FINGERTIPS

CHAPTER 1

One year later....

As the morning sunlight filtered in through the curtains, a tall and lean teenager lay sound asleep in her bed. Her jet black hair was a tangle of knots framing her oval-shaped face. She looked peaceful, lost in the blissful realm of her slumber.

But her calm repose was soon interrupted by the soft chime of her alarm clock. She stirred in her sleep, rubbing her eyes as she surveyed the time. Her heart began to race with nervousness as she realized it was already 7:15 am. She couldn't afford to oversleep today, not with her schedule packed to the brim.

Aisha, a haafu of Malay-Japanese descent, had actually woken up much earlier around

4:00 am to 4:30 am, everyday to shower and perform her "Dawn Prayer" - a routine that is part of her Muslim faith. Afterward, she would take a nap or sometimes fall asleep for a while. This is why when she wakes up, she only washes her face to freshen up.

As she got ready for school, Aisha neatly parted her hair and slipped on her tuck-in hijab, ensuring that it was securely tucked in under her school uniform collar. She wore a long skirt and also the blazer as part of her school uniform and checked herself in the mirror before leaving the house. Despite her somewhat rushed morning routine, Aisha felt ready to take on the day ahead.

"Mama, are the eggs ready yet?" she called out from her room.

"Yes, sweetheart. Just a moment," Hitomi, her mother replied from the kitchen in a cheerful tone.

Aisha swiftly got dressed and made her way to the kitchen.

"Good morning, Mama!" she said as she hugged her mother from behind.

"Good morning, my dear. Did you sleep well?" Hitomi asked as she turned around to embrace her daughter.

Aisha smiled and sat on the chair. "Yeah, I did. Oh, these eggs look so yummy! Thank you!" she said cheerfully.

"You're welcome, dear. Are you excited about your first day of school today?" Hitomi asked while serving breakfast.

Aisha shrugged while taking the plate.

"Not really, maybe I'm quite nervous a bit. But I'm feeling grateful for a brand new day and the opportunity to learn something new," she replied while taking a bite of the eggs.

Hitomi smiled.

"That's a good attitude, my dear. Always remember to be thankful for what you have and approach each day with a positive mindset. It's important to make the most out of every day and strive to be the best version of yourself."

Aisha nodded. "Yes, Mama. I will try my best to make today a productive and meaningful day."

Hitomi chuckled.

"Well, don't forget to do your best. And have a great day at school!"

After breakfast, Aisha grabbed her backpack and waved to her mother before heading out the door. As she walked down the street, she saw her best friend, Midori, approaching.

"Good morning, Mi-Chan! Nice to see you!" Aisha greeted with a grin. Midori flashed a smile back.

"Good morning, Ai-Chan! Ready for another day of school?"

"I guess so. But let's just make it a good one!" Aisha replied as they walked together towards school.

Midori couldn't help but be impressed by Aisha's hijab.

"Wow, your hijab looks so amazing, Ai-Chan. Have you been wearing it for a long time?"

Aisha smiled.

"Actually, I only started wearing it earlier this year. It was a big decision for me, but I felt like it was the right time to make this important commitment to my faith. It feels amazing to wear it now!"

Midori, who had overheard their conversation, couldn't help but add her two cents.

"I think it's great that you're wearing the hijab now, Ai-Chan. It's so important to have the courage to stand up for what you believe in, no matter what others may think."

Feeling grateful for their support, Aisha smiled and thanked her friends.

"Thank you both for being so understanding. I wear this not because of fashion, but it's a requirement for Muslim women to dress modestly in front of men who are not their immediate family members."

As Midori and Aisha arrived at the school and entered the classroom, Aisha couldn't help but feel the curious stares of her classmates. She looked at Midori and whispered,

"Why are they staring at me like that? Did I do something wrong?"

Midori recognized the concern in Aisha's voice and quickly reassured her.

"No, Ai-Chan. It's just that they're not used to seeing someone wearing a hijab in our school."

After a few minutes, Ryuji, a notorious troublemaker, walked into the classroom. He always looked for a way to make someone else feel small. He suddenly felt shocked after seeing Aisha's appearance in the classroom.

"Yo, what is this, a costume party?"

Ryuji joked, his friends snickering behind him.

Aisha rolled her eyes.

"It's called a hijab, Ryuji. Haven't you learned anything about cultural sensitivity?"

Ryuji shrugged.

"Hey, I'm just trying to break the ice. You know, get the party started."

