mix of curiosity and intrigue.
"Mhm!~ Over the years, New Japan have been taking a lot of inspiration from Grand China even working with the Grand Secretary to build many bullet trains that could traverse across water, just like America can!" Otsuki answered, looking up at me with twinkling eyes as she showed me a few pictures of the modern bullet trains.
I looked at the pictures for a moment, impressed with the new technology Japan had with the assistance of China. I leaned back in my seat, resting my arm along the back of the bench and let out a soft hum. "Huh...so Japan and China fixed their relationship over the years?"
"Yeah, and it's been a lot more peaceful like this. If only we could get United Korea along the same page, but I digress. I think the first thing we should do in Okinawa is visit the aquarium! I love that place," Otsuki suggested, looking at me with hopeful eyes that I would agree to go.
"I'm down for a little aquarium action, I actually enjoy the aquarium as well. Maybe we can see some rare fish and get some souvenirs for the others also," I agreed, my tone tinged with interest and the readiness to hang out with Otsuki.
Otsuki nodded happily, agreeing to the idea of bringing home souvenirs from Okinawa. Soon, the bullet train arrived, the two of us along with other citizens getting up to board the train. Otsuki and I found our seats, sitting down next to one another and touching shoulders.
I could feel Otsuki's excitement for the outing, her voice filled with light and joy as she talked about her home city and family that lives there. I couldn't help but to smile and listen to each of her stories along the ride, the same calmness from earlier still swirling within me.
-------------------------
The bullet train stopped at the Okinawa station, the voice of the conductor sounding on the speakers to let everyone know we had made it and to have a great day. I stood up from my seat, taking Otsuki's hand in mine in the process to help her up as well. Together, we left the station and began climbing the stairs to enter into the city.
The air was fresh, the winds carrying the intermingling scents of sea water and various foods from the many stores in the city. Family and friends walked along the walkways, chattering and laughing with one another while the streets was bustling with cars.
"Wow... I haven't been here in so long. I can barely remember the last time I was here; I believe it was with me, Aisha, and my dad. This brings back so many memories," I chatted as I looked around at the various neon signs upon the storefronts.
Otsuki smiled and continued to hold my arm, sticking close to me as we passed through various people to get to our destination. "Aisha and I come here often, mostly for their cuisines, but we also take dives at the sites around here."
"Oh? So, you do have hobbies outside of being perfect," I bantered, looking over at Otsuki with a teasing smile.
Otsuki blushed and puffed her cheeks lightly, her gaze averting away from me. "W-Well, I have to have my own moments of rest as well, don't I?"
I let out a soft laugh at her flustered reaction and placed my hand upon hers. "I'm only teasing..~ But, yes. Yes, you deserve your rest and peace of mind as well."
Otsuki smiled at my reassurance, her guard lowering even more as she began to feel truly comfortable in my presence. We continued down the walkway before stopping at a local restaurant to grab a bite to eat before heading to the aquarium.
Otsuki and I sat outside as we ate and I began to tell a few stories of me in my time in New America, learning about the New World History that we wouldn't learn here in New Japan. Otsuki listened with an open ear, her gaze fixated on me with great interest about the new facts.
"I didn't know that there was land outside of...well I guess the mainlands. Sounds like something you'd learn from a book from the Apocrypha.." Otsuki said lightly, sitting back in her seat and taking a sip of her drink.
I nodded and smiled at Otsuki. "This world is full of interesting things that are just now being discovered. Now, do I believe in it...I mean...what are the chances of us seeing a Spirit appear from nowhere?"
"I suppose, but if it's recorded history...it could be true. I don't know, we're still stuck in the Neo-Edo Period in our history," Otsuki answered with a light giggle.
I shrugged with a light chuckle then glanced down at my watch, noticing a bit of time had passed. With the both of us ready to go, I set money on the table down for our food then the two of us got up and made our way to the aquarium.
Once we made it to the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, Otsuki happily took my hand and dragged me through the entrance and toward the first display she could find. I panted softly and rested my hands upon my knees, glancing up at the display window and seeing tiny fish swimming by.
