Akito POV
I stood there, alone in my apartment, for an immeasurable stretch of time.
My apartment.
The thought still felt strange in my brain.
Not my father's apartment.
Mine.
And maybe Ena's, too, but at this point . . . I was the "adult" in the family.
At least until child services got us a new guardian, or . . . . I shuddered.
They might put us into foster care.
. . . . . . . Or even worse, the fucking orphanage.
Good thing that Ena would be eighteen in a year.
Japan recently changed the legal adult age from twenty to eighteen,—this is a real thing im not making it up. but . . . i'm not entirely sure if 18 yo's in japan can have dependants/custody but who cares. a convenient plot point is a convenient plot point—so at worst, we'd be talking, like, about a year of hell.
Still more than I'm willing to take, but better than I originally thought.
Being alone in the apartment was weird.
I think it's driving me insane, not gonna lie.
Well, that or the fact that MY DAD JUST GOT ARRESTED FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.
You know, nothing major.
Completely normal, everyday occurrence, really.
Ha, I wish.
The front door unlocks with a metallic clunk, and Ena comes in a with a large paper bag in hand. She sets in on the table and says nothing but, "Eat lunch," before disappearing into her room.
"Whoa," I mutter to myself. "Ena got me something for once? What is happening to the world . . . " I joked half-heartedly, sighed through my mouth.
Welp. Who am I to reject free food?
I devour one of the the long sandwich things and save the rest for dinner.
I receive a text from Toya.
Partner
12:01
{hey wanna meet up
to discuss our show}
12:01
{sure}
{same place as last time?}
12:01
{cu there}
I slide my phone into my pocket, grab my keys, and walk out the door.
It's Ena's turn to be home alone.
Not that I think she'd mind as much as I do.
I'm just petty, I guess.
haha it's 11:54 pm and my eyes r dying rn fr
The practice room is in my apartment complex, so I get there before Toya does.
I stare at the room number.
192.
They were once new, silver, and shiny.
Now they were tarnished and scratched.
Damaged.
I get a glimpse of my distorted reflection in the numbers.
Just like me.
Huh. I wonder if it'll be weird practicing there after what happened a few days ago.
. . . I'll just pretend it doesn't bother me.
"Hey," a voice says from directly left of my head. Someone pokes my cheek. I whip around, and there he is.
Toya.
What's gotten into him?
Why is he teasing me like this lately?
What is going on . . . .
ooh it's 12:00 am on the dot
good morning and im going to sleep now
He steps partially in front of me to open the door. I note that the room looks the same as usual, if not a little dustier.
To be honest, I don't know what I expected. I'm getting a sensation of déjà-vu that makes my stomach feel like it's falling out yet trying to rise up into my esophagus at the same time.
Riiight. I'm trying to act like this doesn't irk me in the slightest. Okay then. I sit down on the grimy floor and look up at my partner. Toya's taller than me, which makes matters worse for my craned-and-still-aching neck.
"So . . . . what song do you wanna sing?"
I open my mouth to answer, but turns out, we left the door open.
Standing there and leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed, shaking—whether from fear or wrath, I don't know—is Ena.
"We're all gonna have to go on trial
soon because of Dad. Who's paying for the lawyer?"
Words: 654