Midori chimed in.

"I don't think making fun of someone's religious beliefs is the best way to 'get the party started', Ryuji."

Ryuji waved her off.

"Relax, I'm not trying to offend anyone. I'm just a funny guy, you know?"

Aisha couldn't help but feel irritated by Ryuji's flippant attitude. She didn't want to be known as the girl with the hijab, but it seemed like everyone was making a big deal out of it.

"Hey, sorry if I came off as a jerk earlier. I was just trying to be funny," he said earnestly.

Aisha smiled.

"It's okay. I get it. I just don't want to be known as the 'ninja girl' all the time."

Ryuji nodded understandingly.

"Yeah, I hear you. It's like when people only call me 'that troublemaking kid'."

They both laughed, and Aisha realized that maybe fitting in wasn't about conforming to everyone else's expectations, but finding a common ground with people who were different from her.

"Hey, you want to hear a joke?" Ryuji asked Aisha.

"Uh, sure." Aisha braced herself.

Ryuji grinned.

"Why did the ninja cross the road?"

Aisha rolled her eyes.

"I don't know, why?"

"To get to the other side, obviously!" Ryuji burst out laughing.

Aisha couldn't help but chuckle too.

"Wow, you really are a terrible comedian."

Ryuji nudged her playfully.

"Hey, it's okay. I'll still be your friend, even if you wear that scarf on your head.Nice to meet you BTW! "

Aisha swatted his arm, but couldn't help but feel grateful for the unexpected friendship she had struck up with Ryuji.

As they settled back, a group of girls came over to Aisha. They looked a little unsure, but they held out their hands to her as a gesture of kindness.

"Hey, we're sorry for staring at you earlier like a stranger. It's not every day that we get someone like you in our class," one of them said.

Aisha raised an eyebrow.

"Someone like me?"

The girl blushed.

"I mean, someone from a different country. We're really excited to get to know you better."

Aisha was touched by their kindness, and she felt a little more at home in the classroom.

"Actually, my mom is Japanese. My dad is Malay from Malaysia, so technically I'm half Japanese and half Malaysian."

The girls looked surprised, but also intrigued.

"Ah, so you're actually an "haafu" "

Aisha nodded.

"That's right. It's something I'm really proud of."

As the girls chatted more and more about Aisha's background, Aisha felt a warm sense of belonging. Even though she didn't quite fit yet into the Japanese school culture, she knew she had made some new friends who accepted her for who she was.

At the school field, Midori and Aisha were in the middle of their P.E. class, jogging around the girls' running track and chatting about their favorite sports.

Midori huffed and puffed, trying to keep up with Aisha, who ran beside her effortlessly.

"I really want to join the Volleyball High School Team,"

Midori said while panting.

"I used to play in junior high school before we camed here."

Impressed by Midori's strength, Aisha nodded in agreement and said,

"Yeah, I know that, Mi-chan! You should definitely try out. Btw, do you have any other favorite sports?"

Midori thought for a moment and replied.

"Actually, I love swimming too. It's so relaxing, and I love how it keeps me fit. What about you, Ai-chan? What sports do you like?"

Aisha shrugged and said,

"I don't have a specific favorite sport, to be honest. But I do enjoy playing badminton and netball when I was a kid. And I follow football pretty closely too, it's just so popular there."

Midori was impressed with Aisha's explanation.

"Wow, thats cool Ai-Chan. Actually I already know that Malaysia was very good in Badminton right? Not only that, your country Field Hockey National Team was also great. But I'm curious, since you said that the Football was a most favourite sport in Malaysia, I didn't understand why the Malaysian football team still below a par? I mean I didn't see any achievement from that team actually or maybe I get wrong information?" Midori replied.

"LOL, Our National Football Team actually still under developement and the current performances progress was on the track.Yeah, I'm realised that our National Team still not good enough compare to the others successfull Asian National Football Team like Japan, South Korea, Australia and etc. But, I'm still support my father native country National Football Team even we win, draw or lose. I hope one day that our National Team qualified to the World Cup soon!" Aisha replied Midori.

"I hope so, glad to hear that Malaysian football scene was in a pretty good progress too". Midori replied.

At the football field, Satoshi had just made a cross from the corner, and Ryuji went for the header, but the goalkeeper punched out the ball. Kazuto then made a through pass to Ryuji in the penalty box, but his shot went wide and landed in the girls' running track.

