Nodobaki

 You think know your friends well. You think you know everything about everyone you meet. For a long time, I met someone who I thought I knew very well.

I meet this guy near the corner store in Kurotani. The first time that I meet him he didn’t seem harmless. Of course, I knew better than anyone else. Everyone is either crazy, or you have to be crazy your own self. His outfit resembles of those eccentric gurus around here, and I have no choice but to wait for the bus alongside him. He doesn’t say anything to me as the doors open. We get on at the same time. I sit near the middle row of the bus and he sits next to me.

The bus starts to move. I turn to face him. He doesn’t say anything to me. He keeps on staring off into space. There’s a scar on his face while he holds a box in his lap. A black box that is. I turn my attention to the window, watching the scenery fly pass me.

“Nodoka…” I hear someone call my name. I turn to the strange man who was staring off into space. I must be hearing things. Suddenly, the bus comes to a halt and I jolt forward. The man places his hand in front of me and takes my hand. I quickly made a face at his gesture. “Don’t move Nodoka. I see them. They are approaching this bus.” I don’t know what he is talking about. Then, a man stepped onto the bus and sits two seat in front of us. The man with the scar holds my hand tight.

“Are you afraid of him?” I ask. He shushes me. “He can hear you.” He whispers. I look down at the box in front me. “What’s in it?” I ask him. He shushes me again. More people pile inside the bus and the door closes. The bus takes off.

As the night winds down, one by one people begin to get off of the bus. Me, the man with the scar, and the older man in front of us are left behind. The bus is nearly at my stop. I gather my belonging, but the man still holds my hand. Once the bus pulls up to my stop, I let go of his hand and leave. Before I could head home, the man with the scar tells me to wait, and as he steps off the bus. A cold chill runs down my back.

What was that feeling? The man takes my hand and says. “Ms. Nodoka. Do not let go of my hand.” I let go of his hand and say. “How do you know my name?” “Now is not the time, Ms. You must be famish after that long trip.” I made a face at him. “Long trip?” I look behind him seeing the older man step out of the bus. The man with the scar clutches the box under his arm.

“Leave Ms. Nodoka alone!” He yells. The older man walks pass him. He’s confuse about what just happen. He turns around and says. “Ms. Nodoka, does he not pose a threat? He seems...vicious.” I scoff at him, “Okay, you’re weird. Who are you and why are you here?”

“Ms. Nodoka? You don’t recognize me? I’m Nozomu Ryo. Your friend.”

“Friend? I don’t know anyone with that name...the only person who I’m friends with is the girls at my school.”

He tilts his head to one side. “I’m sorry Ms. Nodoka. But I don’t understand. We are friends.” He sounds like robot. Maybe he’s an android or something. I shrug, “Can’t be helped,” I cross my arms casually at Nozomu. “Anyway, I think this is the part where we part way and also please do not touch me without my consent first. It’s the polite way.” Nozomu bows at me, “I understand, Ms. Nodoka.”

I sigh, “I have to get home now, bye.” As I turn on my heels, Nozomu stops me. “Wait, Ms. Nodoka,” I turn Nozomu. I’m already tired and my parents are expecting me to be home now. “Is it alright with you, Ms. If I can stay with you for the night?” “No,” I tell him. “I’m sorry but I don’t know you like that.” Then, he nearly takes hold of my hand before stopping himself. “Just for one night,” He begs. “In the morning—I’ll be gone and out of your hair.” Before responding to Nozomu, I quickly call my parents. Nozomu starts to freak out a little. I hope he realizes that I’m not calling the police on him.

When the two of us get home, I open the front door and turn the key to let us in. “I’m home,” My mom comes running in. “Nodoka!” She walks up to me and then stops. She stares at Nozomu. “When you said...friend?”

“Yes, mom. This is my friend.” She looks up at him. He gives her a friendly smile. “Nice to meet you ma’am. My name is Nozomu Ryo. Your daughter was kindly enough to let me stay here.” I cut my eyes over to him. “I didn’t say that.” I say. I sigh and turn to mom. “Well, dinner is ready and your father has already eaten.”

“Oh, right.”

Dad didn’t notice Nozomu as we walk pass him in the living room, watching the news. Nozomu, mom, and I all sat at the dining table in the kitchen. Nozomu stares at his plate. “What’s wrong?” Mom asks him. “Nothing…”

“Well, you look like you are having trouble eating.” Nozomu looks at her.

“...That’s thing. Not the eating part. I don’t remember how I got here.”

“How you got here?” She asks. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”

“Same here. I only remember someone giving me this black box,” He sits the box in front of us. “They only instructed me to not open this box until it’s time. I shook the box a few times and I could hear something inside.”

I drink my water and say, “It looks like you’ll need a key for it.” Nozomu pulls out a chain gold necklace with a key attach to it.

What a coincidence. The key is with him.

“Aren’t you going to open it?” She ask him. “It would be wrong for me to open it...so tomorrow I would.”

“Speaking of wrong,” I turn to him. “How do you me? I mean, ever since we gotten on that bus—”

“What are you talking about...Nodoka. We’re friends. We’re suppose to know each other.” He tells me.

I groan in frustration. “No, I mean. You held my hand.”

