BARD (3): Morning Wake-Up and Hell Train to Akihabara
Weekend.
One ironclad rule of dating.
Arrive at the meeting spot thirty minutes early.
Unfortunately, this didn't apply to the neighborly duo of Tae-il and Ayane.
"Shin-chiin!"
If you've made plans, barge right into the other person's house.
That was Ayane's newly minted motto.
They were neighbors anyway—setting a separate meeting spot was just inefficient.
Thanks to her dual-income parents being out on the weekend, Ayane easily slipped into the quiet neighboring house using the spare key to bypass the electronic door lock.
Unlike most Japanese folks who preferred analog locks, Tae-il's Korean parents had installed an electronic one without hesitation for their child's safety.
There was even an electronic security system in the yard, but Tae-il didn't know about that.
"Hellooo~?"
The mansion felt empty. No response greeted her.
Of course—aside from Tae-il, there was no one home.
No trace of the warmth unique to a lively family. Compared to her own bustling Katsuragi household, the neighbor's mansion felt utterly desolate, stirring a quiet loneliness in Ayane's heart.
"That's why I always tell Shin-chiin to eat at our place."
But he always refused, calling it a bother.
Ayane felt a deep pang of regret at her childhood friend's stubborn refusals as she trotted up the stairs. She knocked lightly on the door marked Tae-il's Room in Korean.
"Knock knock. It's already morning, Shin-chiin? You're not still sleeping, are you?"
No answer. Not because no one was home—probably because he was fast asleep.
Giggling at what a sleepyhead he was, Ayane cautiously opened the door.
Like a wizard unlocking a secret door or a kid tearing into a gift box, her heart pounded with excitement as she peeked inside.
The room was dark and quiet.
A bit cluttered with stuff scattered around, but within acceptable limits. Far from the chaotic mess or lingering night-flower scents she'd heard about from classmates regarding boys' rooms.
Listening closely, she heard steady breathing.
"Carefully now…."
On tiptoes, creeping like a cat, she approached. There was Tae-il, asleep with his guitar. Asleep, he looked as gentle as anyone might.
I used to wake him up all the time back then.
All fond memories.
Tae-il had suffered from insomnia. A side effect of the possession, perhaps—two similar yet different sets of memories clashing, waking him from sleep and plaguing him with nightmares at random.
He'd improved a lot now, but back then, sleeping in was his daily routine because he could barely get any rest.
Ayane missed the Tae-il who treated her like a baby sister while acting like a big brother—yet was more fragile and baby-like than her when it came to bedtime.
Shin-chiin was sooo cute back then.
In Ayane's narrow little world, her peerless—perhaps perfect—same-age friend relying on her insignificant self had given her a unique thrill even as a child.
Not that he meant to, but Tae-il's dependent behavior had boosted her confidence.
In a way completely different from what he'd intended, he'd steadily built her up.
Recalling the childhood Tae-il who wouldn't wake without her, Ayane poked his cheek firmly.
Not as squishy as her own, but with an oddly addictive texture.
"Shin-chiin? If you don't get up soon, I'll do this and that, okay?"
"Mm…."
She prodded his cheek with her index finger, twisting it around, then pushed up the corners of his mouth.
Each time his expression crumpled, Ayane's smile deepened.
And when she let go, his face relaxed back into that gentle look—making it all the more fun to fiddle with.
"So cute."
The date would be fun, sure, but watching sleeping Tae-il was just as delightful.
Ayane propped her elbows on the bed, beaming as she admired him.
Her eyes took in his sleeping form, her nose caught his faintly sweet scent, and her idle hands reached for the random junk he'd left scattered around.
On the bed, besides the guitar, there was a graphite-smudged sheet music notebook, and….
"A notebook?"
Curiosity piqued, Ayane picked up the one rolling on the bed.
The black leather cover was worn smooth, fuzzy to the touch.
"The notebook Shin-chiin always carries…."
It fit perfectly in her palm—tiny compared to the sheet music notebooks he used in music class, looking like it could only serve as a memo pad.
Shin-chiin's secret….
He shared pretty much everything with her, but not this.
He claimed it was just for jotting down inspirations, but changing the lock and sticking with this beat-up thing for that reason alone didn't add up.
There was definitely something inside!
She didn't know what, but a woman's intuition told Ayane.
Open it, open it!
Right—what if it's a gift from some girl I don't know about?
Know your enemy, win every battle.
To conquer this unknown foe, Ayane ignored the prick of her conscience and moved to flip it open.
"Ayane."
If it hadn't been for Tae-il's voice.
"Sh-Shin-chiin…?"
Ayane flinched like a guilty kid. Looking up with wide eyes, she met Tae-il's weary gray gaze fixed on her.
He reached out and closed the notebook just as it was about to open.
"When did you get here…?"
His voice was hoarse, not fully awake, breath ragged. Thankfully, his tone was calm, not angry—but Ayane panicked anyway, stammering.
"J-Ju-Just now! I just came in! To wake you up, Shin-chiin…."
"…Like that? Yawwwn."
He yawned, wiping away the tears, then stretched out like a cat with a little groan.
Yet he showed no sign of leaving the bed, rubbing his sleepy eyes as he asked.
"What time is it? I didn't oversleep, right…?"
"I-It’s fine, Shin-chiin! It's only eight! Not late at all!"
As Ayane said, it was still early.
Tae-il squinted through crusty eyes at her.
She'd clearly put effort into her look.
"You got all dolled up…."
"N-Not that much? Just the basics!"
Chucking at her excuse, he tugged her wrist.
