Seijin: A Coming of Age Love Story [girl x girl]

Chapter 1

"Jun-chan, don't sit like that. Your furisode will wrinkle."

It took all of my concentration to keep my knees closed. I'm not usually a slob, but I had been sitting there for so long that my thigh muscles were starting to cramp. When I complained to my grandfather, he suggested I start waking up early to do radio calisthenics with him and Grandma to strengthen up. I didn't complain anymore after that.

    Holding back a yawn, I looked up at the clock above the television for the umpteenth time. The ceremony started at 11. We had been up since 5. Even though we had scheduled my appointment at the salon months before, they had to squeeze us in early in the morning. Afterall, I was not the only girl in Saitama City becoming an adult that day.

    My hands involuntarily ran over the smooth silk of my kimono. It was a beautiful garment, by far the nicest thing I had ever worn -- except for maybe the little kimono I had worn for my Shichi-Go-San portrait. The silk was dyed light blue and lilac, reminding me of a candy shop on a dreamy spring day, the world awash in cherry blossoms. Silver and pink thread embroidered floral patterns into the sleeves and the lower half of my body. So maybe it was a little on the garish side, but Naho said that the black furisode with purple butterflies that I had favored was something only yankii gang girls would pick. This was our compromise.

    "Ahh! Jun-chan!" my mother shrieked as she entered the living room from my parents' bedroom. "Your hair! You didn't touch it, did you? That girl worked so hard on it!"

    I let her tug at my frayed locks, choosing not to tell her that I hadn't touched my hair at all; any flaws in my hairstyle had been committed by the stylist. We had gotten the standard hair and make package from the salon, which meant my hair was done in the same old boring updo as all the other girls, complete with a mane of teased hair exploding from the back of my head. At least the flowers looked pretty, even though they were just hair clips and probably made out of some cheap synthetic fabric.

    I still felt a little like a princess, though. Not like a Disney princess with her poofy Western dress. Maybe a princess from an alien planet. And I was here to be inducted into Earth adulthood.

    Grandfather sat at the kotatsu in front of the TV, breaking sembei rice crackers into bite-sized pieces. Unlike my mother and grandmother, who had been fussing over me since they woke me up that morning, my grandfather had silently kept his distance. "Didn't we do this last year?" he asked through the crunch-crunch of rice crackers.

    "I think you're thinking of Shichi-Go-San," my father said with an amused smile. "Does Juri look like she's seven?"

    I raised my eyebrows expectantly as Grandpa glanced over in my direction. "She'll always look seven to me," he finally said mournfully. I smiled and Father patted me on the shoulder.

    Dad had taken the shinkansen all the way from Hiroshima for today. He came out most three-day weekends, but because Seijin no Hi was so close to the New Year's holiday, he usually chose to save the money and spend a quiet long weekend at his apartment. It was a little embarrassing to have my parents spend so much money on me, but I guess you only become an adult once. It's not the kind of thing a father can miss, right?

    "Ara, Jun-chan, it's time!" my mother exclaimed as she glanced up at the clock. "Otousan, turn off the TV, I'll get your coats."

    Even though I had been struggling to stay awake just a moment ago, I suddenly felt nervous and restless as adrenaline coursed through my body. The house erupted in a frenzy of movement as my parents rushed to get everyone dressed and out the door. Dad helped Grandma get her coat and scarf on while Mom counted the umbrellas. Grandpa helped me stand up as I was still unused to walking in a heavy kimono like that. I was about to slip on my sandals when Mom let out a loud cry. "Wait Jun-chan! You need to say goodbye to your brother before we leave!"