Episode 1

Ninomiya Kazunari posted up a small ad on the coffee shop’s bulletin board. He was in need of a new housemate as Ohno Satoshi had moved out; going out of the country for further studies. And now, the rent was too much for one person to handle.

He was pretty bummed out at that because for him, Ohno had been perfect. Nino himself was a homebody and didn’t like going out much. As long as he had his internet, books, guitar, root beer and Star Wars, he was contented. A housemate that was as mellow and laidback as he is was what he wanted. Ohno Satoshi, who kept mostly to himself, had been just that. They went about each of their own business never having clashed about anything. Well, except for one thing maybe.

He heard the door open. “Irrashaimase!” he automatically greeted and turned around.

It was Matsumoto Jun, one of the few close friends he had. Looks like he just came from his own part-time job as a bartender or from partying and drinking all night. Honestly, he didn’t see much of a difference. Jun gave a wave to him and caught the ad he just posted.

“He’s finally gone, huh?” he said, scanning the ad. “You should also put up ‘someone who will pay his share of the rent’.”

Nino shrugged. So Ohno wasn’t that perfect. The rent thing had been a problem with him. Jun had always said he was being a pushover. Although Ohno had paid him before he left (but was still short)… Hey, you can’t always get what you want. Besides, where else can he find a housemate like him? He understood the force.

“How about I volunteer?” Jun joked as he sat down at one of the tables.

Nino proceeded to mop the floor. “No. You’re too much of a slob and you’d be disrupting my peace and quiet with all your drinking sessions.”

“Come on. It would be the perfect set-up. You’d do all the cleaning, cooking, my laundry…,” Jun continued, laughing.

The mop hit Jun’s feet. “Oi!”

Nino narrowed his eyes at him. Jun chuckled. “Why don’t you ask Aoi to be your roomie?”

Nino’s face turned red as Jun wiggled his eyebrows. Yuu Aoi. His neighbour. The one-

“She’s the one he’s so smitten about, right?” Masaki Aiba’s voice interrupted. He stepped up and he and Jun high-fived each other, grinning mischievously.

“S-Shut up!” he said, turning crimson. “Don’t talk about her like that!”

Aiba rolled his eyes as he jammed his hands into his apron’s pockets. “He really treats her like she’s the Holy Grail or something.”

“She’s the girl of his dreams. His Princess Leia,” Jun said, trying to keep a straight face.

Nino scowled at his two friends.

“But she really is something, huh? Like a goddess that descended from the sky,” Aiba said wistfully. “Someone that’s never going to go for you,” he then pointed at Nino.

He and Jun guffawed.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Nino said sarcastically.

“Always here for you, man,” Aiba winked. “Have you even ever talked to her?”

“O-Of course I have!”

Jun and Aiba waited for his next words.

“I say ‘hi’ to her everytime we pass by each other by our gate.”

Jun and Aiba just stared. Nino racked his brains.

“O-Oh! I fixed her door once! We talked about the… weather.”

Blank stares. And then loud guffaws. One or two customers that were there looked at them. They stifled their laughter.

“You need to get out more,” Jun said, seriously concerned for his friend. “Tonight!”

They’d probably be hitting the bars again. That’s all they do.

“You know I don’t like those scenes,” he said, shaking his head. Besides, he still has to go check if he’s winning the bid he has on ebay. That plush Ewoks will be his yet.

“Are you thinking about what I think you’re thinking about?” Aiba narrowed his eyes at him, suspicious.

Nino avoided his eyes and busied himself with mopping.

“You always spend your time doing the same things. You should try something different for a change.”

“You guys are always doing the same old things too,” Nino frowned at them.

“Yeah, but we meet lots of girls in the process,” Jun grinned as Aiba nodded solemnly.

“There’s more to life than Ewoks, Nino!” Aiba exclaimed, raising an eyebrow as Nino paused and stared at him.

“Come down from your Planet Zaptron or something.”

Nino and Aiba both stared at Jun.

“Hey! I am not a geek! How would I know what names they give their home planets?” Jun said, defensively.

Hmm… Zaptron. Pretty catchy.

“I’m quite happy, thank you very much,” he then said stiffly and proceeded to arrange the display they had.

Aiba and Jun shrugged. They’ve always tried but knew it was no use. Jun ordered the house coffee as Aiba went behind the counter. Nino stood there, wiping the displays, slightly pouting. Why can’t they understand he’s not really trying to find the next big thrill in life? It just wasn’t him. He was contented with the life he was leading. It’s not always about the parties, the craziness. He thought he was having his own kind of adventure. Just the way he likes it. Smooth-sailing.

He looked out the window as people passed by, the air smelled of summer. Ah. The promise of just laying back, doing nothing, sip a couple of root beers (and try to work up the courage to talk to Aoi) and relax a bit before school starts again. Just like any other summer, he thought dreamily. And nothing could be better. He picked up the mop and walked towards the back.

Somebody then peeked out from the couch. Nobody noticed the petite girl that sidled up to the bulletin board. She pulled off her sunglasses and looked at the ad. A small smile appeared on her cherry red lips. Pulling off the ad, she quickly jammed it in her shorts’ pockets. And then went out the door, stretching her arms, a new spring in her steps.

**

Nino’s sneakers crunched on the gravel. His shift had ended later than was usual as Aiba left some thing he should have done himself to him. Shaking his head and muttering, Aiba better make it up to him! His steps quickened; his plush Ewoks. He hurriedly ran up to his house and pulled his keys out but suddenly stopped in his tracks as his eyes fell on something.

