I know a lot of us here don't know what a mixer is. Don't worry I've got you covered. And trust me, you don't want to ever get yourself involved in that sort of thing. Why? Because I fucking regret it. My personal opinion would be that they shouldn't even be allowed to exist. Honestly.
A mixer is something like a group date. A bunch of people come around and drink together. Get to know each other. Eat good food. Have fun. That sort of thing. Have you heard of the Izakaya before? That's where my first mixer took place and it was horrible.
My name is Aoyuki Haku. It's quite a rare Japanese name. It is written with the Kanji of "Blue" and "Snow". So of course my name means Blue Snow. And my last name. It probably means White or something. I don't know. I'm sixteen years old and by law, I am most definitely not allowed to attend mixers. But guess who did and ruined their entire life? Yup, it's me. I feel like I deserve an award.
The day started as a normal one. I greeted my toxic parents. I remember the day I didn't tell my mom 'Good morning '. She starved me the whole morning. After that, I vowed to myself. Never again. I did my hygiene. Had my bath, did my hair, and of course put on a little makeup. Emphasis on a little. As a teen the only makeup accessories I was allowed to use were; Lipgloss, mascara, and powder. Amusing right?
It was a Saturday. And guess what takes place on Saturdays. Mixers. Mixers took place almost every day but they were most popular on Saturdays. Beforehand, a friend and I had scheduled a session for this very day. Of course, I lied to my parents that I had a group study to go to. If only it was 'group study' and not a 'group date'.
Since I rarely go out, for my outfit I decided on a blue top and a jeans skirt. I wish I had worn pants that day. I called Mia. That's my friend's name and she agreed I could come to hang out at her house till it was time for the mixer. I did.
"Yuki," she said as she saw me. My friends called me Yuki. Then she looked at my outfit in shock. She didn't say anything but trust me I knew exactly what she thought and I know you do too.
We played Shogi. Shogi is Japanese chess. That's the best explanation I can give. "It doesn't start till 4 pm," she said.
"I know" I replied "You know my parents, once it's noon. I'm not allowed to leave the house" I reminded her. She nodded and we continue playing our game of Shogi. Living a life with strict parents is not easy.
We soon got tired of the game and had a nice long nap. We woke up by a few minutes past 3 pm. A couple of hours later. We freshened up and I borrowed some makeup from her. "How do I look," I asked after applying some blush.
"Like an angel" came her reply. At that moment I felt like the most beautiful celestial being to have ever existed. My head was literally on the moon.
Fast forward to when we arrived at the Izakaya. The place looked decent. Now that I think about it. Their ability to keep up a facade was top-notch. Their frizz and everything. Mia checked us in. We had booked a table in advance.
We got to our table and we were the last to arrive. We had booked the set of three. Mixers are attended in sets. So since we prearranged a set of three there was one extra lady and of course three humans of the opposite gender.
The lady looked like she was in college. She surely had the air of it. So I felt I at least had a big sister to turn to but oh, how I was wrong. About the men, two of them were without doubt college students, and the last one was probably an office worker. I don't know.
5 pm, the mixer was in full swing. We did the introduction blah blah blah. The guy that caught my attention was the blonde-haired college student. He is what you refer to as an Ikemen. He was also my one-night stand.
He was outgoing and nice and he also listened to every single word I said. Mia paired with the office worker. To date, I still feel she just wanted a Sugar Daddy. The drinks got finished and Ryan, that is the Ikemen's name offered to get us more drinks. When he got up, oh my fucking god. He was a masterpiece. He shouldn't be less than 6"5. If I hadn't restrained myself, I'd have had a nosebleed.
Earlier, I had had nothing alcohol-related so I was still pretty much sober. Only matcha tea. He got back with only Sake. Sake is an alcoholic drink made from fermented rice. I wasn't allowed to have anything alcoholic.
Mia got a phone call from her mom" Yes, I'll be home soon" she said and hung up. She then looked at me with puppy eyes" Have fun for two" and she left. I was flabbergasted. The 'big sister' was already drunk.
"Bye," I said reluctantly and that's how I was left alone amid ravaging varmints. I would have left too but I wanted to spend more time with the ikemen. Like, why not?
"Should I pour you a cup of Sake?" he asked. I shook my head.
With the calmest tone, I could muster I said" No, I don't drink". He gave me a suspicious smile. It wasn't suspicious then but whenever I look back and think about it. That smile surely had without any fucking doubts ulterior motives behind it. The only problem is I was too dumb at that time to decipher it.
After much pleading from him, I took a sip. It tasted sour-sweet. I liked it. My head started spinning. I became drowsy. I guess I was alcohol intolerant. We spoke and spoke and spoke while we drank and drank and drank. At one point I was no longer conscious of myself. I had a hangover. My head was pounding. I just wanted to go home.
I think Ryan noticed it too and asked for the bill to be brought. It was settled by the men. He offered his shoulder to walk me home and as soon as I slung my hand over his shoulder I drifted to the other side of the planet Earth. He took me to his house.
At the time I woke up, I still had the throbbing sensation in my head. Then I looked around. I couldn't see my reading desk, my makeup table, or my shelf of books. Where was I? Then I remembered. I had gone to a mixer a day before and indubitably at the ikemen's house.
I was dead. I was so dead. I hadn't gone home. I didn't even want to think about how my parents would react. Only the thoughts of it sent chills down my spine.
I heard a knock on the door, "Come in" I said, and in came a homely Ryan. I felt all my fears melt away. Like, I could take on any punishment if it meant me having time alone with the chef-d'oeuvre standing before my eyes.
He handed me a glass of water and some pain relievers. "You're quite the puke machine," he said with a giggle, "You ruined my favorite shirt". I did not get what was funny but decided to play along. I laughed too. "I'm Ryan and you are? ".
I smiled" I'm Aoyuki. Yuki for short" I said. We spoke for a few minutes and even exchanged IDs'. It was the best ten minutes of that day.
"I'm sorry" I apologized for his shirt as I handed him the half-empty cup.
He took it and grasped my hand. I felt uncomfortable and pulled away. The cup fell to the floor.
"You don't like people touching you? " he asked.
I nodded. " I'm not used to it". I said.
"I'm sorry. I did that without thinking," he apologized. So he was also a playboy. Intriguing. "This is my first time having a girl at my house and to be frank I don't know what to do. And yesterday was my first time attending a mixer" he added. I couldn't believe what I had just heard. Put me down mister, I felt he was lying.
"My clothes" I wasn't putting on anything except my underwear. I didn't want to ask why? If I did and got an answer. I'd probably die of embarrassment.
He left and came back almost immediately. In his hand were my jeans skirt and my top. I took them from his hands "Excuse me I want to change" I said and he left.
I quickly put on my clothes. My hair was in disarray but I could fix that later. I was dead.
I grabbed my bag full of books for the supposed 'group study' and rushed out. "Won't you have breakfast? " he asked. Breakfast? In my predicament? I wouldn't dare. I said a quick thank you and rushed home.
Only the future knew what was in store for me. I knew too but I wasn't prepared to accept it.