The Insanity of Tokyo's Shadows | Manjiro Sano

◇chapter five◇

"Take care of yourself, okay?" Misabell pulled her into a tight hug, tears glistening in her eyes. "And don't forget us! We want to hear every little detail!"

Akiko laughed, though her voice wavered slightly. "I promise, I'll write to you every week. You'll know everything. Tokyo better watch out because I'm coming." Charlotte and Octavia stepped forward too, wrapping her in an embrace, their expressions a mix of sadness and pride.

The farewell weighed heavily on all of them, and with each step Akiko took toward the gate, she felt the growing distance between the world she knew and the unknown ahead. Yet something inside her was eager to return, to dive back into the city of her childhood.

---

Akiko sat by the airplane window, staring out at the sea of lights as Tokyo began to glow in the distance. The sight stirred a bittersweet feeling within her, familiar, yet strange. Ten years had passed since she'd left this city, and now she was returning as though no time had passed. But in truth, everything had changed.

With a deep breath, Akiko tried to calm the trembling in her hands as the plane prepared to land. The gentle descent would normally have reassured her, but tonight, a storm was raging inside her. She couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that she was stepping into a new, dangerous reality lurking in the shadows of this city. And somewhere in those shadows was someone she hadn't allowed herself to think about in years. Mikey.

Back then, they had been friends, bound by an innocent connection forged through childhood laughter and the loyalty of youth. But Akiko had long understood that friendships like theirs rarely lasted in Tokyo. She remembered the day she told him she was leaving. She had feared his reaction, but instead of empathy or regret, Mikey had shown a coldness that had caught her off guard. Without another word, he had turned away, and no matter how many times she asked, he never gave her a reason.

After that, Draken had become her only connection to Tokyo. He'd kept in touch with her through letters, month after month, updating her on everyone and offering steady support through her lonely days in Germany.

Those letters became more than just messages from home. They were a bridge to her old life, a quiet reminder that she hadn't been forgotten. She especially loved reading about Takemichi, the friend who, according to Draken, had a charisma that reminded everyone of Shinichiro Sano. Her curiosity to meet these new friends grew with every letter, and she could vividly imagine the lives her old friends were building in Tokyo.

But one day, the letters stopped. Without warning, Draken went silent. Akiko couldn't understand why. She had hoped their bond would endure despite the distance, that they could preserve their friendship even from afar. But all that remained was silence.

So, she focused entirely on her life in Germany. Overcoming the language barrier hadn't been easy, but she managed, and before long, she'd found new friends. Misabell, Charlotte, and Octavia, who supported her just as Draken once had. They quickly became inseparable, and together they took on bold new adventures, like dyeing their hair on a whim.

Akiko still remembered their laughter the day she dyed her dark hair white and decided to cut it to shoulder length. The change felt liberating, as though she were finally letting go of the past and stepping into a new version of herself.

And yet, the thought of Tokyo lingered like a distant shadow in the back of her mind. After graduating, Akiko realized she wanted to return. She decided to study in Japan, hoping to reconnect with her roots and rediscover the language and culture of her childhood.

Her parents agreed to let her move back to Tokyo if she could find a host family, a way for her to focus on her studies while immersing herself in Japanese culture. It felt like the perfect opportunity to rebuild her connection to her past.

And, she thought, it was also her chance to find Draken and learn why he'd stopped writing to her. Maybe there was an explanation she hadn't considered, or maybe she would have to accept that some friendships simply faded. But no matter the outcome, she knew she needed to find out.

---

The taxi stopped in front of a traditional Japanese house, and Akiko looked up at the neat, wooden details and small garden with a mix of excitement and nervousness. Her host family had written that they were eagerly awaiting her arrival, yet now, standing here, everything felt strange and new once again. Her hands began to tremble as she took a deep breath, pulling her suitcase along the gravel path toward the door.

She paused for a moment, taking in the reality of being here. The thought of immersing herself in Tokyo once more, stepping back into the world of her childhood, filled her with both anticipation and fear. Everything she'd built over the past years was behind her, and ahead lay a new life, full of possibilities and unanswered questions.

Slowly, she raised her hand and knocked on the door.