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36 ‎ ‎ ‎ Tokyo Driftin'

JAPAN
It was around noon when they arrived in her Representative country, in the nearest airport to Shibuya Station. China immediately reserved an Airbnb, and then they were off, leaving the suitcases in the lobby and wandering the streets, alive with the tumult of Tokyo.

Yes, she had a moment, (the same as America's, just with the lack of tears — maybe it was his inner patriot, the one that she didn't have) and unlike before, the whole group was there to console her, a testament to the bond that had only strengthened since they had silently put aside their differences to work together in the first place. This whole day, she figured, she would never be able to keep her eyes off anything.

If the United States was bright, with neon lights and flashing billboards as far as the eye could see, Japan was colorful. The daylife pulsed with an energy both frenetic and harmonious, a kaleidoscope of hues against the flow and travel of humanity. Pale pastel sakura blossoms collected on the rocky floors of scenic streets, not a single piece of litter to be seen. Dark brown temples and houses stood side by side with cutesy cafes and Don Quijotes, whispering stories of the past despite the novelty. The Family Marts, Japan's renowned haven of simple lunches and dinners, were an easily recognizable shade of green and blue, Ukraine skipped past yellow tiled bricks on the floors, and the signboards were red, as per tradition.

"There it is," Germany had said, rather proudly, as the island's buildings finally began to come into sight from the windows of the plane, and JE had commented about how much it had changed, and she had just sat there, rooted to the ground in shock, while America and Canada looked at her, grinning at her bewilderment.

Maybe America had felt pride. Delight at seeing that the land he stepped on was what he would represent for his entire life. Satisfaction that they had lived through a whole revolution and still made it out powerful. But she — she also felt luck. Appreciation. Yes, the country was hers, but at the same time, the country was chosen for her.

She wasn't sure how the selection worked. How Country Representatives functioned in the first place. It was never a question she considered, in the chaos of arguing with rivals and balancing a hefty schedule of work and history memorization. This was, indeed, the place to finally learn the truth.

But regardless, however the process went, in the end, she was the one linked to Japan. And she was filled with a sense of joy, a sense of gratefulness, not for UN, but for the beauty of the country, to the world — that she had the opportunity to represent Japan and all its cities, a place as warm and welcoming as she could only hope to be.

★

AMERICA
"And then I told this idiot, hey, you're going to get caught. And he was like, hell nah, I'll be okay. And then EU finds out immediately, he's like, hey, why are you wearing a long- sleeved hoodie in the middle of summer and choosing purposely to sit in the back corner of the room? And he makes Poland stand in front of the class showing the notes on the back of his arm like it's some mugshot," South wheezed. "Someone took a photo of it and sent it to America and he literally made it look like it was actually a mugshot."

"Do you want the photo?" America chirped, more excited than he should be. "I can show you the photo!"

Poland attempted to wrestle the phone out of his grasp. Reich carefully moved his can of soda away from the tug-of-war.

"I wouldn't mind the photo, actually," Germany laughed, reaching into the pile of Japanese convenience store food spread across the floors. Despite the luxury of the plane, everyone had missed the feeling of a home on the ground, and not a soul did anything after checking into the Airbnb except for collapsing onto the living area couches and opening the wrappers of the sandwiches and onigiri.