"Okay...I like the aquarium as much as the next person, but we rushed here for this?" I asked with soft huffs, looking up at Otsuki's fascinated expression.
"Uh-huh..." She confirmed, looking down at me with a warm smile. "What? You don't like the little Wahoos?"
I glanced back up at the tiny mackerels and stood up straight, raising an eyebrow then looked back over to Otsuki. "I think I'm gonna have to show you how to have fun."
Otsuki hummed curiously as I took her hand and began leading her through the aquarium, going into areas she had never been to get. We stood within a crowd admiring a beautiful whale shark and a school of pilot fish swimming along with it.
Otsuki gasped in awe and took her phone from her bag, holding it up to take a picture of the aquatic creatures. "Wow...I've never seen a whale shark before..."
I smiled at her reaction and glanced over at her again, noticing a child-like wonder lighting in her eyes as she took multiple pictures. Once she was finished, we moved on to a few more areas before stopping at one featuring a group of manta rays calmly gliding through the water with graceful flaps of their...fins? Flippers?
Don't quote me, I was never good at aquatic anatomy, even as a child.
"Oh! Look at that one! He's going fast in the water!" Otsuki gasped, pointing at the speeding manta ray.
I watched as the manta ray swam through the waters happily, his speed forming stream lines inside the water. I rose an eyebrow at the wonder and looked at everyone else, noticing everyone also admiring the creature.
I began to wonder what other sites this aquarium, but my train of thought was swiftly cut off as Otsuki began pulling me toward the outdoor dolphin area. She gasped as she watched the dolphins leap in and out of the water by their instructor's commands, her eyes lighting up at how free the dolphins were even when following orders.
"I wish to be this free...Look at them leaping," Otsuki said in a soft tone, holding her hand over her chest.
I glanced over at Otsuki, noticing how much she enjoyed the aquarium and took a mental note of her likes. While we watched the dolphin show, a dolphin chirped and began splashing waves of water toward the audience, a mix of screams and laughs filling the air as we were all hit.
Otsuki and I laughed as we ran away from the incoming waves, the two of us running down the aquarium until we were outside the aquarium. We looked up at the sky, noticing the sun had began to start setting westward.
"Wow, we've been in Okinawa for this long? Time really flew by," I said, admiring the orange hue of the skies above.
Otsuki felt a tug at her heart as she knew the day was coming to an end. She stared at me for a moment, her lips parting to speak but she fought against the urge to. "Yeah...time really did go by fast."
The two of us stared up at the sunset, one of us smiling at the sky while the other mourned the end of the day. Both of us began making our way through Okinawa and to the train station, the two of us entering in and sitting side by side with each other.
Otsuki closed her eyes and rested her head upon my shoulder as I scrolled through my phone, texting Aisha about the day I had with Otsuki. I looked over at her, noticing her resting with a small smile on her face and took a picture of her, chuckling softly as I sent it to Aisha.
----------------------------
"Come...on, Otsuki. You have to use your legs too..!" I said with a light grunt, pulling Otsuki's half limp body toward her home.
"Nooo...I'm too tired now. I have...train lag," Otsuki whined softly, taking lazy steps forward with her arm around me.
I groaned softly and looked up, my face becoming slightly pale as I noticed the large staircase ahead. I was growing tired as well, and I couldn't be bothered to climb another set of stairs. I know Otsuki is a noblewoman, but I didn't know ALL noble people just lived in Shinto Castles.
My inner complaints aside, I groaned softly and kneeled down on one knee. "Get on..."
"What..?" Otsuki asked tiredly, looking down at me with a drowsy look.
"Get on my back..." I said, lowering my head with a low sigh.
Otsuki smiled at me and climbed into my back, my arms wrapping around her legs to support her as I stood up. With my best foot forward, I began climbing the steps, dreading every step as I felt like I had New Japan's entire weight on my back.
"Lord...I know I'm not that religious or anything, but give me strength right now. Why does this girl live on a damn mountain..?" I softly groaned, continuing forward despite my complaints.