"Watch out!" Midori yelled to Aisha, knowing that the ball was heading their way.

In a moment of incredible athleticism, Aisha caught the ball with just one hand, showing off her incredible skills. Everyone watching was in awe of her impressive move, including Ryuji himself. But, as usual, he joked and called her "ninja warrior" once again instead of calling her by her name.

"I've already told all of you before that she is a real "ninja warrior", LOL! Hey, please give us the ball back!" Ryuji said.

Aisha laughed and kicked the ball back to Ryuji with a dropkick behind the goal post.

"LOL, Okay Ryuji! Now, take this back!" Aisha shouted.

But what happened next shocked them all. The ball went far, bouncing once and floating straight into the other team's penalty box, hitting the net!

Everyone was surprised and impressed with Aisha's incredible ability. They all stood in stunned silence, grateful to have witnessed such a stunning feat.

"That was amazing, Aisha! How did you do that?" Midori said, catching her breath.

"I didn't think I was that good at sports actually, it just an coincidents." Aisha said modestly, feeling grateful for her skills.

"Sometimes, we surprise ourselves, don't we?" Aisha added.

At the other side of the football field, all the boys were amazed by the hijabis haafu girl's ability.

"I can't believe this, is it real or a dream?" one of the boys said to the others.

As the bell rang signaling the end of P.E. class, Aisha and Midori headed back to the locker room, giggling and joking with each other.

Aisha and the girls were still chatting excitedly in the changing room about her impressive performance during P.E class. They were all impressed by how high Aisha had jumped.

"I can't believe you got that high! I've never seen anyone jump like that before," one of the girls exclaimed, her eyes wide with amazement.

Aisha just laughed it off. "It's not a big deal, really. I think it was just a fluke."

But the girls wouldn't let it go. They kept asking her questions about how she managed to jump so high. Aisha, feeling a bit self-conscious, was beginning to regret bringing it up.

As they were getting ready to leave the changing room, Aisha was still chatting with Midori about their upcoming class. Suddenly, she bumped into someone from behind. It was their senpai (senior).

"Oh, I'm so sorry, senpai," Aisha exclaimed, bowing deeply.

The senpai just smiled and shook her head. "Don't worry about it. Just be more careful next time." She then turned to Aisha's friends and greeted them with a nod.

Aisha felt a sense of relief wash over her. She had been worried that the senpai would be upset with her. It was nice to know that everything was okay.

Suddenly, the senpai asked Aisha to stop. "Hey, wait a second," she said. Aisha turned around to face her, feeling a bit nervous.

"I saw what you did in P.E. class today. You have some potential skills, and you also have an ideal body type for a sportsperson; you're quite tall too. I'm impressed," the senpai said with a smile.

"Eee...how do you know?" Aisha asked, surprised.

"I saw it from the window of my class. Do you play any sports before?" she replied.

"Urmmm.....not really. But I had played badminton and netball when I was a kid, but I don't think I could keep up here," Aisha replied reluctantly.

"Oh, nevermind. I would like to invite you to come to the football field tomorrow evening," the senpai said, extending the invitation.

Aisha was taken aback by the invitation

"Urmm....I will get back to you on this later, senpai," Aisha replied.

"It's okay, take your time. If you're ready, just come tomorrow evening to the school field. Otherwise, it's up to you," the senpai replied and left.

"Hey Ai-Chan, do you know who you were just talking to?" Midori asked Aisha.

"I don't know, I just recognized her as our senpai, why?" Aisha replied.

"Ai-Chan, she is Yumi Sugimura. Our school football team player, and she's the current of our school team captain!" Midori informed Aisha.

"Oh really? OMG! How do you know her?" Aisha asked in surprise.

"Of course, I know her. She was our senpai two years ago when we were in Junior High School. She was very famous as the best sports person," Midori responded with a smile.

Aisha was quiet impressed and shy at the same time when the senpai invited her to the football field. She turned to her friend Midori for advice.

"Mi-Chan, what do you think? Should I accept her invitation?" Aisha asked.

Midori thought for a moment before replying,

"Why not? If you're nervous or not too confident, I can come with you and support you."

"Awww, thank you Mi-Chan. BTW, let me ask my parents first about this. Anything, I will text you tonight, okay?" Aisha replied.

"Okay Ai-Chan, text me tonight," Midori said to Aisha with a smile.

