The next morning arrived really fast, but for Kaori, it was the first time she slept that well in a long while. She left her room and found Shimoto coming out of the bathroom, still half-asleep. Kaori blushed a bit at seeing her friend wearing a short, braced pajama, but Shimoto didn’t noticed because of her sleepiness. While Kaori was in the bathroom, she began preparing breakfast, which was ready by the time Kaori came out.

-Let’s dig in!- exclaimed Shimoto with a big smile.

That breakfast wasn’t really that special: miso soup, fried egg and a pair of toasts with some things to put on top. However, Kaori was thrilled as nobody had prepared her breakfast before. Natsume helped her sometimes, but it was usually her who did most of the work. Seeing her amazed face, Shimoto intervened.

-Well, there will be lots of walking today. We can buy food in the meanwhile, but I thought a good breakfast will give as tons of energy- explained Shimoto.

All Kaori did was nodding and smiling, but Shimoto didn’t need anything else to know her friend liked the idea. After breakfast, the two women dressed in casual style and began their tour adventure through Tokio. Their first stop was Asakusa, with the most popular temples. Kaori was amazed at two things: temples seemed way bigger than in TV and all of them were crowded. Technically, everywhere they went was always crowded.

-Is there some kind of celebration?- asked Kaori nervously.

-No, it’s always like this!- answered Shimoto smiling. -In the end, this is THE capital and lots of foreigners come here for tourism. No matter the day, popular locations are always this full of people.

As they approached downtown, the city became more bustling. They had a lot of fun in Harajuku thanks to all the shops and food stalls they found. Wherever they went, Kaori had fun like she never did for years. For a moment, she forgot all her past and focused on living that special moment. Their last stop was Shibuya again, but this time they visited the famous Scramble Crossing. It was around 7 pm, and being autumn, it was almost night already. The two women sat down in a bench near Hachiko’s statue. That’s when they saw it.

All the lights and screens surrounding the area turned brighter as the sky got darker. Just that vision was a marvelous show in itself for Kaori, who was shocked at the scenery. At the same time, she glanced all the passersby walking through the crossing for the few seconds they could. Just in that crossing, there was probably more people than in the commercial street of her hometown during the weekend.

-It’s amazing, right?- commented Shimoto.

Kaori could just nod.

-Everything’s so striking- answered Kaori. -It’s like being in a whole different world.

-So true- said Shimoto. -You know? At one point, you get used to it. Not exactly that, it’s just you have so many things on your head that you just accept all this is here. But sometimes, you realize where you are, raise your head… and it shocks you again.

-Is that what you feel now?- asked Kaori.

-No- answered Shimoto. -What I feel now is even more intense because, for the first time ever, I can share this with you.

Shimoto looked at Kaori after saying those words and showed a delicate, sweet smile. Shimoto’s beautiful face amazed Kaori even more than the crossing itself. She felt something inside her, like a scream begging to confess her feelings. Shimoto blushed a bit after noticing her friend’s dazed look.

-Sorry, I think I got a bit cheesy there...- murmured Shimoto.

-No, that was… beautiful- murmured Kaori. -I’m so happy too to be here by your side.

They enjoyed the urban scenery a bit more and then took the subway to go back to the flat. On the way, they passed by a restaurant to order some sushi trays and take them home for dinner.

-This is too much!- exclaimed Kaori. -You didn’t have to. I’ll pay my part.

-No way you do that!- answered Shimoto. -You are my guest and I wanted to do a proper celebration.

It was already night when they got home. The streets of the residential city were quite, the opposite of the bustling downtown. They put on their pajamas and began eating. Last time Kaori enjoyed such a meal was when Katsu-don treated his family after a promotion, but since the husband wasn’t very thoughtful, those kinds of dinners were scarce. At that moment, Shimoto’s phone rang.

-Oh, it’s a friend- said Shimoto. -Just a minute, OK? Hi, Makoto! How are you? Yeah, sure. What I can say, girl? If your boss get cocky, send him to hell! Tonight? No, sorry, I can’t, someone’s over. No, it’s not that, you silly! My old highschool friend came for a visit. Yeah, the one I told you about! No, I can’t take her there, it’s her first night here! Don’t worry, we’ll make plans for other weekend, promise. Hear you later!

Kaori observed her friend as she talked. She was still as cheerful and eloquent as always, but somehow, Kaori felt bad.

-Did you have plans?- asked Kaori.

-No, don’t worry- answered Shimoto. -She’s Makoto, my friend. When she has a rough week, she needs to go out and vent.

-Why don’t you go with her? I wouldn’t mind staying here- said Kaori.

-Are you kidding? It’s your first time in Tokyo: I’m not leaving you alone and I’m not taking you to a nightclub- answered Shimoto. -I understand you feel shy, but seriously, I’m having a great time with you and I don’t want to be anywhere else but here with you.

How could Shimoto say those things so naturally? That’s what Kaori thought as she blushed and smile. She was also happy to be with Shimoto, but the fact her friend wanted to be with her made her so happy as well. After dining, they cleaned everything. Kaori sat down on the sofa and Shimoto went to the fridge.

-Hey, I’m not sure if you drink but…- said Shimoto taking a dozen of beer cans from the fridge. -Now I’d love to have a proper drink for celebrating.

-Well, I drank sometimes, but not too much...- answered Kaori.

The two friends sat down together. Shimoto left the cans on the desk, took two of them and gave one to Kaori, who took it and cheered.