Mom says. “You held hands?” I turn back to mom. “It’s not like that. He held my hand because he was scared or something—”

“Scared?” Nozomu starts to get upset. “No, surely I was not scared. I was told to protect you.” Mom is dumbfound. “Protect? Is someone bullying you?”

“No, he’s just making stuff up—” Then he gets up from his seat. He stares straight into my eyes. He’s are bright blue and his short white looks like snow. “I am not making anything up. It’s true. This person told me to look for you and protect you,” He takes the black box into his arms and says. “It’s my commission.”

I didn’t know what to say to him. Commsion? Is he some mercenary? Mom calms him down and prompts him to finish eating. For the rest of the night, I clean up the kitchen while mom takes him to the guest bedroom. The guest room was reserve for family members only and it’s the one closest to mine bedroom. After I was done in the kitchen. I head upstairs into my room to do my homwork.

As I work, someone knocks on my door. I tell them to come in. When the door opens, Nozomu steps inside and closes the door behind him. I turn around to face him. “Yes, do you need anything?” Nozomu sits on the edge of my bed. “I was talking to your mother and she mentions that I talk should to the police about finding my relatives. I thought about it and I rather not.”

I look up from my homework. “Why?”

“I have strange feeling that I can’t go just yet.”

“Why do you tell me about how you got here?”

“If you insist,” Nozomu is still holding that box. “I sent by a man. A man named Anzhong. He was king of this fantasy land. He wanted me to go and search for a girl and protect her. He also told me to take the box just in case. He never told me anything about its contents.”

“What happens if you open it? He might be lying?” Nozomu stays quiet and says softly. “I also have my doubts.”

The next day, I went to school. I’m upset because Nozomu is going to school with me. Everyone who passes by us are in awe of his tall stature. Which takes the pressure off of me. I turn to my friend, Mia, who was done talking to someone. When she turns to me, the first thing she sees his Nozomu. “Who’s he? A transfer student?”

“Yes, this Nozomu.” Nozomu bows to her. “You must be Ms. Nodoka’s friend, I presume?” She smiles and curtsy back at him. “Yes, it is I, Lady Mia, friend of Nodoka.” I can’t believe she is buying this. I don’t blame her; she likes being formal to others. “Where are you from?” She asks him. Nozomu says. “I’m from Spring Wind, Fay Spire.” Mia laughs at him. “What? I have never heard of that place?”

I interject, “That’s because he is from Fuji! Like Fuji apple? Fujisaki, Aomori?” Mia gives me a look. “I know where that is, Nodoka.” Mia takes Nozomu by his arms and pulls him along. Nozomu turns his head at me. I wave him bye. Hopefully, he’ll have fun with Mia. Mia is good at making friends than me.

After school, Mia hangs out with her track and field friends while Nozomu and I sat in the cafeteria. No one is here to bother us. Surprisingly, he takes the box with him. “Now that school is over and done with. Let’s open the box.” I tell him. “I didn’t get a chance to ask you how your day went?” “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” I drum my hands on the table loudly. “Open it.”

He takes his necklace off and says, “Maybe there is something magical inside.”

“Let’s hope.” He takes the key and insert it into the lock. With a singling turn, the box opens. Nozomu opens the lid and what we found was something unexpected. Inside the box, he pulls out a locket and he pushes the box off to the side.

“A locket? Is there a picture inside?” I ask him. Nozomu inspects the locket and he opens it. He couldn’t believe his eyes. He is overwhelmed by the content of the locket. “What’s in it?” I question. He hands me the locket and I am shock by the picture inside.

There was a picture of a girl who looks exactly like me. And Nozomu is sitting next to her, smiling. They look happy together. He wipes his eyes. “After all this time...her name Nozomi. I couldn’t understand why at first.”

“Don’t tell me? Is she your --?” He nods.

“She’s my twin sister. She didn’t need protecting. Cause...you were right here all along.”

“...What?!” I yell. “Ugh, that’s gross.”

“Nodoka, please. It makes sense,” I prop my hand on my face. Nozomu continues. “The reason why I kept holding your hand. Nozomi always asks me to hold her as we go to different places.” He facial expresses softens. “Is that why I am sent here?”

“To see your sister again?” He nods.

“Yes, I-I guess. She looks like you. The one time that we’ll met each other again is finally over.” He looks at me with a kind gesture. “I know that it’s strange that you look like my sister...but that doesn’t change the fact that I made a new friend in reward for it.” He smiles.

“So, I’m just a spitting image of your sister? Is she...y’know?” He shakes it head. “I don’t think so. Maybe I was sent here for this reason. Maybe Aszhong told me about protecting someone just tell me to get out more.”

I nod attentively, “That might be it. Not only that...you also got to Mia.”

“Yes, didn’t I.” He puts the locket back in the box and locks it. He stands up from his seat and I say. “Wait. That thing you before. Aren’t you from Spring Wind? Is that true?”

“Yes, I am.” He winks at me. A small smile spreads across my face.

I shake my head at him. He’s totally lying, but I don’t care. At least he didn’t say that he comes from an alternative dimension who is searching for his long lost sister. Or he could be just a regular guy. Either way, at least I learn something new about Nozomu Ryo.