Later that night, Aisha had dinner with her parents, Hitomi and Farid. Farid was Aisha's biological father from Malaysia who worked as a lecturer at Tokyo University teaching Malay Languages and Culture for almost 12 years. Before that, he worked for the Embassy of Malaysia in Tokyo, where he met his wife, Hitomi.

During dinner, Farid asked Aisha about her school day in Malay, his native language.

"Aisha, how was your day at school? Was everything okay?"

Aisha replied in Malay,

"Yeah, Papa, it was quite interesting. But I faced a bit of a challenge today since I decided to wear a hijab at school. Some of my schoolmates were quite curious about my appearance. One of my friends even joked and called me a 'Ninja', btw It's okay, though. I understand it's quite strange for them, and I know that he was just joking."

"It's okay, that's a normal thing. I understand the challenges you are facing right now. However, I guarantee that you'll be fine here. If not, I wouldn't have brought you here three years ago," Farid replied.

Hitomi, who understood her husband's method of conversing with Aisha in his native language, also spoke in Japanese. Whenever Aisha wanted to communicate with her mother, she replied in Japanese since she had been living in Japan for three years.

Aisha sat at the table with her parents, Farid and Hitomi, and savoured the flavour of her mother's Beef Rendang. She couldn't believe how authentic it tasted, just like the dishes she had grown up eating in Malaysia before. Same goes to her father, he impressed with Hitomi's cooking skills.

"Wow, This tastes exactly like the ones back home," he said with a smile.

Hitomi blushed at the compliment.

"I'm glad you like it," she replied.

"I learned it from your sister, Afida through messages actually."

"Huh? You learned this recipe through messages?" Farid asked, amazed by his wife's ability to learn so quickly.

"I've always been a quick learner,"

Hitomi replied with a smile.

"Besides, I wanted to surprise both of you today."

Aisha was pleased that her mother had managed to surprise her father. She had always known that her mother was an excellent cook, but even she was impressed with the level of authenticity in the dish.

As they finished their meal, Farid gazed at his wife with a smile.

"One of the things that made me fall in love with you was how quick you were to learn new things," he said, reaching out to take her hand.

Hitomi smiled back at him.

"I'm glad I can still surprise you," she replied.

Aisha couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth as she watched her parents interact. She was grateful for the bond of love and respect that they shared, and for the delicious meal that brought them all together.

"Btw, speaking of school, Mama, Papa, something happened today that I want to share with you," Aisha continued the conversation about her school day back.

Hitomi asked, "What was it?"

"During P.E. class, I saved my friend from getting hit by a ball from the football field. Everyone in my class was shocked to see me catch the ball with just one hand. Not only that, when a group of boys asked me to kick the ball, I suddenly kicked it straight to the other goal post. After that, one of my senpais, who was a footballer at school, looked at me from her classroom window and invited me to the football field tomorrow evening after school. I'm not pretty sure if it's a selection or just a regular training session. However, I don't think I'm good enough to be a part of them. For me, what really happened was probably just a coincidence. Even though I'm quite tall compared to the other girls in my class, it doesn't mean that I'm also very good at sports like my best friend, Midori," Aisha replied.

Farid was impressed by the eloquence of Aisha's explanation.

"Wow, it appears that you have a hidden talent, Aisha. You should definitely consider accepting the invitation."

But Aisha wasn't too sure about her own abilities.

"As I said before, Papa, it was probably just a coincidence," she replied with a doubtful shrug.

Her father's eyes sparkled with encouragement.

"Don't sell yourself short, Aisha. If you accept the invitation, I will support you 100%. And most importantly, believe in yourself. If you need me to buy cleats or any gear for you, just tell me. I'll give you money to buy them by tomorrow morning."

"Okay, Papa. Thanks for your opinion and your support. I think I decided to accept the invitation," Aisha replied.

"Good job, my dear. Keep fighting, okay? Do your best. I'm also supporting you from behind," Hitomi said.

"Thanks, Papa, Mama. I appreciate it!" Aisha replied and hugged both of them.

Feeling a renewed sense of determination, Aisha messaged Midori as promised, telling her to meet at the football field after school the next day.

"Mi-Chan, I decided to accept her invitation tomorrow. My parents already give me a "green light" fot it."

Midori replied with excitement and encouragement,

"Yay, finally! Glad to know that, Ai-Chan. See you tomorrow. Do not be afraid; just believe in yourself!"

Aisha felt a wave of positivity wash over her as she went to bed that night, eager for what the future would hold.