Chapter Text
My name is Harumi Kurose.
I was born in Japan and lived there up until I was at the astounding age of 6 years! I don't remember much, but my mom died. She died and left her soul in Japan.
My dad and I moved to the US, Boston to be specific. My mom had been dead a few years before my dad remarried, so my new step-parent wasn't really a "step" parent and was really more just a, well parent to me.
In the US, middle school was hard for me. My friends... never mind you don't really need to know that, just know that it was hard for me- big old sob story right here. High school was starting soon and, well how much I really, really, really didn't want to go back to that mess and deal with all of that so, with some finagling, I managed to convince my parents to let me move to Japan to study there. I know that sounds crazy- worse parents ever 'Sending your 15 year old child thousands of miles away on the other side of the world to live alone when he can't even cook for himself"- well yeah, no shit. I swear my parents actually care about my well being and didn't just let me off that easily.
It was more of my dad that needed... convincing- he's the more controlling type the... whatchamacallit- helicopter parent? Well not that bad but- you get the idea. With a lot of my master debate skills (Quality of education, safety, and getting to be closer to my mom) he gave in.
When I first moved to Japan, it was weird I can say that much. I tried to study up online before I came but, there were a lot of culture shocks, sure. It was a huge- but exciting change. A big restart to a new life- new people- new friends- I can't wait to blend in and-
Yeah that didn't happen.
My first day at Higasa, a private school that I got into, left me feeling immediately like... outcasted? Not in the way where I was put to the side but, I might as well have been. I was seen as this super cool foreign kid and everyone flocked me, it made me super overwhelmed. To try and combat this I tried to push them away, giving them a bit of a cold shoulder to back off, yeah yeah I know that isn't great of my goal of 'making new friends' but... besides the point it backfired. Being distant and cold to others somehow made me into this 'idol', and my half decent grades pushed me to the top. You must be thinking- no I KNOW you're thinking 'Wow Harumi getting to be this huge idol figure of your school must of made you a ton of friends', well no, it didn't it made me this 'cool untouchable person'.
In my new role that everyone put me in I was pulled right into the stupid school drama. My school was pitted against this other high school, Suisha Academy, for this big drama that had something to do with a King and Angel? I don't know I was half paying attention on the first day of school when the third years were telling us. My part in this gossip was to be sworn enemies with Suisha's idol, their top performer and big personality, Akihiko Shirashi. I hate the whole idea of all of that- to be enemies with this poor guy I didn't even know just because our schools hated each other?!!?!
Well, a lot of other backstory stuff but then it turned to be my birthday, good old ~Sweet 16~, and it started just how I always dreamed of it.
Without my parents.
Without friends. (Though it's not the first time)
Without anybody who I cared about within half the globe of me.
On my way home from a great birthday gift, the school's English debate club because I was 'oh so perfect' and 'just had to join!', my life like one of those cringy movies, changed forever.
I met him. Akihiko Shirashi.
My first impressions? He was this shiny ball of sunshine, but as if it was fueled by tons of other little stars constantly and continently forever and ever. What I mean to say is that this ball of sunshine was shining a little to bright, no way I was being compared to someone this flawless. Turns out he wasn't really the human embodiment of sunshine and was really just pressured by his classmates to be something he wasn't, just like me. He also, just like me, thought the whole rivalry thing was stupid.
That was the start of our friendship.
We would walk home together and started to grow closer and closer, meeting in secret because of the whole rivalry thing with our schools and the chance if we were found out together we would be huge social outcasts (I didn't really care about all of that, but Aki did, so I did for him)
Then the little old problem started. Some little old feelings.
Being around Aki so much, god I've grown so fond of him- makes me gag to hear myself hearing those words but, it's true. The fondness turned into, attachment. I went from seeing him as a random person, to an ally, a friend, a best friend... and what I see of him now. I can't let him know though, he's my best friend- my only friend- if... if he hear my thoughts when I'm around him he'd never want to see me again cause... he doesn't see me like that..
Here I am know, recording this like I'm sending it off to a documentary that's being made of me- geez I'm pathetic.
Harumi turns off his phone and holds it to his forehead, taking a deep breath before setting his phone down on his desk, plugging it in.
He walks over to his couch and lays down on his back, staring to the ceiling. He turns his head to look over to the clock at the corner of his TV.
8:23, 16 June
Harumi stared up at the ceiling, arms folded under his head, eyes tracing the same crack in the plaster over and over again, as if he was waiting for it to move. The hum of the AC was louder than normal, or maybe it just felt that way because everything else was so quiet.