Fate. A predetermined supernatural power. The will of the universe. Fate is order. It writes, and rewrites. It gives. It takes. It decides. It spins vibrant red strings that flow into the world and connect people who are destined for love.
Rubi Ama...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
(Irina's POV)
DAY 1
Tokyo is a loud place. And I'm reminded of that fact now more than ever, trapped in a train car in the afternoon heat, sweaty from the long day at school. Now I know why Mama and Papa hate the city. I hate it too.
"Um...excuse me, i-is that seat taken?" A nimble voice asks. It belongs to a small girl who's standing before me with her head bowed. She has full cheeks and big eyes, and her hair is parted into two flappy pigtails. I recognise her from class. Splendid. Now I might have to socialise.
"No," I answer, displeased.
"Then, would it be okay if I sat next to you?" She asks softly, her eyes still downcast.
"Go ahead," I say. She's a strange one, but better her than some big, sweaty adult.
"Thank you," she whispers. She sits with her hands in her lap and her legs close together. Keeps her head down. I look away.
At least it's quiet.
DAY 6
I've become more or less accustomed to taking this cramped train home. I much prefer walking, but I simply live too far away from school. It's one of the countless downsides of living in the city.
The cute girl has been consistently sitting beside me on the ride home, but the only time she ever opens her mouth is to ask me if the next seat is taken. I wonder when she'll stop doing that.
Today, she looks restless. She keeps fiddling with her skirt and stealing glances at me. "Is there something you want to say to me?" I ask, when I finally can't take it anymore.
"Y-Yes, um," she stutters, eyes wildly darting around the space. "I just wanted to ask you...how was your day?"
She's definitely an oddball. Also a cute ball.
"It was good," I say.
She nods. "I'm glad."
"How was yours?" I ask after a brief pause.
She blinks, and without warning, her face erupts in a smile, catching me off guard. "It was good! Thank you so much for asking!"
We sit in silence until we arrive at her stop. She stands up, pigtails wagging, and turns to face me, clearly nervous. She takes a second to breathe before puffing her cheeks out, all serious. "I'm Rubi Amari! What's your name?"
"Irina Akiyama."
"It's nice to meet you, Irina!" she exclaims, her cheeks melting into that smile. "I actually already knew your name, but I didn't know how else to...ah, I'm gonna miss my stop, s-see you tomorrow!"
Cute doesn't cut it.
DAY 12
"And then Shin threw the duster at Kenji, threw it, can you believe that? Boys are so violent; if it were me, I would just stop talking to him until he apologised, you know?"
