Part II

“Um, sure,” I replied with a shrug. “I don’t mind.”

“Really?” She gasped excitedly, clapping her hands together.

“Sure, why not,” I decided. “Just don’t be surprised if you’re disappointed. I’m not very interesting.” I had no idea what she was expecting but I was about 99% sure who I was would not be to her liking.

“You’re my first friend here in Japan!” She exclaimed brightly. “I’m so glad I met you! What should I call you?”

“Well, my friends call me Kasumi but I’m fine with whatever you want to call me,” I shrugged.

“Can I call you Kasumi-chan?” She asked eagerly. I shrugged.

“Sure, that’d be fine,” I replied.

“Please call me Aria-chan!” She was really way to enthusiastic to the point it sort of made me tired.

“Ah, ok, then, Aria-chan,” I said.

“Then take care of me from today!” She said, clapping her hands again excitedly.

“Y-Yeah,” I smiled. “Me, too.”

“What does everyone do here in Daisen for fun?” Aria asked, sipping her coffee again, her eyes locked on mine, making me somewhat uncomfortable. I wasn’t used to meeting and holding people’s gaze and it made me feel inexplicably trapped.

“Well,” I mused, sipping my coffee and taking the opportunity to break eye contact and look out the window at the oncoming tide. The sun was setting low against the horizon, glimmering in pastel hues across the broad expanse of water north of the town. “We have festivals from time to time and mountain climbing during the spring and summer. Other than that…not much, I guess. We do have Karaoke but I’ve never been. We’re a very small town, after all, and I’m sure you probably could have picked a better place to be an exchange student. Tokyo or Kyoto or something would have been much more lively, I imagine.” I had no idea how the exchange program worked. I didn’t know if you got to choose your spot or it was just a luck of the draw kind of thing. If it was the latter her luck was terrible, if it was the former her taste was terrible. Any way of looking at it was pretty terrible.

“I’m not an exchange student,” she replied. “I moved here because my uncle lives here. My parents got divorced and I didn’t like either of them very much and didn’t want to stay in America any more so my uncle said I could live with him and my aunt and cousin so I did!”

“Ah,” I said, amazed at her ability to over share. “So your uncle lives here, does he?” I wracked my brain trying to figure out who her uncle could be but came up blank. I didn’t recall any other Caucasians living in Daisen. Admittedly, I didn’t know everyone so it wasn’t really surprising.

“Yes, he’s a doctor at the hospital,” she said. “It kind of runs in the family, my mom’s a doctor, too.” I’d never been to the hospital and only had the vaguest of ideas where it even was so I had no idea who he could be.

“I see,” I said. “Well, welcome to the end of the world, I guess. If you find something fun to do let me know!” She grabbed my hands familiarly and smiled.

“I can’t wait to get to know you better!” She said happily. I glanced down at her hands holding mine and smiled. At the very least this girl seemed interesting.