Making it to the top, I rang the doorbell of the large double doors before collapsing onto one knee. The left door opened slowly and I looked up, my face immediately turning red as I noticed the most beautiful girl I had laid my eyes upon.
The woman with long silver hair and hazel eyes looked down at me, her oversized shirt hiding all parts of her other than her slender legs. Her eyes trailed over to Otsuki, who was slowly getting off my back and looked up at the woman.
Otsuki gasped and immediately straightened up, wiping away the tiredness from her eyes. "Tsubami..! Why are you here?!"
"Have you forgotten? The Fugigami Clan shares this royal land with the Nagagami Clan. I just happen to be back in town from the Matsugaya Council Trip," Tsubami answered, running her hand through her hair and looked down at me.
'Great, a third royal princess to deal with at school. What is this trope, the House of Nobles?' I thought to myself and stood up on my feet, clearing my throat lightly.
I bowed toward Tsubami. "Good evening, my name is Motosaki Izuna. I go to class with your...uh..."
"Sister?" I asked unsure, glancing up at Tsubami with a confused gaze.
Tsubami chuckled softly at me and crossed her arms while leaning on the door frame, looking me up and down with a smirk. "I am actually her cousin and you must be her boyfriend?"
"No!" Otsuki squeaked quickly, rushing over to her cousin and covering her mouth while pushing her inside. "ByeMotosakiIwillseeyoutomorrowbye!!"
I grunted as Otsuki slammed the door in my face, an awkward sweat rolling down my cheeks and I scratched the side of my head. "Does the Tomodachi cause sudden excitement like that..? Whatever...I'm too tired to think about this.."
With that, I treaded my happy tail back home to Aisha's house then stopped at the stairs and looked down. I sighed softly and covered my face with my hand. "I have to climb back down these stairs...Jesus..."
Swallowing my own anguish, step by step I began descending despite the aching pain in my legs. I immediately knew I was NOT about to attempt walking home and sat down on the bottom steps. I took out my phone to call Hanma.
"Can you come get me, bro?" I asked, lowering my head in defeat.
"I'm on my way," Hanma answered back, hanging up the phone.
----------------------
The next day rolled around and I stood in front of the mirror with soft rnb music playing on my speakers, my hands straightening the tie around my neck. I looked down at the Tomodachi Book on my desk and began reflecting on my day with Otsuki yesterday.
'It is honestly too hard to tell if anyone has been possessed. If even my father was tricked, it must mean the Tomodachi is tame on levels one... Honestly, that's all I'm seeing,' I thought to myself, trying to see the good in the situation I was now in.
I turned around and noticed a sunray hitting upon my journal then walked toward it. Getting closer, the ray of golden light fell upon the numbers 5 and 8. Flipping to the next page and reading through an old story, the sun ray moved through the blinds and landed upon the name Peter.
I rose an eyebrow and picked up my journal, reading through it but found it was just an old story I wrote when I was in middle school. "Five, eight, and Peter..? Why did I focus specifically on those..?"
"Motosaki! Are you ready yet? We're gonna be late to see the girls before the first bell!" Aisha called out from downstairs, looking down at her watch and huffed softly. "Geez, is that sleepyhead even awake?"
I heard Aisha calling from downstairs and set down my journal on the nightstand, looking back at my door and exhaled softly. I decided to keep those three clues stored in the back of my mind then grabbed my bag and left my room to join Aisha to school.
As I left, the sunray extended through the clouds and split into three, landing on the words, "Seek, Ask, Recieve", as if something above was trying to speak to me. Though I paid it no mind, I felt a small tug at my chest to closely pay attention to the nature around, but all I could see was calmness.
Aisha and I made it to the campus and began walking onto the school grounds, the two of us immediately heading toward the courtyard and joined Emma, Rebecca, Naomi, and Otsuki at their table. Seeing us, the four greeted us with a smile, Otsuki's gaze lingering on me longer before looking to Aisha.
"Sorry if we were a bit late! This guy just wanted to test is luck or something," Aisha began, letting out a soft laugh and sat down beside Otsuki.
