Facing Fear | ✓ ONC 2023 Honorable Mention

19 | Hope and Healing

5 Months Later
Los Angeles, California

With a few strokes of the pen, Mori finished signing the contract. 

The manager of Senbazuru* reached across the table to shake her hand. "Welcome to the team, Miss Fukutomi. We're happy to have you."

"I'm happy to be here," Mori said, returning the gesture. "It's always been my dream to have this job." She couldn't contain her smile now that she'd signed with the second top gaming company in the country. 

"We can hardly believe our luck in having you come to us," the manager said with a shake of his head. "You'll be emailed the rest of the necessary info—roster, practice times, and the like—if you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact one of the coaches."

Luck had nothing to do with it. Mori inclined her head in a partial bow. "Will do. I look forward to it. Thank you so much for your time today." She rose from the plush office chair, picking up the umbrella at her feet.

On her way through the lobby, she smiled at the secretary who waved at her. Hundreds of paper cranes hung from the ceiling, their message clear as the giant silver kanji written behind the front desk. One read Hope, the other Healing.

Adjusting her purse over the strap of her blue dress, she pushed through the rotating glass doors to step out into a perfect late summer day. Her phone rang in her purse, prompting her to send the call to her earpiece with a few taps on her watch. 

"Moshi moshi*," Mori said.

"Hey!" Ren squealed through the line. "How'd the interview go?"

Mori checked her watch, quickening her pace to reach the bus stop in time. "Great! I signed the contract today. They'll be training me for a few months before releasing the news, so hear that? No spilling the secrets."

"Ugh, fine." Ren groaned, the sound of her mouse clicking coming through. "You know I'll keep it quiet, but I'm still mad at you for not coming to Fearless with the rest of us. We could've been on a team just like the old days! Even if you don't care about us, you know that there's a certain Riku Takahashi who came back from hiatus and signed here too..."

"Mmm, nope." Mori smiled. "I'm not budging from my seat with Senbazuru. If you want to be on the same team you'll have to get up and move your butt down over here."

"Girl, you're asking me to break contract." Ren laughed. "I love you but not that much."

"Yeah, I wouldn't actually expect you to," Mori admitted. She paused at the sight of her face on a billboard touting the savior of Facing Fear. As always, the title gave her pause and she fidgeted until the board's slide changed to a skincare advertisement. "Hey, I'm about to catch my bus, but can I call you back later?"

"Sure," Ren agreed. "Just don't ghost me."

Mori sighed. "Are you ever going to let that go?"

"Never. See ya, Mentos." The call went dead.

She tucked her earpiece into a pocket of her dress while the bus hissed to a stop, doors opening. Mori climbed the steps, eyes darting to the seats across the aisle. Please be here this time. 

Her gaze lasered in on a man in a dark grey hoodie, sitting diagonal to the seat by the bus' entrance. Bingo.

As the driver shut the doors behind her, she edged over to the seat next to him and sat down. With his eyes directed at the phone in his hands and the sweatshirt hood covering his face, she couldn't be one hundred percent sure it was the same guy. She almost lost courage and went back to her regular seat, because how embarrassing would that be, offering a stranger an umbrella on a sunny, high 90s day?