Chapter Text
Every story has an ending. Some are tragic. Some are beautiful. Yet somewhere between farewell and forever, there exists a moment where anything feels possible. No matter how many times a song ends, someone will always try to sing it again. The universe was a strange thing in this way. Time was stranger still. The passage of time was fickle, it would gobble you up and spit you out without a care. Perhaps that was destiny. A thread stretching further than anyone could see, fraying and mending in equal measure as one story ended and another began. This, is the beginning of that story.
*beep* *beep* *beep*
It was a very small room, not really fit for someone to be living in. The damp, slightly moulding carpet left much to be desired. There was a stack of dirty dishes sitting unwashed in the sink, with clothes thrown haphazardly on the floor. Empty energy drink cans dotted the floor and counter as though some great battle against exhaustion had taken place here. Beside it all was notes upon piles of notes, annotated and crossed out. Whoever lived here was clearly stretched far beyond their limits.
A small desk sat beside a frayed futon, odd stains dotted here and there on the duvet. The framed picture on the desk seemed to be the only thing that was spotless in this dingy little room, its glass shining in such a way that the small amount of light that peaked through the curtains reflected this way and that. The photo showed a happy, content looking family. There was a small, sweet looking girl within centre frame of the picture, grinning broadly as she played a piano. Her father sat beside her with his hand on her shoulder, looking at her with pride and love shining brightly from his weathered eyes. Her mother was in the background slightly, looking upon them both with tired but kind eyes. Her brother simply sat, watching her play with some level of happiness on his face, but you could tell he was a troublemaker from the way his eyes flashed in the light and the goofy smile on his face.
*beep* *beep* *beep*
A hand shot out from beneath a thick duvet, scrambling to find the offending device. Its owner grabbed the mobile phone from the tiny, worn out desk before yanking it back below the cover. The room became silent and still once more.
"Ughhhhh...." With a groan, Sakayori Iroha lifted herself from her bed, bleary eyes looking at the mess her room was in with some level of disgust and disappointment. The sight made her eyes twitch. Once upon a time she would have spent hours making sure every corner of the apartment sparkled. The long nights studying and gruelling work hours left her mentally and physically exhausted. Even the thought of cleaning right now, which was something she used to find enjoyable and relaxing, was daunting. There was a silver lining in all of this though.
"Finally, all my hard work will pay off." Iroha mumbles to herself, looking towards her desk. Her acceptance letter to UTokyo shone like a beacon, a chance for her to really make something of herself. That small piece of paper was one of her lifelines at this point, its edges already creasing from how often she unfolded it. Whenever life became too much to bear, when everything felt too overwhelming, the words were enough to ground her. Keep her sane.
The photo caught her eye then, as it does every day, causing her hand to squeeze down on her phone unconsciously.
"I hope I can make you proud dad..." The words came out easily, almost reverently as she looked upon her fathers weathered, but kind face. Her eyes tracked the photo, not a smidge or speck of dust in sight before looking at her mother.
"Mom..." Her throat tightened, before looking away with a small scowl. Her fingers unconsciously hovered over the contacts button, questioning once again if it was worth trying. "I wonder if I should-"
Her mother's name sat on the screen like an old wound that wouldn't heal, no matter how much Iroha wanted it to.
The call never came, what was the point? Another shouting match again?
As much as Iroha may want to salvage what she could, it couldn't be done in a day. They needed time, she needed space most of all. As angry as she was, as sick as she was about it all, her brother was still there for her at least. He may be too busy to go along with all her whims, but he would never let her down. She had to hope...
Before her thoughts could spiral too much, Iroha throws herself out of bed and towards the bathroom.
She stands beneath the shower, the water not quite hot enough to be comfortable, but it was enough to ground her and wash the grogginess away.
Enough to wash away thoughts of home and regrets that she would rather leave behind.
Enough to let her hope, for the few minutes that she could, that today was finally going to be her big break, the day everything would change for the better.
She can't find it in herself to enjoy these few moments of tranquillity for too long however, it was going to be a busy day. She's a woman all about efficiency after all and without too much fanfare she is once again in the main room of her apartment, drying her hair and brushing her teeth - Iroha's quite the multitasker after all! - while looking balefully at the mess. Through all the grime and mess though, there were small bits and pieces that brought some comfort to Iroha. The photo, one of the few she had of her father was obviously the biggest piece of tranquillity in this tiny little place. Memories of her father flashed unbidden as she looked at the piano leaning in the corner, remembering the songs they used to play together. These memories lingered for a few more seconds before Iroha shook her head and got to work.
