An Unusual Rom-Com Protagonist

Chapter 2: The Fish & The Sea

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The first thing that Miyazaki Yūna noticed about Tokyo was that there were a sea of people. It was something she expected to notice immediately. After all, Tokyo is the city of towering buildings, crowded streets, bustling establishments, and opportunities. She had heard about it countless times from news programs playing in the background at home, but hearing about Tokyo and actually experiencing it for herself were two completely different things.

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She set off from her hometown by car, her father had to leave Ryō under the care of their neighbors while he drove her to the nearest train station that departs for Tokyo. The car ride had already taken several hours since dawn and Yūna had spent most of it sitting quietly in the backseat. There was tension in the air.

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Every so often, she rested her forehead against the cool glass of the window, watching the scenery gradually change. The roads were bordered by wide stretches of greenery at first, quiet houses, rice fields, occasional clusters of buildings. It was the kind of scenery Yūna had grown accustomed to: a comfortingly predictable life.

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Then, little by little, the landscape began to change. The fields became fewer until they disappeared entirely, the houses grew closer together, and the roads widened as traffic thickened around them. Buildings began rising higher against the sky, one after another, until the view seemed to be filled with concrete and glass. By the time they reached the outskirts of Tokyo, Yūna had stopped trying to look around her. There were simply too many things happening at once, all moving in their own streams, it was dizzying.

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"The view was like this last time too. It's quite comforting to see that some things never changed." Kazuki's voice broke the on-going silence, causing Yūna to shift herself to his general direction. She noticed that he's been uncharacteristically quiet, her father's eyes solemn and tired from the rearview mirror's reflection.

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Yūna's brows slightly rise.

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'Is he going to talk about that...?'

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But Kazuki didn't say anything more. Perhaps it was his own way of expressing his worry without opening old wounds, without reliving the memories... Of the past.

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She pressed her cheek against the window, observing quietly as clusters of buildings came into view. Colorful billboards covered the sides of the buildings and advertisements flashed above busy intersections. Trains occasionally appeared between the structures, rushing past in a blur before disappearing. Before them, the roads were thick with traffic, she would have to go by train if she wanted to arrive at school in time and her father would deliver the rest of her belongings to the school dorm by himself. It was exactly as he told her back at home.

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The vehicle cruised smoothly from the road through a designated parking lot by the station. Once the car stopped, Yūna stepped out of the vehicle with only her sukuba (school bag) in one hand and a hand-drawn map by her father on the other. She will be on her own from here on.

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She waved goodbye to the car with a smile. Before she walked away, however, Kazuki rolled down the windows of the car and called out to her.

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"Yūna." She turned her head, wondering if she perhaps left something behind.

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"Goodluck! Stay safe and well... Uh," he ruffled his hair, his eyes covered in a wet sheen as if about to break into tears. In turn, Yūna's calm composure crumpled, tears welling up in the corner of her eyes as she nodded firmly to her father.

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"Mhm...! Oto-san, bye-bye!"

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Even the pedestrians seemed to move differently in Tokyo. Back home, people walked as though they had all the time in the world. Here, everyone seemed to be in a hurry to get somewhere, their footsteps quick and decisive as they disappeared into the crowd.

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She was waiting to board the train just like the line behind her, her expression strangely stoic for someone who has never been to Tokyo by herself before. It was like the city had enveloped her completely, blending her into the background. Like she has lived here all her life. Though, judging by her restless breathing, it might be that she was still processing the reality unfolding around her.

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The train rolled into the station with a deep metallic rumble, its brakes releasing a soft hiss as it gradually slowed among the platform. The windows reflected the signs and unhurried commuters waiting behind the safety line. As it came to a precise stop, a gentle chime sounded, followed by an automated announcement thanking the previous passengers.

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The doors slid open with a quiet beep. Then, a steady stream of people stepped on and off, catching Yūna off guard. The amount of people boarding off the train clashed with the ones boarding on like a surge of water crashing onto rocks, it was effectively a living wave pushing, pulling, and dragging her about.

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"Eh—? Ack... Uh, excuse me. Sorry! Sorry, I'm... Woah...!"

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The little fish proclaimed with a flustered expression, comical beads of sweat hovering over her head as she struggled to make herself comfortable inside the cramped passenger area. She was trapped by a window, blinking profusely to make sense of what just happened.

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Trains weren't exactly a thing back home, everyone walked, rode cars or bicycles. Yūna can tolerate the inconvenience of commuting for the sake of efficiency but the thought of having to go through this every morning is a little...

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A groan slipped under her breath, already dreading what was yet to come. She was new to this— and she was alone. If that wasn't bad enough, the sensory overload was through the surface. Her breathing room was scarce with people huddled so close to her, the weight of others pressing upon her, the stench of sweat, and the smell of all sorts of cologne and perfume mixing together to create a dizzying concoction.

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'Mother, did you have to go through this too?'

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Then, the train started moving.

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