Wednesday//December 21//Late Morning//Home
Slowly, Ai opened her unusually sad eyes as she laid on her western style bed. She was feeling horribly homesick once again, and she had only been in Tokyo for a day now. Just thinking about Junpei, her grandmother, or Kyoto in general made her want to curl up and cry. To make matters worse, her bedroom walls still remained disgustingly bare and white. Her parents had promised that once everything was put away and straightened out about the home, that they'd find the nearest paint store and buy the most delightfully pink colored paint available.
Sitting up, Ai looked around her room lazily. Untouched boxes filled with her belongings still littered the floor of her bedroom; it made no sense to unpack everything, just to have to pack them back up again to paint her room. She could hear her mother and father moving about the rest of the apartment, putting some things here and other things there. Her mother had insisted that Ai sleep in that morning, knowing her daughter was suffering from the separation from Kyoto and loved ones. Ai, however, found sleep impossible.
With a frustrated sigh, Ai left her bed to pull on a pair of faded jeans, torn in the both knees and splattered with colorful paint, and a grey 'Hakuei' t-shirt that hung loosely on her childlike form. Grabbing her cell phone, she shoved it carelessly into her back pocket. She left her bedroom, Momo following with delight, while pulling back her bright pink hair with a yellow hair tie.
"I'm taking Momo for a walk," Ai informed her parents as she grabbed her white jacket and slipped on her brightly colored Chucks.
"Alright, baby. Don't be gone too long," her mother, Reiko, smiled at her daughter.
"And don't go too far. I don't want you getting lost in this big city," her father, Senichi, requested with concern.
"Okay," Ai agreed, attaching a thin, purple leash to Momo's neon, polka-dotted collar. "Ittekimasu," she announced, leaving the apartment.
Ai walked in silence, with Momo leading the way. She wondered what others her age were doing, seeing as it was the first day of winter break today. Thoughtlessly, her tongue played with the cold metal of her centered lip ring. She wondered again what the kids at Gakuin High were like. Back in Kyoto, she had questioned her classmates about the high school and its reputation and students. Unfortunately, no one had been able to relieve her of her curiosity. She had meant to ask her parents about the school, but never had the chance. Her parents had been so busy making necessary arrangements that she didn't wish to burden them with her pointless questions. Her curiosity nagged at her persistently, and made her wonder if the Gakuin students were nice, wonder what they looked like and acted, and wonder if she would become good friends with any of them. She hoped so very much that she would make friends; if there was anything that she needed right now, it was a friend. She wanted to be with Junpei most of all, but knew it wasn't possible and that she had to make new friends here in Tokyo.
With a playful bark from Momo, Ai was pulled from her thoughts, and noticed that she had stopped walking all together. She glanced around at the scenery, none of which looked anywhere near familiar to her. She did, however, take notice to the park that she stood in.
"Well, I can't be that far from home," Ai thought aloud to herself. Momo, again, barked playfully at Ai. With a smile, she kneeled to pet the puppy affectionately. "I take it you want to play, hey Momo?" she asked the puppy, grabbing the nearest twig small enough for Momo to play with. Removing the leash, she threw the small stick a short distance from her, and watched Momo run to fetch it with joy. Taking a seat on the grassy area, Ai continued the little game with Momo. She felt herself growing happier as she observed her excited puppy play. Ai smiled as she actually began to feel better and much like her usual happy self, once more.