Thirty Days With Ken

I [DAY 1]

SISSY

DAY 1, Nippori

I'm walking now, on my way to my favorite café, but I stop to admire a Sakura tree. It's March, but somehow, it's gotten colder this week 'coz the snow has just melted. Winter has just left and spring has finally crept in. The sakuras have shown their buds and should come into full bloom soon. I hope the cold weather doesn't ruin nature's schedule.

I love pink sakuras, but the soft hints of white Yamazakura petals are insanely beautiful. It reminds me of the cherry blossom tree near my school in Geneva where I grew up before moving away to the Philippines.

My memory halted when I was twelve, so everything before this is still so vivid and loud in my brain. It's like my brain begging me to hold on, even to the mundane things of my earlier past.

That's the only blessing I have from this strange case of amnesia. Outside the frame of my memory loss, I remember everything in detail. And I have noticed that my amnesia has given me more space that I have now developed a photographic memory.

I rarely come this early to the café, but what the heck? I've been up all night sketching, because I couldn't sleep. It must be the anticipation of something. I just don't know what it is yet.

So I go through the double doors and look around for a likely spot, preferably the one near the store front panoramic window. But then, I see a boy sitting there already. I tear my eyes away from him almost immediately before he catches me checking him out. My heart races. I can feel my heart beating loudly beneath the thick layers of my sweater as I approach the counter to order.

I saw his eyes while a black mask covered the rest of his face and how his dark, almond eyes pierce right through me.

He stands out from everyone in the café with his oversized black hoodie, baggy black pants, and boots on. He looks new here, and it's obvious that he's gaijin, just like me. It's not just that. It's his hair. His cropped blonde hair is stealing the entire scene. But then he stands up and walks out of the café almost immediately.

Pull yourself together, girl.

So I pretend to act cool, flipping my long, black wavy hair off my shoulder, looking down to pull out my phone from my little purse. My hands are trembling. And I send a message to Megumi, asking her where she is. We usually meet at Kultur on Saturdays.

Megumi Sato 🕻 ℹ️

Fri, 08:10

Wru at?

On my way to class. U?

Kultur. Waiting 4u..

Girl, u better b joking. Friday COUTURE this AM!

Holy shit!

I can't miss couture class, so I fumble over my things, shove it into my bag and bolted out of the cafe.

I run as fast as I can to the train station. And hopefully, I have enough time left before the next train to Shinjuku arrives. I pass through the ticket feed and enter the station line. A few commuters walk in front of me.

But then, I notice a piece of paper drifting towards me, coming from a man in front of me. It lands on my boot. I look up and I see that the man has not realized he's dropped something. I pick it up and see that the ticket is a day pass, which means he'll be needing it for the entire day. I hesitate, but my empathic heart does the right thing.

"Excuse me," I say as I catch up to tap his shoulder.

When he turns around, I am taken aback. I squint my eyes. Was he the same gaijin at the café, only now without a mask on?