"Time to clean and pack everything up, hopefully I'll never be back here again after today."
It's just after 8am when Iroha has finally got her small space cleaned up enough that she won't get an angry call or email from her landlord once she's left for university. The thought of sharing accommodation with Roka and Mami was slightly daunting but this was a new beginning for her! She wasn't going to let it be marred by living pay check to pay check, splitting bills was going to make her life so much easier. Speaking of Roka and Mami...
"Hey girls!" Mami's cheerful voice was the first thing Iroha heard upon answering the phone. Their group chat was filled mostly with Mami's rambling but Iroha wouldn't have it any other way.
"Hiya Mami, hey Iroha..." Roka spoke up next, her voice becoming a bit more shy when addressing Iroha.
Iroha, even now struggled to think of herself as close to anyone these days, maybe other than her brother. To be honest, Mami and Roka were closer with each other than she was to them. It was only recently that she started actively talking with them. Another by-product of her less than stellar upbringing, she had trouble for the longest time being open with people. Thankfully Mami has such a pull to her that Iroha couldn't help but get swept up in her joyful nature and she found herself becoming friends with both of them before the end of their high school days.
"Hello" Iroha said, a bit more flatly than she was maybe intending. "Have you both got everything ready for the big move? I've just got a few more clothes to pack then I'll be ready to move into our share house." She tried injecting a bit more light-heartedness into her tone. The three of them had decided on a share house after they got their grades back. While they weren't all going to the same university, they managed to find somewhere that would work perfectly for the three of them.
"Yup yup!!" Mami shouted, Iroha wincing lightly at her boisterous attitude this early in the morning. What she would give to have energy like that. "My mom helped me get everything ready and in it's all in the car. We should go to that little café again before we head out, as a last farewell to our high school days."
"That sounds good to me" Roka said lightly. "I have everything packed up and ready too, do you both wanna meet up there in about 30 minutes?"
Iroha had a declination on the tip of her tongue before deciding otherwise. New beginnings right? She didn't want to only do well in university anymore, she wanted to get out of her shell more, become a real friend to these two who basically adopted her into their little group.
"Yeah I like the sound of that. I'll finish getting everything ready then I'll meet you there." They talked for a bit longer before hanging up. Iroha took one last look around her 'home' before getting the last few things she needed ready. Hopefully her brother will come through for her later and take her to her new home.
That was when she realised she still didn't know where exactly it was they were going, Mami was the one who handled all the new arrangements for the three of them. In hindsight, Iroha and Roka should have probably had a bit more involvement. Oh well, Iroha thought with a careless shrug, how bad could it possibly be?
Surely they weren't going to be living with a big group of people right?
The short walk to the café was a nice balm to Iroha's soul. The grocery store where she was on first name basis with some of the workers. Her own place of work where the young new girl was adorably clumsy, Iroha could tell she looked up to her, leaving a small amount of pride coursing through her. All the little places that made up her usual day. Despite everything, she would miss this place when she left. It was still her home, flaws and all.
The café was just ahead, Iroha could already make out the modern signage and customers sitting in two's outside. She quickly walked inside, her eyes roving over the many heads. Gosh, she had never seen this quaint little café so busy.
"Hey Iroha over here!" Roka and Mami both called over to her simultaneously, causing a small smile to grow on her face. They were good at the whole speech mimicry, Iroha had noticed in her time being their friend. She walked over to them quickly before taking a seat and looking over the menu Roka handed to her.
"You're looking kinda tired there Iroha, have you not been getting enough sleep again?" Mami asked with a small frown. She hadn't realised it, but Iroha's back and shoulders were hunched in a way that she could normally hide. Those last few shifts at work had really done a number on her already frayed energy huh?
"Hmm? Oh yeah you know how it's been, I'm honestly surprised you're both not exhausted with the end of school." Iroha spoke slightly absentmindedly, looking over the menu for the first thing that picked her fancy. She was usually really frugal with her money, but wanted to treat herself. It wasn't every day you became a high school graduate after all! Iroha didn't have as much of a sweet tooth as Mami may have, but she would never say no to pancakes. There was something so... Nostalgic about them.
"It's not good to be so low energy before your first day at university." Roka said teasingly, Iroha could only glare half-heartedly.
"It's gonna be strange leaving it all behind isn't it?" Mami said with a slightly reminiscent tone. Iroha nodded, seems like they were both going through the same thought process. "Remember the first day we became friends with Iroha, Roka?" Iroha felt her eye twitch slightly, why did she have to bring up that embarrassing day?
