Southside Espresso || Asheiji

Chapter 1

America. The place that is known for being the best country that could ever exist. A place for everyone to love and accept one another till their hearts desire. A place where, no matter how low you may be, there's always someone there to guide you.

The place that Eiji Okumura was accepted to go to after winning the state championship at a pole vaulting competition.

Eiji was invited to attend Baruch College, which he gladly took the offer. The boy always imagined going to America, especially New York. One thing he surely wanted to see was the Statue of Liberty. Yes, Japan has a replica near Tokyo skyline, but he wanted to see the real thing.

The dark haired boy left as soon as he could, packing almost immediately when he heard the news. Frankly, he would have to go with an adult, and he would be away, but he was still excited nonetheless.

Once he finally said goodbye to his family (the thing that would make him miss home the most is his dog, Buddy.), he met up with the unfamiliar adult, which he would have to be around for the next few weeks. Months, even.

Shunichi Ibe.

Schunichi Ibe was the manager of the photography club at Eiji's high school, and he was a fan of the boy's skills at pole vaulting. Hearing that an adult had to take him out to New York, Ibe agreed to it. Just like Eiji, he always wanted to see America, too.

Once the two met, Eiji bowed at the elder before they left to get to the plane.

New York City.

The plane was too quiet to the boy, to say the least. It also felt a bit longer than he expected it to be (It took 12 hours... Of course it felt longer!), but maybe it was the jitters he had. Instead of frantically waiting to get there, he decided to sleep.

He slept for most of the ride, which kept Ibe in luck so that he didn't have to deal with the younger.

As soon as the plane landed, Eiji was nearly jumping out of his skin from the excitement. He couldn't hold in the cheers of joy any longer, but he insisted on holding it in as he grabbed his bags.

"Come on, Eiji-kun. We need to settle you into your new dorm, and registrations are almost over" Ibe tells him, holding his bag in his hand.

"Right! Sorry for the hassle, Ibe-san" Eiji says, gripping onto his bag's handle as he looked around. Everyone around him sounded as if they were speaking in tongues at this point! Did it frustrate him? A little, but he knew it would.

Ibe insisted beforehand that Eiji should learn from him, since he could speak Japanese and English. Long story short, Eiji said no to the offer and instead downloaded an app to learn English from it.

As Eiji continued to hear the noisy gibberish around him, he tried his best to ignore it as he followed Ibe outside, waiting for their taxi to arrive. Thankfully, it only took about five minutes to get there.

As Ibe talked to the man in the taxi cab, Eiji looked at the two with a confused expression as Ibe opened the door. Eiji hesitantly goes inside, sitting on the leather seats as Ibe continues to talk. The only thing the younger could understand was "Baruch College".

He needed to learn sooner than he thought. He knew the basics and could understand a few words here and there, but it seems as if there's more than he thought he would have to learn.

As they drove to the college, Ibe talked to the taxi driver as Eiji stared outside in awe. He sighed happily, watching as the tall buildings passed by him. He didn't realize that New York would be this packed, buy the didn't mind. He was used to it anyways. Maybe not as many homeless people, but he could get used to it.

Few minutes passed, and the two were at the front of the college. Ibe thanked the taxi driver and paid for their ride, and Eiji thanked him with a bow. The taxi driver laughed lightly, not understand the culture, but Eiji shrugged it off. Americans were too stupid to understand, anyways.

The two walked inside, and Ibe talked to the receptionist, getting everything sorted out for Eiji's dorm. At one point, the receptionist and Ibe laughed, Ibe a bit more embarrassed, but that was because the lady asked if Eiji was his son.

Once the two talked, Ibe told the younger "Come on, it's upstairs."

Eiji nodded, a bright smile across his face. His feet felt light as he walked down the carpet ground, and he retracted his hand when he touched the cold bar handle of the staircase. Everything felt surreal to the 19 year old boy; the fact he could even be in New York astonishes him.

"Listen, Eiji-kun," Ibe started to say as he smiled a bit before continuing. "You have a roommate this year, so don't be alarmed if you see a guy already in there."

"A roommate?" Eiji mumbled to himself, humming to the thought. Roommates? What if it's some sick bastard who only cares about himself? What if it's some guy who does drugs and is a masochist? What would he do then?

As the thought rumbled through the boy's head, they were rudely interrupted with Ibe going "Room 202... 203... Ah, 204! Here's your dorm!"

Eiji blinks, taking in a deep breath before going "I think I got this, Ibe-san. Don't worry about me." He smiles brightly, which makes Ibe smile back.

"Alright. I have an apartment nearby that I'm staying at, so if anything happens, please let me know" Ibe says, putting a hand on Eiji's head and ruffling his hair, which makes Eiji rolls his eyes in a playful manner as he fixed it.

"Yes, of course. Thank you!" he says, standing face to face with Ibe before bowing. Ibe smiles, waving goodbye as he heads his way out of the hallow and into the world they would now be living in.

Eiji looked over at the door, looking at the engraved 'Room 204' on the door of the room he'd be staying in. He takes in a deep breath, fixing the collar of his shirt before knocking on the door.

You got this, Eiji. You know a few words in English. Surely your roommate will understand and your thoughts were just inaccurate.

The door opens, and a male with long, pink hair that was tied up in a braid looked up at the boy in front of him. "Wow! You must be the roommate I was told about! Come in!"

Did Eiji know exactly what the boy said? No, but he understood bits and pieces, and once the boy moved out of his way to go inside, he assumed the statement and walked in.

"I'm Bones! I'm a sophomore, actually, and this is my first year actually having a roommate" the boy, known as Bones, stated with a whistle.

Eiji blinks, nodding slowly before going "I am Eiji Okumura. I am from Japan." He made sure to use pronunciation with every word he said. He didn't want to make a bad first impression.

To his surprise, the boy's eyes lit up as he went "Japan? That's so cool! I've always thought of going there." He lets out a small chuckle, which Eiji joins in on as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"I know little English. I am still learning" Eiji states with a small sigh, feeling his face go hot. Was this embarrassment? Why should he be embarrassed? He's doing the best he can.

Bones just shrugged it off and grinned. "Don't worry, that's totally fine. I'm honestly fine with it!"

Eiji was wrong. He wasn't some bastard or some masochist. He was just some boy from New York, excited to have a roommate.

Maybe things will turn out good for him.