"I wasn't testing my luck. Can't a guy get all pretty like you girls? Geez," I said with a hint of my usual sarcasm, leaning back in my seat.
"Yeah, and we can tell you took at max four minutes to get ready and spent the rest of your time standing in front of the mirror like, 'Who's the man? I'm the man'," Emma bantered, snapping her fingers and pointing at me.
I rolled my eyes at Emma, scoffing at her then reached over the table and flicked her left pigtail. "And I bet you took two hours for one barrettes and your left pigtail alone."
Emma scoffed and swatted at my hand, but I pulled it away with a laugh, sitting back down in my seat then grunted sharply as Emma kicked my shin. I lowered my head onto the desk, holding my shin and inhaled sharply from the wild beast's kick.
"Hmph! That's for thinking you're funny!" Emma scoffed, turning her nose up and crossing her arms.
"Noted..." I said softly, listening to the other girls lightly chuckle at our interaction.
Suddenly, commotion began to stir up at the entrance, catching each of our attentions. I tilted my head to see why so many cheers filled the air then noticed Tsubami walking onto the campus wearing her blazer with Lotus walking behind her then covered my face.
'The Queen of Matsugaya and the Shrine Maiden? Lord, it's just one thing after another here in Japan huh?' I said internally, turning around in my seat as I noticed Tsubami and Lotus approaching our table.
"Miss Fugigami! You're back in town?" Emma asked in awe, looking at Tsubami with a gasp.
"Ugh...the Fugigami Princess is here," Naomi groaned softly, leaning forward on the table with her forehead resting on her hand.
Tsubami chuckled softly at my table and walked around toward me, standing beside me and placing her hand upon the table. "Mr. Izuna, I missed my chance to properly introduce myself when you first appeared on Campus."
"And I kinda wish it stayed like that...all this attention is embarrassing," I said softly, continuing to hide my face while Tsubami stood in front of me smelling like fresh flowers picked from a royal garden.
Reiko scoffed as she watched me from the distance, resting the side of her head against her head as she rested against the table. "Are we actually serious? Even the student council president is glazing this American? Who the heck is this guy? The son of some War Hero?"
"I mean, I kinda respect him. He did beat us by himself," Kenji said, sitting on top of the table as he scrolled on a dating app and chuckled to himself as he swiped right.
Satori watched me closely with an eagle like gaze, becoming more curious as I had Tsubami's attention, something that was stated to be nearly impossible around the campus. "He's gotta be some kind of in real life main character. Why is he getting all this attention?"
"Come on... everyone and their mothers are staring at us. Can this wait?" I asked, refusing to look up at Tsubami.
Tsubami chuckled softly at me and continued poking my back as she looked around at everyone else. "The longer you stall, the more attention you will get. If you would just come with me and Lotus-chan, we can get all of this over with."
"Oh. My. God... Alright, just please stop poking me already," I groaned, grabbing my bag and standing up.
"W-Wait! Where are you taking him?" Otsuki blurted out, standing on her feet as well then caught herself, slowly looking around with a red face.
I looked at Otsuki up and down, raising an eyebrow as we made eye contact. 'What the heck..? That was weird as hell...'
Tsubami smirked at Otsuki and wagged her finger at her. "Tsk, tsk. You'll be able to spend the rest of the day with your friend after my business is done with him. No need to become all... obsessive."
I quickly glanced at Tsubami once she said the word, "Obsessive", and my mind immediately returned to the Tomodachi Book. 'Obession... that's a Level 2 symptom. Has Tomodachi really been with Otsuki all day yesterday..? Maybe I'm reading in too deep...this could just be a coincidence...'
I said that to myself just for a piece of mind, but now the thought rang louder in my head than my own comfort did. I glanced back at Otsuki, the two of us making eye contact once again then she slowly sat down, remaining quiet with her head low, too embarrassed to now speak.
Tsubami hummed and looked back at me, grabbing me by my collar and dragged me towards the building. "Let's go, Mr. Prince Charming. We have important things to discuss!"
"Ack! My... throat! Hold on, Ms. President..!" I choked, quickly walking backwards as I tugged at the small opening in my collar so I could breathe.
