Chereads / MY SAKURA (私の桜) / Chapter 3 - The journey starts from here (旅はここから始まる)

Chapter 3 - The journey starts from here (旅はここから始まる)

Incident. Every day, incidents occur in our lives. It's because incidents happen that our lives keep moving. Life is always running. This is a constant. It means it can never be changed. 神様 (God) created mankind using a moving unit. God has created us through a unit called motion. Whatever we do in life, it is an incident. If we sit quietly, it is an incident. If we die, it is also an incident. Even if this universe remains empty, it is still an incident. An incident is not just a regular constant but a supernatural constant. The incident is the foundation of this entire universe. Dimension, time, alternate universe—these are later concepts. The incident came before all of these. Even God himself is part of an incident, as His creation of us is also an incident.

The incident that happened to me on the 31st night seems to be the best incident of my life. I had never been as happy in my life seeing my friends as I was that day. We were sitting in a café, 

talking. At one point, they all said they had come to take me to America. I was shocked. What were they saying? Did they want to take me to America? I then said—

"Are you guys serious about taking me... Are you in your right mind?"

"We are completely serious. Otherwise, we wouldn't have come from the USA to Japan just for you!" (Ishikawa)

"WAIT! YOU GUYS LIVE IN THE USA?"

"Yes, the three of us live in the USA. Don't you remember? When we were in school, the four of us promised we would always stay together. Don't you remember we always used to say we would go to the USA someday? The three of us have kept that promise. Only you are left. So, we have come to take you with us. Then our promise will be fulfilled."

 I sat there quietly with my head down.

"You will go to the USA. But first, settle my debt with me!" (Yuki)

"Settle what debt?" (Ishikawa)

Yuki looked at me angrily and said—

"Where's my money?"

I was confused.

"What money?"

"Don't you remember? Two months before graduation, you borrowed 2000 Yen from me. You haven't returned it to this day! Now that I've met you, give me my money back." (Yuki)

I thought to myself, This girl is so stingy! She remembers the money I borrowed seven years ago! Even I forgot about it! I looked at Ishikawa. He understood what I was thinking and nodded in agreement. She also agreed with me. Seeing us communicate through gestures, Yuki got angry and said,

"What are you guys talking about? Huh?"

We all replied in fear,

"Nothing!"

Since entering the café, I noticed that everyone was looking at my three friends with great curiosity. So, I asked them,

"I've been noticing for a while that everyone is looking at you and talking among themselves. What's going on?"

Ishikawa told me,

"You don't get it now, but someone will come and explain it to 

you soon."

Five minutes later, two strangers appeared in front of us!

They asked Yuki,

"Excuse me! Are you the popular idol... 橘由紀 (Tachibana Yuki)?"

I stood there with my mouth open! What were they saying? Yuki 

replied—

"Yes. I am 橘由紀 (Tachibana Yuki). Nice to meet you. And you are?"

They introduced themselves. After giving them autographs, Yuki bid them farewell. I just stood there, staring. After they left, I asked Ishikawa—

"What just happened?"

"That was nothing! Wait a little longer and see what happens!" 

(Ishikawa)

A few moments later, two young men approached Ishikawa and

Sho and asked—

"Excuse me! Are you Nyvro's CEO Mr. Arai Ishikawa and Lunor Inc.'s CEO Mr. Matsuda Sho?"

Nyvro

Nyvro is a next-generation tech conglomerate specializing in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and advanced consumer electronics. Known for its cutting-edge innovations, Nyvro aims to seamlessly integrate technology into everyday life. With a bold focus on futuristic solutions, Nyvro develops products and platforms that enhance connectivity, productivity, and entertainment, setting new industry standards.

Lunor

Lunor is a premium electronics and lifestyle brand that blends minimalist design with powerful functionality. Inspired by natural simplicity and human-centered experiences, Lunor's products—from sleek smartphones to wearable technology—offer seamless performance with an artistic touch. With sustainability at its core, Lunor strives to create devices that are both beautiful and eco-conscious, capturing the perfect balance between innovation and elegance.

.....

