Work Text:
Rintarou had always been afraid of change. As Albert Einstein once said, “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep balance, you must keep moving”. He had never related to that statement. He had always needed something constant in his life. Especially in this globalised era, it is especially difficult to seek stability - something constant. For him, it was his home. However, it all changed when his parents broke the news to him that they were going to move into a new house. Furthermore, to add insult to his injury, he found out that they were moving into Miyagi, a brand new and unknown town 5 hours away from Tokyo.
The world that had surrounded him, the sense of familiarity that he had built over the years, had just collapsed. The imaginary world he created when he was still a five-year-old boy, the place he sought solace in whenever he felt alone, his safe haven. It was as though his world had just turned upside down by the sheer strength of the five words that left Rintarou’s mother's mouth.
We are moving next week.
Never have he ever thought before, those words he so-greatly despised, would be muttered by his parents. His heart sank. It was a reality that he was not ready to accept.
However, the day that he dreaded had come. The nightmare had become a reality. Throughout the whole journey of travelling from his previous home to his new house, he kept the voices and complaints within him. Despite the plenty of efforts by his parents to get him to talk, he refused to give them the satisfaction of hearing his voice. Petty, he knew. But what else could he do, really?
As soon as the Suna family’s car reached in front of the new house, he could not help but to feel the curiosity within him overcome his stubbornness. His astonishment and curiosity was slowly flowing out of him like a pot full of boiling water despite his efforts to keep it all in.
The smoke grey door of the two-storey house seemed to have veiled its beauty within. When his parents opened the door for him, he stepped inside and took a whiff of the new environment. The scent of fresh linen had wafted through the air of the three-room flat. His parents had visited the house before, and settled some of their belongings and sprayed an air freshener. A pile of suitcases sat in the middle of the living room, in front of the sofa.
The atmosphere had brought tranquility within him. He was compelled as to what had caused the sudden switch in his attitude towards the new house. A presence as ethereal as an angels’ to be had serenaded him into feeling like he belonged in this house. He walked further into the house, through the hallways, into the three bedrooms. Instinctively, he turned into the only bedroom on his right and placed his back on the floor. Right beside the room was where the bathroom was located. The layout of that part of the house seems to have mimicked his previous home back in Tokyo. He appreciated the fact that he could bring an aspect of his previous sanctuary into this brand new, unfamiliar world.
Rintarou’s parents seemed to have exchanged glances to one another upon seeing a quick slip-up of his excitement towards the new house. He stared at the bare walls while numerous ideas came towards him about how to decorate the room. The plain, white walls of the room seemed as though they were a magical wonderland, filled with a plethora of opportunities waiting for him to explore.
Rintarou stepped outside of his brand new humble abode, curious to see the neighbourhood around him. The house was surrounded by other similar-shaped houses that surrounded each other on a side road, keeping the passing vehicle noises to a minimum. As he turned to his right, he saw two boys around his age, likely to be twins. The twins had been observing him with curiosity in their eyes whilst whispering into each others’ ears. Upon making eye contact with each other, one of the twins had the decency to look embarrassed while the other smiled and waved Rintarou over.
“Hi! Are ya new here? What’s yer name? I’m Atsumu,” said one of the twin excitedly.
“I’m Rintarou. I just move here from Tokyo,” he replied.
“Cool!”
“And I’m Osamu, wanna come play with us?” asked the other twin.
Rintarou nodded and smiled while walking towards the twins. He was glad that he was able to make friends with kids his age in this unfamiliar location.
Perhaps, he was wrong to think that having changes in his life was a negative thing. It has come to his realization that change is a part of growing up. He might have lost his previous safe haven but to his surprise, there are a lot of ways where he could replace it.
Although he had lost his previous place of comfort, he could attempt to adapt to this new environment. A new location where he could potentially find solace in. Along with the new people he’s going to meet, the new house, and the opportunity to make new memories, Rintarou was ready to face this new chapter of life. This opportunity of moving into a new town could be an important step in life for him, to obtain the opportunity to find a new home. Exhilaration had coursed through his veins, excited about the new challenges that he could face. To gain new experiences and memories in this town that could potentially be his future safe haven.