That something was a girl sitting on the floor, leaning on his door, her head buried in her arms. He noticed the large suitcase beside her. Frowning, he slowly walked up. The girl’s head snapped up when she heard his footsteps. She looked so forlorn and lost.

“C-Can I help you?” he asked. He really wasn’t used to dealing with girls. And he had a feeling this matter would be a lot more complicated. Is she someone Ohno knows? “Ohno doesn’t live here anymore.”

“W-Who’s Ohno?” she asked in a small beaten voice. She slowly stood up, shaking a bit. A piece of paper crumpled in her hand.

Ah, so it wasn’t one of Ohno’s skeletons in his closet. He was kinda a weird guy. The possibility was there. He opened his mouth again to speak when she reached out and showed him the crumpled up paper.

"This is your ad, right?" she asked.

Nino looked taken aback. Why did she take the whole thing down?

“Yeah… it is,” he said slowly. “But the ad says ‘Looking for a male-‘”

“I really need a place to stay,” she said, rubbing her arms as if cold. “Please…”

Nino took in the conservative white dress she had on. She didn’t look like someone who would have no place to go. Something tells him there was more to this…

“I-I can’t go back to my house,” she said, lips quivering slightly as if reading Nino’s thought. Nino’s eyes snapped to her.

“My father… H-He…,” she closed her eyes and bent her head down, biting her lip, trying to hold back the tears.

“W-What’s wrong?” Nino asked, as he couldn’t help but feel sorry for her.

She grabbed onto that. “H-He’s a drunkard who beats me up when he feels like it,” she said quietly, head still bent as if embarrassed about her situation. “I want out of that…”

Nino’s brow creased with worry. He wanted to help her but… but he can’t have a girl as his housemate. Girls were a lot more complicated. And what would his neighbours think? And Aoi… Wait! More pressing matters were at hand.

“I could help you find a place in the morning…,” he started. “You can stay here for tonight (but only for tonight).”

“I have money to pay for the rent!” she then said and opened her bag, taking out an envelope filled with cash. She handed it to Nino, eyes pleading.

Nino pushed it away gently. That really wasn’t the point. “Look, I’m not throwing you out tonight. I’ll even help-“

“B-But why can’t I stay here?” she asked quietly.

“I-It’s because I’m a guy and you’re a girl. It’s not-“

“I really don’t care about that!” she cut him off. “I-I overheard your conversation in the coffee shop.”

Nino looked at her as she continued. “You sounded like a really nice guy…. That’s why I had the courage to come out here. I just- I just don’t want to be alone…”

She gazed up at him and pulled on his shirt. “For some reason, I know I’d be safe here…”

He could only stare down at her eyes, looking all desperate and pleading. He opened his mouth to speak…

**

He stood there in his kitchen, looking a bit dumbstruck at how things happened so quickly. He had heard himself agree to let her be his housemate. It seemed more like an out-of-body experience. She had smiled up at him, eyes shining and paid him the rent in advance. What made him say that? He knew he always almost could not say no to people but he should have put his foot down this time. How was he going to handle this?

He looked towards her closed bedroom door. Inoue Mao. But maybe it wasn’t too bad. She looked like a really simple girl. Maybe everything will work out fine. He just had to think about the situation with his neighbours. That was it. Though it still felt like his whole world had suddenly gone into another dimension. He, Ninomiya Kazunari, was sharing a house with a girl. What will Jun and Aiba think?

His thoughts went back to her dilemma. It was really a big deal. He was really glad he could offer some help. The poor girl-

The door to her room suddenly opened and she stepped out. Wait… Was he seeing things? He blinked twice.

“Oh, hey, Kazu! I’m going out for a while,” she greeted cheerfully.

Kazu? Who is this girl standing before him? Where was the girl just earlier that looked so meek, so fragile, so…. covered up! What is she wearing? All he could see was skin. And her face… it had been so clean minutes ago. And she looked far prettier without all that gook on her face. Okay, focus. She turned towards the door, after giving him a wave goodbye.

“Wait!” he yelled out to her as she turned to him. “You are Inoue Mao right?”

He didn’t just have an alien encounter, right? Although he thought it would be much cooler than this.

She grinned at him, amused. “Of course I am. I really like you. You’re silly.”

Nino snapped to it and pointed an accusing finger at her. “Did you make all those things up?! You were just acting to trick me?! If that’s the case, then you can leave! Now!”

Her grin faded away as Nino glared at her. The nerve of her! Taking advantage of his sympathy!

“What makes you think I made it all up?” she suddenly asked, all somber as she looked at him hollowly.

Nino stared at her. W-Well… Yeah, he wasn’t sure. Wait! He was too confused and agitated to think straight. She somehow had this ability to make him off-balanced. Her eyes crinkled at him. She walked towards him and stopped in front of him. He remained immobile.

“You wouldn’t throw me out, right? Leaving me out there all alone… Fending for myself…,” she said as her eyes shimmered at him.

Nino gulped and shook his head slowly. She smiled up at him and then patted his cheek.

“I’m late! I’ll talk to you later, ‘kay?” she then said and stalked towards the door happily.

Nino stood there, his ears pounding as the door closed behind her. A nagging feeling that the quiet summer he longed for was hurling away into a huge black hole.

He had been duped.

Sufferin’ Zaptrons.