They enthusiastically replied—

"Yes, you're right! And who are you?"

They introduced themselves, and took pictures together, while I sat with Yuki, stunned. When they finished, Ishikawa said—

"Now do you understand why everyone was staring at us?"

I smiled and said—

"I feel very lucky. I didn't know my friends would become so famous! Small part-time working little punk like me shouldn't hang around with such famous people like you!"

They all scolded me in anger—

"You're starting again!" (Ishikawa)

"Bro, you don't need to be famous to become friends. Friendship means being with your friends." (Sho)

I looked at them with pride. My friends were true friends. Then Yuki returned to the previous topic about the money I owed her. She started talking about it again, but we ignored her, and she began to argue with us. We continued talking among ourselves. Ishikawa brought up the topic of going to the USA again. I told him—

"Give me a few days. I need to think about it!"

"There's nothing to think about. You're coming with us. Start packing your stuff." (Ishikawa)

"All right, I'll pack! But what about my passport, visa, etc.?"

"Don't worry about it! Sho and I have taken care of everything. The US embassy said they will give you your visa on the day we go." (Ishikawa)

I asked in amazement—

"How?"

"You don't know! The US ambassador of Japan is one of our close friends. We'll get everything done in a day! Just relax!" (Sho)

I was astonished. They were saying that the US ambassador would personally give me a visa in one day!

I looked at them with gratitude and said—

"I was planning to go to the USA myself in a few days. But now that you're taking me, I've decided. I'll go with you."

They were overjoyed. Ishikawa asked me—

"Then tell us when you'll go."

I thought for a moment and said—

"On the 15th."

"All right, then! On January 15th, we'll all go to the USA together. By the way, give me your home address." (Ishikawa)

"Why?"

"From now on, as long as we are in Japan, we will stay at your place!" (Ishikawa)

I gave him my address and finally bid them farewell. I started walking home. I live in Shibuya. My father was a wealthy man, a civil servant. He had built an apartment for me and my siblings before he passed away. Now, as there's no one left in my family, I live alone in that apartment. The rent I get from it supports me along with my part-time job. I was walking, and just before reaching home, a thought struck me! My friends are coming tomorrow! What will I feed them, how will I serve them, how will I treat them? The biggest problem is I can't cook! So, I rushed home and started watching various cooking tutorials on my phone. I watched them all night and eventually became a master at cooking!

The Next Day

4:00 am

I had fallen asleep watching cooking videos. When I woke up, it was 4 am! I hurried out, ran to the nearby departmental store, and bought all the cooking ingredients. I knew what I would cook, so I bought everything accordingly. Back home, I got ready to cook. I put on an apron, tied a scarf on my head, and wore my special gloves. I started cooking. Today, I was making original Wagyu Beef for them, along with many other dishes. After finishing the cooking, I saw that it was 10 am. I then realized—

"I forgot to clean the house!"

I quickly finished cooking and started cleaning the house with a vacuum cleaner. After an hour and a half of cleaning, just as I was about to sit on the sofa to rest, the doorbell rang! I got up lazily. They kept ringing the bell continuously! I realized who it was—Sho. In high school, when we went to Sho's house, if he took time to open the door, I would keep ringing the bell. Ishikawa and I usually did this. We would also often ring Ishikawa's doorbell and run away! But no one could ring my doorbell because my house was far from theirs, and I didn't have a doorbell! Today, they were taking revenge on me! I opened the door and was handed a pile of bags! They rushed in—

"Hey...! What the―"

Before I could finish, they handed me more bags!

"Ah....素晴らしい (Wonderful)!" (Ishikawa)

They looked around my house in awe! Suddenly, they turned back to look at me. Their eyes showed they were in heaven! Ishikawa asked—

"Do you live alone in such a beautiful house?"

"Yes."

"This beautiful house must have a high rent!" (Yuki)

"No. I live here for free. This whole building belongs to me. So, I don't have to pay rent. Instead, I collect rent from others."

They looked at me with surprise.

They came closer and stared at me with great interest.

"You live in such a beautiful house and never told us!" (Ishikawa)

"How could I tell you? I drifted away from you. We didn't even live in this house back then!"

