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Umiri prided herself on being a master of routines. Sakiko had chosen her to manage the bands schedules for good reason, after all.
Where some might see an impossible web of conflicting itineraries, Umiri simply saw another day’s work. Turning chaos into order came naturally to her. Planning photoshoots, radio interviews, TV appearances, and band practice for all five members was a full-time job in itself, one she handled with quiet precision.
Unsurprisingly, that same structured mentality carried over into her personal life. Wake up, shower, brush teeth, have coffee. Maybe a protein bar if she was feeling adventurous. Go to school, tease Taki, go home. Band activities if scheduled, bass practice if not. Protein shake for dinner, schoolwork, sleep.
Simple, easy, familiar. A process she followed without fail, day in and day out. Some might call it boring, Umiri called it efficient. And she was content to leave it at that.
All of her carefully laid plans, however, hadn’t prepared her for the day an outlier appeared. A petite, quiet, shy, and lovely outlier.
Mutsumi was an unexpected, but welcome, change of plans in the carefully constructed timetable of her life.
Despite her many talents, relationships were not something Umiri had ever mastered. Having a girlfriend was uncharted territory, and she disliked the thought of going in blind. She spent hours browsing the internet, poring over articles like “20 Tips for a Healthy Relationship” or “Expert Advice for New Couples.” Most of it struck her as useless drivel, but at least it gave her a sense of how these things were supposed to work.
Still, all her preparation hadn’t readied her for the ways Mutsumi would quietly upend her routines. None of the articles had mentioned that compromise might be a requirement. She’d assumed it wouldn’t be an issue. Her methods worked. They had always worked. The idea of altering them had never crossed her mind..
That assumption didn’t last long.
The first morning after Mutsumi stayed over had been wonderful, until breakfast. Shower? No problem. She let Mutsumi go first. Brushing teeth? Easy. Breakfast? That… was a hiccup.
Apparently, a can of black coffee and a spread of chocolate or vanilla protein bars wasn’t anyone’s idea of a proper morning meal. Mutsumi accepted a chocolate bar without complaint, but Umiri noticed the slight grimace as she nibbled it.
Most of Umiri’s morning classes that day were spent elsewhere, mentally drafting a shopping list of more acceptable things to eat. She wanted the next sleepover to feel right. Thinking further, she realized Mutsumi probably wouldn’t enjoy a protein shake for dinner either. Even if she had three flavors to choose from, they weren’t exactly date-night material.
From there, the rock-solid routine began to shift, slowly, but surely. Breakfast grew more varied. Mornings became more lively. As it turned out, Mutsumi loved having her hair brushed, and Umiri began making sure there was always time for that.
Coming home to practice bass alone turned into evenings spent out together, or cozy nights in. Sometimes, they’d both practice, side by side, their instruments filling the quiet apartment with something new and harmonious.
Before Umiri even realized it was happening, her old way of life had become a thing of the past. This new routine was full of variety and possibility, something Umiri would have steered clear of before. Now though, she found herself welcoming the changes that each new day seemed to bring.
Through all of it, one constant remained: Mutsumi. The outlier who had become her anchor.
She still maintained Ave Mujica’s schedules with an iron fist, but her personal one had loosened. The weight of her own perfectionism had lifted, replaced by something softer, something free.
She hadn’t planned for this new normal. But for once, she didn’t need to. It was something she wouldn’t trade for the world.