-Flashback-
It was a day like any other for Iroha. Work, work and more work. If there was one thing she could count on though, it was unwavering determination. She walked through the halls of her school, waving as classmates said hello.
"Iroha, could you help me with this math problem later?" A girl was suddenly in front of Iroha, her hands together as though she were praying while bowing to her. Iroha could only let an airy chuckle escape.
"Of course!" She gave a big (fake) grin, feeling herself die on the inside. The way life seemed to shoot back through the girl, Iroha honestly had no idea what her name was, caused her smile to become a little bit more real.
"You're a real life saver you know that! Iroha's so dependable~" She hummed as she walked away, a small blush crawling up Iroha's neck. People seemed to say that to her quite a lot, but it was something Iroha simply HAD to do, if only to keep herself afloat. She wished she didn't have to be so 'dependable' but that's life.
"Iroha!" Mami was zooming towards her, as she had taken to doing recently. Iroha couldn't really understand why, she had helped Mami once with a small problem and now she seemingly had a permanent attachment on her hands. Maybe that was a bit mean?
"Gooooood morning Iroha!" Mami chirped, a bright smile on her face.
"Morning." Iroha clipped, more automatic than any real irritation. It was too early for this and she was too tired.
"I saw you helping Mei again there huh?" Iroha looked back at Mami, her eyebrow raising slightly.
"Yeah, she's a nice enough girl. I'm happy to help out when people ask." A slight lie, but oh well.
"Do you get the same back though?" Mami asked gently. "Do you ever ask for help?"
The question caught her by surprise, making her stumble slightly.
"Huh?" Iroha asked, unable to hide the creak in her voice.
"I always see you helping others without ever asking for anything in return. Roka really admires that about you ya know?" Mami said, a small teasing grin on her face. Iroha decided to ignore that little tidbit of information, she couldn't imagine Roka would be very happy if she knew Mami told Iroha about that.
"I think you're dramatizing a bit there Mami." Iroha said with a crooked smile.
"Hmmm." Mami looked at her, really stared deeply into her soul. "Nope!" Before she could react, Mami had grabbed her hand and started leading them both down the hallway. Iroha stared at their joined hands, feeling her lip wobble slightly.
"What's going on?" Iroha asked, deciding it was easier to go along with whatever this was.
"Let's get some food! Roka wanted you to join us." Mami giggled, looking back at Iroha with kind eyes.
"But I have to-" Iroha couldn't finish, on account of being dragged against her will.
"Nope~" Mami sang cheerfully "I can tell you don't relax and eat enough, and as your bestest friend you can't say no" Since when did they become 'bestest friends' exactly?
"When did we become friends exactly?" Iroha asked, deciding to ignore the spike of happiness that shot through her at the thought. Mami couldn't hide the offense on her face, looking at Iroha slightly scandalised.
"We've been friends for weeks you silly goose." She said it as though it was fact of the universe. Iroha couldn't think of a response, so she just decided to go along with it.
Roka was waiting ahead for them, looking at Mami with a slight look of admonishment on her face. She turned towards Iroha when they both got closer, holding out some drinks for them both. Iroha was surprised to see it was her favourite too.
"Hey Iroha, you thirsty?" Roka asked, a shy smile on her face. Iroha thanked her as she took the drink, finding it tasted somehow even better than usual. Friends huh? Iroha watched on as they both conversed, feeling lighter somehow.
She didn't even notice the small, genuine smile on her face.
Iroha blinked the memory away, Mami's quiet giggles bringing her back to the present. Looking at the two of them now, she couldn't help but be thankful for all they had done for without them even realising.
"Say Mami, those two girls were gonna meet us here weren't they? Our new roommates." Iroha's head shot up from the menu, a slight frown on her face. So they were going to be rooming with new people after all? Iroha had been worried about that.
"Oh yeah that's right! I gave them the location of the café before we got here. I figured this was probably a good place for us all to meet each other before officially moving in together." Mami cheered with a nod. "I've met them in person too, they both seem like really sweet girls. They're a little on the stranger side but they're both so cute!" Mami gave a small giggle as she said this, reaching into her bag to pull her phone out. Iroha's mind could only register some of what Mami was saying, worrying her lip at the thought.