They then looked down with a serious expression. I tried to cheer them up—

"Bros are thinking they are sad!"

Sho laughed. In school, Sho and I always used to joke 'Bro thinks he's funny.' Because of us, everyone got annoyed. So, I said it today, and Sho laughed, while Yuki scolded me—

"Stop it, idiot! You always ruin the mood!"

Hearing this, Ishikawa and Sho burst into laughter. 

Oh my!!! I'm laughing! Today I'm laughing after 10 years! I had forgotten how to laugh for so long! But today, for some reason, I'm laughing! I'm not supposed to be laughing! My sense of humanity was lost a long time ago! Yet, why is this happening to me? I thought for a while and realized that even though my sense of humanity was gone, it wasn't completely gone! A tiny drop of it remained! And now, that tiny drop is growing. Maybe one day, I will see that this tiny drop of humanity has grown so much and one day I will regain the previous version of my personality!

......

Then I asked them to sit in the living room, gave them some snacks, and started preparing the dining table. After a while, I invited them to the table. They looked at the dishes with great surprise and started taking photos of them! Finally, I served the food.

The three of them praised my house for a while!

"Freshen up! I'll bring some food!"

"Did you order online!?" - Ishikawa teased me. So, to take my revenge, I brought all the dishes that I had been cooking for 3 hours! Seeing it, Ishikawa said –

"Who cooked all these?"

"Who else could have cooked them in this house?"

"When did you learn to cook?" (Sho)

"Why? Don't you remember, when I used to invite you to my house, I used to cook and serve you! Think back."

They started to remember!

"Oh!!!! I remember! Yes, you used to serve us." (Sho)

"So today, I cooked again!"

We all sat down to eat. As soon as the three of them took the first spoonful of food into their mouths, the spoons fell from their hands! They were staring at each other in shock!

"What happened? Why did the three of you drop your spoons at the same time and stare at each other?!"

The three of them stood up in front of me. Suddenly, they knelt and started to bow to me! And they started shouting –

"ALL HAIL THE COOK GOD!" (Ishikawa)

"HEH!!!!"

I was completely shocked! They started to bow to me!!! I tried to get them to stop bowing!

"I didn't know you could cook this well!" (Ishikawa)

"What are you saying!!! I just learned these recipes from the phone last night!"

"Even then, the food is great!" (Ishikawa)

"Even I can't cook this well despite being a girl!" (Yuki)

"Hey Yuki, don't feel bad! Not everyone is good at everything! Just like you can sing well but I can't, Ishikawa can give good lectures but I can't. Sho knows a lot about technology but I don't! So, everyone's not good at everything!"

They all smiled faintly and looked down.

"What? Why are you all looking down and smiling? What's the matter?"

"Nothing! We're just surprised by what you said!" (Ishikawa)

"You have changed a lot!" (Sho)

"Heh! In what way?"

"You're not the goofy-ass person you used to be. Now you talk very logically." (Sho)

"Really?!!!"

"Yes! You're not the same as before!" (Yuki)

"What are you saying?"

"Yes, you're not the same! Sho, remember their personality change?" (Ishikawa)

"How can I forget that story? Do you remember how many yen they took from me?" (Sho)

"Yes, I remember everything! They took a whole 50 yen from you!"

With that, Ishikawa and Sho started laughing loudly! I then took out my wallet and gave Sho 50 yen. He refused to take the money and returned it to me!

"Hey bro, what are you doing?"

"Why? I'm returning your money!"

"Hey bro, I don't need this money! This is an embarrassment for me! Do you want to embarrass me?"

Then he put away that money back into his wallet. 

"You really have changed!" (Sho)

"You're right!" (Yuki) 

I had nothing more to say. I changed myself back then. I think it all happened because of all the childhood trauma I had faced back in my life. They say that what goes around comes around. The things that happened to you in the past always come back and bite you from the back. I was depressed about it. I decided to kill myself and get free from all this trauma. But turns out I care about them. Who? I care about them who cares about me. 

"MY FRIENDS (友達)"