Thud—the guitar tumbled off the bed, and Ayane, without much resistance, was pulled into the blankets with him.
"Sh-Shin-chiin!?"
"Shh."
Tae-il pressed a finger to her lightly tinted lips.
Blushing furiously, heart pounding, Ayane cautiously looked up at his face. Half-lidded eyes twinkled with mischief as he rested his chin on her crown.
"Since we're not late yet, lemme sleep a bit more."
"Y-You said no all-nighters…."
His drowsy voice was sweet.
Ayane fidgeted her fingers at his oddly coquettish vibe.
Just a thin blanket between them—but it was soaked in his scent all the same, making her head spin.
She pouted at the chin pressing her head.
"Not fair…."
Only she was the one all aflutter—it felt unreasonable.
But what could she do? In love, the one who falls first loses.
Sighing at her pathetic self, she gazed at the now-snoring Tae-il with honey-dripping affection.
Truth be told, as long as they could spend time alone together, she didn't care about the situation.
* * *
Even outside rush hour, Tokyo trains were packed.
Especially crossing Yokohama and Kawasaki in crowded Kanagawa Prefecture—it was absolute hell.
A metro hub with booming cities and massive population meant heavy traffic. One wrong time slot, and you got hell-train.
A sweltering summer car stuffed with body heat and sweat odors? Hell didn't begin to cover it.
Weak AC couldn't touch the heat, and every jolt pressed the crowd in from all sides.
Tae-il flapped his sticky collar, eyes dead.
"Japanese trains are impossible to get used to…."
"Different in Korea?"
"Nah, metro areas are hell everywhere."
Recalling his past life's packed Line 2 rides for college and music gigs—full of salarymen and students—he shook his head.
Hell trains were hell anywhere. Humanity was the same everywhere.
An unchanging truth.
"Anyway, you okay, Ayane? You look sweaty."
"Yeah, Ayane's fine. Nothing compared to what Shin-chiin's going through!"
Tae-il gave a dry laugh at her peppy attitude.
They'd snagged spots by the door.
Tae-il had cornered—er, shielded—Ayane there.
Taking the train with someone like this… been a while.
Past life band days meant rarely alone, but this life? Rare occurrence.
Not many friends, and family trips were always shinkansen or car. He'd barely left the neighborhood with Ayane.
Plus, local stuff was bus over train.
And a solo outing with a girl? Who knew how long it had been.
At each stop, crowds surged in like tides, then ebbed out. Space when exiting, suffocating closeness when entering.
In the nauseating stench, Tae-il murmured an apology.
"Sorry. Should've left earlier knowing it'd be like this."
"Ayane wasn't aggressive waking you up either, so we're even?"
"…Appreciate that."
Grateful for her subtle consideration, Tae-il tried shielding her better. But each new wave of passengers shoved him right against her.
Ayane inwardly cheered.
This density's on another level from morning! Hehehe!
She was at peak mischief now.
The train's stuffiness? Didn't faze her. She'd happily stay pressed forever.
She wished this moment eternal.
But time happy for some, hell for others, follows its course to an end.
Thirty minutes later, they escaped.
"Whoa, Tokyo air hits different."
City air was city air, yet it felt sweeter to Tae-il.
Snnniif.
Deep breath—fresh air filled his lungs with crisp relief. The train's misery vanished.
"Phew. Can breathe now."
He wiped his streaming sweat.
Showered that morning, yet his back and forehead were soaked.
Frowning at the body odor, he grimaced.
"Eww, Shin-chiin looks wiped. Ayane's totally energized thanks to you!"
"Good to hear. But no doing this twice. On the way back, avoid peak hours no matter what."
He might be zonked later.
Band shows drained you.
You poured all energy into sharing the highs and lows with the stage.
Even prim-and-proper Tae-il got swept up at live houses, screaming along raw.
"Wanna sit on the way back…."
"Yeah, Ayane wants that too."
Ayane smiled faintly, agreeing with his grumble.
Finally out of the complex station, Tae-il looked up.
A new world awaited.
"This is…."
Otaku holy land, Akihabara.
Stepping into forbidden territory brought no special thrill.
Just meh.
Tae-il scanned the station plaza cautiously.
"Thought Akihabara was super rowdy. Doesn't seem so."
"No exciting events today, maybe?"
Unlike Tae-il gawking like a country bumpkin with vague expectations, locals hurried by purposefully.
As he looked around, electronic melodies blared from the electronics district.
"Whoa, anime songs from over there, Shin-chiin."
"Yeah. Finally feels like Akihabara."
Tae-il checked the time habitually.
Just past 10 a.m….
Two hours till the show. Modest as BARD's gig might be, crowds would swarm—but no ticket, no entry.
So, they could take it easy.
Gotta thank that friend later.
Grateful to the acquaintance who'd handed over the tickets, Tae-il asked Ayane.
"Plenty of time till the show. What now?"
"Uh, wh-what?"
"Haven't eaten breakfast. Got something in mind?"
"W-Well…?"
Overjoyed just to be on a date, Ayane broke into cold sweat realizing she'd forgotten.
She'd pondered forever—even asked her mom—but the born-socialite mother-daughter duo found no decent Akihabara date spots.
Shin-chiin's mean. Akihabara of all places? Nothing good….
Truth was, non-otaku couples dating in Akiba was a stretch.
She'd scoured the net, but options mismatched: wrong hours, too pricey for student budgets, or adult-oriented izakayas.
Even moodier cafes or eateries tied to specific games/anime—unappealing, and overpriced to boot.
Akihabara.
To non-otaku folk, it was an absurd otherworldly nightmare.