She wasn't an antisocial person or anything, Iroha knew this for a fact. She was worried, however, at the thought of adding even more people to what could be a precarious situation. Iroha hasn't lived with anyone ever since she left home and if her home life with her mother was anything to go by, she wasn't sure how well she would cope with living with strangers. Mami and Roka were one thing, but people she was just going to be meeting today too?
"You okay?" Roka asked gently, putting a hand on Iroha's shoulder. "We'll be with you there too" Roka had an inkling of what might be going through Iroha's head, despite the short time they had been friends. Ever since meeting her, Roka had the impression that despite how outwardly strong and dependable Iroha may seem, deep down she was struggling quite a lot. Roka and Mami both knew this, but neither were really sure how to breach the subject with her. Iroha was a very private person, they had no real idea what she might have been going through before they met her. Baby steps.
"Trust me Iroha, they're really nice. You'll see, once we've all moved in together you'll quickly become friends with them too." Mami said brightly, giving Iroha a thumbs up. Iroha gave a small grin back, calming down a bit. She trusted Roka and Mami, they hadn't done wrong by her so far, so she had no reason to believe they would now. This could be another way for her to grow up a bit, meeting new people and becoming potential friends was another reason why she was excited to leave her high school days behind her.
"YAHOO!! Is that you Mami?" A chipper voice sounded from across the café. They looked in the direction the voice came from and saw two pretty girls walking over, a pep in their step. Iroha felt herself choke up upon looking at them, a spark going from her head to the tips of her toes.
"Hello Mami, it's nice to see you again. Are these two your other friends who will be moving in with us?" As they got close, the girl with beautiful platinum hair spoke in such a breathy, pleasing tone that Iroha automatically felt a strange kind of peace wash over her.
"Hiya Yachio, Kaguya!" Mami said cheerfully, getting out of her seat and bouncing towards the two playfully. "That's right! Meet Roka and Iroha." Mami shouted throwing her arms out like she was showing off something amazing. Roka couldn't help but giggle fondly at Mami's typical shenanigans, getting out of her seat too.
Iroha meanwhile was going through some kind of epiphany, or was it more like a mental breakdown?
Kaguya, the girl Mami was currently conversing with was, well 'sunshine' is the first word that goes through Iroha's head upon looking at her. She had such a beaming grin on her face and sparkling eyes that Iroha could easily imagine herself getting entranced in. She was wearing an adorable looking sundress that matched her hair completely, with a cute little sunhat. Iroha could tell upon first glance that she had an easy time making friends, she just had that kind of aura to her.
Yachio on the other hand, she could be described as 'moonlight' if Iroha was going to stay on her sudden bout of waxing poetry. She had such a calming smile and gentle eyes, that Iroha could easily imagine herself getting lost in. Yachio was wearing a beautiful light blue, almost white sundress. Iroha could tell at first glance of this young woman, that much like Kaguya, she could also make friends easily. Iroha could definitely understand where Mami was coming from now, despite the differences in appearance and the way they held themselves, both Kaguya and Yachio could easily be mistaken for each other. It made for a slightly bizzare, but cute scene.
"Hello there Iroha~" Yachio's voice was closer now, causing Iroha to jerk out of her thoughts in surprise, looking up. 'So close' Iroha couldn't stop the blush from rising on her face; Yachio was standing right in front of her now, a small smile on her face. "It's nice to meet you, Mami told Kaguya and I a bit about you." Yachio said with a small smile, holding her hand out. Iroha could only gulp lightly before quickly getting out of own seat.
"N-nice to meet you too!" The stutter slipped out before she could stop it, cringing internally as she shook her hand quickly. Good job Iroha! Way to make a good first impression! Yachio didn't seem to mind though, if the crinkle of her eyes and the light giggle she let out was anything to go by.
"I! Ro! Ha!" A yellow blur suddenly launched towards the both of them, Iroha taking a small step backwards. "I'm Kaguya! It's nice to meet you!" Iroha could liken this girl to a golden retriever if she were honest with herself, her seemingly boundless energy raising her spirits, even if she did feel slightly uncomfortable at Kaguya's lack of respecting personal space. Iroha had spent the last few months grinding down her already low reserves of energy dealing with school and work. She definitely wasn't prepared to deal with someone like Kaguya. Before she could react, Kaguya had brought her and Yachio into a massive hug.
Kaguya and Yachio both cheered gleefully, Kaguya with a shining grin and Yachio with a radiant smile. Iroha suddenly understood two things. The first was that Mami had dramatically undersold just how pretty these girls were. The second was that university was going to be a lot more difficult than any entrance exam. Iroha knew, in her heart of hearts.
She was a goner.