OKOSHI | JOJOLION

017 | stained citizen honour.

★ . . . YOU BANGED ON KARERA'S DOOR. "Yo, get up!" You waited a few minutes before banging again. "Hurry up! I don't have all day!"

Karera yanked her door open, her hair a bird's nest and drool drying on the corner of her mouth. She stared stone-faced at you, unmoved by your megawatt smile and designer outfit. You only grinned harder when Karera scowled. You felt like you had enough energy to power Morioh for a week.

"What," Karera said dully, "the fuck. It's seven in the morning. People call this immoral conduct, you know that?" She went to close her door but you wedged your foot in the doorframe.

"It is a perfectly acceptable hour for a beautiful day. Get dressed. We have a whole day ahead of us."

"I actually have better things to do than watch you try to flirt."

"But you won't have to watch anything like that. This is a vacation and we haven't done anything fun. I have money and energy to spend and I need someone to do it with."

Karera really was a demon in the morning. "Go ask your sailor boy."

"Karera," you said seriously. "If we're really friends, you'll do this for me."

"Well, damn. Guess we're not friends."

Your smile dropped. "It's been an ass week. I just want a day where I don't have to think about my curse. It's fine if you don't want to go, but ... I just really wanted a day to ourselves." You'd spent all of your vacation until now running around and bending over backwards for people. It would be nice to actually spend a day like a vacation. No curse. No true love. No impending death.

Just a careless heir with a never-ending fortune.

Karera's face softened just the tiniest bit. "You should've just said that. Of course I'll go with you, dumbass."

You smiled. "I appreciate it."

Karera closed her door. "You owe me a big-ass breakfast for waking me up before ten, though!" she called.

★ ☆

You pulled Karera into some place called Enjoy Café for her breakfast. While you sipped on a coffee, you watched as she went about conducting her customary restaurant looting.

With her characteristic wobbly gait, she wandered around the café, finding the free condiments near the front counter and brushing nearly all of them into the plastic bag she carried around in lieu of a handbag. She paid no mind to the dirty looks the baristas and other customers shot her, plopping down in the seat next to you with a cheerful smile.

She grabbed a slice of bread you'd ordered and cut it into strips. Then she slapped on a piece of lard, some sugar, and some soy sauce before stuffing the concoction in her mouth.

She crunched on the bread loudly. "Do you want some?" she asked with her mouth full, spraying crumbs all over the table and her lap. "I'm telling you it tastes just like sukiyaki."

You didn't see how a tiny piece of bread could possibly compare to the mouth-watering bowl of hot pot. "I could always get you real sukiyaki, you know."

"Nah, something you make with your own hands always tastes better." You shook your head as Karera licked her fingers and went about making another slice of mock-sukiyaki.

You were aware that to most people, all they saw when they looked at Karera was a slob. She came across as crude and irritating, and put herself first before anything else. She'd always been headstrong, which was what made you want to be her friend back when you'd first met her. Your parents had told you to avoid her, but you were glad you hadn't. Karera had more honesty in her pinky finger than most people had in their whole bodies. She was always up front with you and said what you meant.