𝟭. 𝙃𝙀𝙍 𝙎𝙄𝘿𝙀 𝙊𝙁 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙎𝙏𝙊𝙍𝙔 || 𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐤𝐲𝐮𝐮 [✔]

Chapter 6: New Perfecture

𝖘𝖚𝖓𝖓𝖞𝖘𝖎𝖉𝖊𝖇𝖆𝖇𝖍𝖊'𝖘 𝖋𝖎𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓𝖆𝖑 𝖘𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖞
#020223
•••

The car ride to the airport was filled with soft singing and gentle chatter. Harumi played Aeris's favorite songs, and even Asahi joined in with his tiny voice. They laughed, reminisced, and tried not to think about the goodbye waiting for them.

By the time they reached the airport, Hide and Kei immediately stepped out to help with Aeris's large bags. They insisted on carrying everything, even the lighter ones, not letting her strain herself.

When the bags were checked in, the moment Aeris had been avoiding finally came.

She gathered everyone into a tight hug. "I'll miss all of you," she whispered, trying to keep her voice steady.

She knelt down and hugged Asahi last. "Especially you," she murmured, kissing his forehead.

Asahi's face scrunched up, and he began crying, clinging to her shirt. He understood—maybe not fully, but enough to know she was leaving.

Aeris hugged him even tighter. "I'll come back, okay? When everything settles down. I promise."

She forced herself to stand, wiped her eyes, and waved goodbye with the brightest smile she could manage. Her chest ached as she turned away and walked into the airport. Before entering the gates, she looked back one more time and waved again.

They waved back until they couldn't see her anymore.

Aeris boarded, found her seat, and tried to settle comfortably. It was a long-haul flight, so she plugged in her earphones and listened to her favorite playlist. Still exhausted from days of packing and emotional goodbyes, sleep came quickly.

She woke to the sound of the captain's voice over the intercom.

"Good day, passengers. We are preparing for landing. The weather is clear, and we hope you had a pleasant flight. Thank you for flying with us."

Aeris blinked as sunlight streamed through the window. She stretched her arms, gathered her things, and prepared herself mentally. A new chapter was waiting.

Once she exited the plane, she immediately texted her paternal cousin.

⤷  Aeris: Oneechan, I'm here. Just waiting for my bags.

She waited at the carousel, eyes scanning the crowd. When her bags finally rolled out, she grabbed the handles and headed toward the exit.

She dialed her cousin.

"Oneechan? I'm outside now," Aeris said.

"Are you near the main exit?" Miwa asked through the phone.

"Yes, I'm standing right by the sign."

"Okay, stay there. I'll— hold on. I see you!"

A loud honk sounded. Aeris turned around and spotted Miwa waving from a small white car.

Aeris's face lit up. She hurried over as much as she could with her luggage.

Miwa hopped out immediately and wrapped her arms around her. "I missed you so much!"

Aeris laughed into the embrace. "Even though we call each other every week?"

"Still!" Miwa said stubbornly, pulling away only to hug her again.

They loaded Aeris's bags into the trunk, settled into the seats, and headed toward the house.

Miwa glanced at her. "I'm sorry for... you know... my mom. Everything that happened back then."

Aeris shook her head. "It's okay, Oneechan. Really. Things happen."

"You must have adjusted well at your maternal aunt's place," Miwa continued.

Aeris smiled faintly. "Yeah... they were really kind. But... me and Tobio had a fight before I left. We never fixed it."

Miwa let out a small laugh. "That sounds like him. He's spoiled—he's the baby of the family, after all."

"I know... but still. I feel bad. And I don't want to be a burden to my aunt either. She already has three kids and a lot on her plate."

"Aeris," Miwa said softly, "you were never a burden. Not here, not there."

Aeris didn't answer, but her heart warmed a little.

They continued talking the whole ride—stories from school, updates from relatives, funny things Asahi used to do—until they finally reached Miwa's house.

Miwa helped carry her bags in and ordered dinner for both of them. They sat in the living room, eating and catching up, until Miwa's phone suddenly rang.

She excused herself, stepped outside, talked for a long moment, then returned looking apologetic.

"Sorry," Miwa said, sitting beside her. "Aeya is still down with something. She might be busy, but she'll call you later."

Aeris nodded. "It's okay."

They talked a bit more, but exhaustion hit Aeris fast. Eventually, she drifted off on the living room couch, her body sinking into sleep without her noticing.

Her phone buzzing woke her.

"Hello?" Aeris mumbled, her voice thick with sleep.

"Did I wake you?" Harumi asked, worry instantly filling her tone.

"No, it's okay," Aeris said, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. She glanced at the time. "It's already almost six? I fell asleep that long?"

Harumi chuckled softly. "Travel is tiring. Have you eaten yet?"

"No... maybe later. I need to wash up first."

"Alright. Text me when you're settled, okay?"

"Okay, Harumi-san." Aeris smiled. "Goodnight."

When they hung up, Aeris dragged herself to the bathroom to wash up. After a warm shower, she changed into clean clothes, fixed her hair, and stepped outside the room.

Her stomach growled loudly.

She laughed to herself.

Time to look for a warm meal in her new home.

« ֪ ׅ ֹ =͟͞ ♡ 𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗗.

— sidenote
; yall, i didn't expect how long the travel time from Toyooka to Sendai. If you get lucky, you can have a three hrs+ flight travel, but most of the time you'll get 24hrs flight travel (overnight layover). Plus another hour/s to Miyagi prefecture, how tiring is that 😂
: but its my story lets just say that Aeris travels only 10 hrs back in forth HAHAHA