Tsubami dragged me up to the top floor of the building to the Student Council Room then shoved me inside first. She glanced around in the halls, making sure no one was watching her during the passing period then nodded at Lotus.
I looked back, noticing Lotus and Tsubami entering and stepped aside, allowing them to walk past me. "Geez, thanks for the guidance, Chauffeur. The trip here was truly breathtaking..."
Tsubami laughed softly as she sat down at the end of the table, loosening her tie gently with a soft exhale then loosely unbuttoned the top button of her blazer. "You're funny, you know that? But, formalities aside, take a seat. We have much to discuss during your first period."
I watched Tsubami carefully and took a seat at the table, my gaze shifting over to Lotus, watching as she sat down next to Tsubami. "What do you want to talk about? I literally just transferred here."
"This isn't about your academics, Mr. Izuna. I was called back here by Sister Hisu, and she told me that you were in Japan, which complicates everything. You probably don't remember me from your childhood, but you, Aisha, and I were church buddies," Tsubami began, tossing an old picture of us as kids across the table.
I reached over to grab the slightly wrinkled photo from the table and brought it close to my face, my eyes carefully inspecting it. I looked up and down, between Tsubami and the photo, a hint of familiarity coming back to me. "Oh right...you were Silverella."
Tsubami choked on her own air and beat her chest for a breath of air. 'Of everything why did he remember that..?!'
"Miss Fugigami!" Lotus gasped, reaching over to pat her back for extra support.
Tsubami coughed lightly and looked up at me with a light glare. "Okay, forget that. Do you notice anyone else in that picture?"
I looked back down at the photo and brought it closer to my face, a soft realization flickering into my eye as I noticed a young Otsuki lingering in tbe background of the photo. I looked back up at Tsubami, immediately noticing her knowing smile.
"There's a reason why I am here again. You returning to Japan just ruined my entire vacation, so...now you're gonna become my greatest partner. I'm gonna teach you how to navigate through Tomodachi, and how to get rid of her curse," Tsubami said, smirking at me then stood up.
"Wait what? How much do you know about Tomodachi?" I asked, standing up as well and slammed the picture down on the table.
"W-Wait, calm down, Motosaki..! This is actually really important, albeit...this is not the God intended way of going about this," Lotus said softly, lowering her head with light shame.
I stared at Lotus for a moment then turned back to Tsubami, pointing my finger at Lotus. "What in the world is she talking about. I am a Military Child, a son of a Lieutenant. I am not an Exorcist or a Missionary Worker."
"Well, you're not going to be any of those. Your current job is to keep Tomodachi at Level 1, and that little Scavenger Hunt that Sister Hisu gave you is only going to have you dead, not the possessed," Tsubami began, walking over to me and placed a hand upon her shoulder.
"I'm going to take you down a route that your late father avoided because it was...unbiblical. Don't worry, this isn't some witchcraft, voodoo stuff. It's more simple, you're just gonna love them," Tsubami finished with a bright smile.
"That... sounds biblical to me. I don't think I'm catching the drift here," I said, my gaze shifting between Lotus and Tsubami.
"For Christ's sake, you're gonna date all of them until December 20th. But keep it clean! Any form of Lust will inevitably accelerate Nanako's process. With that said, you're gonna go on a date with Sister Lotus," Tsubami said, stepping back with a smirk on her face.
"What?" Both Lotus and I said, glancing at each other.
"We barely even know each other and if you haven't realized, I haven't been to church or rarely spoken with God since my parents died. What am I gonna do with Lotus?" I asked, crossing my arms and raising an eyebrow.
"If you were able to keep Otsuki at bay for an entire day and keep Nanako appeased at Level 1 all day, you can find some holy things to do with Sister Lotus. This is all part of your training!" Tsubami said and clapped her hands.
It almost felt like I was now being punished for coming back to Japan, as if my entire life did a backflip and didn't bother to stick the landing. It just decided to land on its head and spun around, and now...I have been tasked with dating five girls for months to appease one dead one. Yeah, I would rather be back in New America now.