It doesn’t matter what you are.
“Hey, we’re talking about going somewhere for the three-day weekend, you wanna come?”
I had just gotten used to living alone in Tokyo when my mother called to ask me this.
“On a trip?”
“Yes. Now, I know it might be difficult what with school and all, but I thought it couldn’t hurt to ask.”
Kimi Nishino. My parents put a lot of thought into my name, but it’s just plain. But with my diligence and commitment to my studies, now I’m a medical student at Kamii University in Tokyo.
“This upcoming three-day weekend … it might be tough, I have a paper to write,” Kimi said, looking at the schedule book in her hand. She was still in her first year, which meant that she hadn’t finished the classes she needed to take the national admissions test, because they lasted all year, but she had been accepted to the college. And since she’d signed up for enough classes to make your eyes water, she had a lot of papers to write. Even in her spare time she studied—her desire to be a doctor was that strong.
“Just as I suspected. I understand. We’ll bring you back something—you just keep at your studies.”
“I will. Sorry, mom. Tell everyone hi for me.”
I wonder if she really did anticipate that I’d say that. Both said, “Bye now,” at the same time and hung up.
“A trip …”
Kimi set her phone down on her desk and stretched. Now that she thought about it, her younger brother wasn’t planning to take college entrance exams next year. Everyone’s going traveling while they still can. Maybe I should go.
But I’ll have another chance someday.
Kimi returned to her paper.
“Morning, Kimi. Did you finish that paper?”
“She’s not like you, you know. Of course she did.”
The next day, when she went to the campus, some of the girls in her department called out to her. First was Shiraishi, a smiley girl who was always in full makeup. Next to her was Itose, a doctor’s daughter.
“Yeah, I finished it,” Kimi said, sitting down next to them.
“All you do is study, Kimi. Don’t you ever wanna hang out with us?” Shiraishi said, her eyes twinkling.
“Don’t listen to her, Kimi. She’s just trying to find someone to go on a blind group date with us.”
“Hey! Everybody’s really excited about it, and we don’t have enough people!”
Shiraishi looked like she’d been caught. Every time I see her she does this.
“But you don’t have a boyfriend, do you, Kimi? Nobody to hang out with, no smart and sexy college man … What are you doing for the three-day weekend? A boyfriend is a must-have for any college girl!”
I don’t have a boyfriend and I turned down a trip with my family. And I can’t imagine I’ll find someone on a group date, as plain a woman as I am.
“I’m sorry, I’m busy that day.”
“What? What are you doing?”
“Quit hounding her. God, you’re annoying,” said Itose.
“What about you, Itose? You wanna come?” Shiraishi said, changing tack. Her hands were clasped together.
“My sister’s bringing her fiancé, so I’m going to hang out with them.”
Itose’s sister was a nurse working in a university hospital, and her fiancé was apparently a doctor from work.
“Wow, is that what it’s like in a doctor’s family? I wanna man like that …”
“Then you should work on developing some character …”
“Don’t talk to me like that! I have tons of character! I’m full of it!”
“Just look up ‘character’ in the dictionary.”
Itose was seriously amused by Shiraishi as she scrambled to respond. Their exchange sounded like a comedy routine, and Kimi couldn’t help but laugh.
“Enough,” Shiraishi said, puffing out her cheeks exaggeratedly, and Itose started laughing too.
When their morning lecture was over, the three parted ways. Kimi bought her favorite pastry at the campus bakery and sat down on a bench outside. Kamii was a giant college with a big campus and lots of greenery. The soft light falling through the leaves of the trees was soothing to the eye.
College life is good. The only thing I don’t have is a boyfriend, like Shiraishi said.
Kimi had only had one boyfriend ever. When she was a freshman in high school, an older boy had told her how he felt and they had gone out. But the first date didn’t go so well, and things naturally fizzled out. And then nothing after that.
But she was satisfied with how things were now. She was getting closer to her classmates, and day by day she was getting used to living in the 20th Ward. It was full of excitement she couldn’t have found back home.
She took a big bite of her pastry and muttered, “So good,” to herself, her cheeks puffed out like a hamster. Couldn’t have found this back home either.
Just another normal day as a normal person. She imagined it would always be like this.
Until the moment when it all suddenly came to an end.