Hoshi wo Taguru Pt. 1

                                           This is a work of fiction.

              Any resemblance to people, situations, or events is purely coincidental.

Ten years ago, around the time that Subaru was still in high school, things around him started to disappear. Perhaps disappear was not the best choice of words. Nonetheless, things disappeared, and they were replaced with a new version of that same item.

His long beloved mechanical pencil, his worn out eraser, and his nearly dried out highlighter pen. Soon after that, his dog eared clear file and  both his ruler and jersey, which had become worn out from use, were replaced too.

All the contents of his pen case were replaced perfectly and carefully, down to the last detail.

Subaru didn’t think any of this was mysterious or even out of spite. In fact, these replacements happened just as Subaru had thought about throwing out his old things anyway. And part way through, Subaru found out who the culprit was.

The culprit was a person in his class, an alien looking boy.

---

What was he doing in a place like this.

Tsukijima Subaru was shivering under the dark and heavy clouds that spread across the dreary sky. He was starting to regret his completely crazy act.

Even after an hour and a half flight to Hokkaido, despite being in the right place, Subaru felt a little uneasy. Somehow, his heart felt lost. He was actually supposed to fly back to his hometown in Yamaguchi.

All at once he lost his job, his girlfriend, and his home. While his parents told him he could come back home, he only sent them the stuff that remained in the place he lived in up until now. So, carrying the bare minimum, he left for the airport. 

Subaru now found himself under the cold Chitose air.

 “So cold…”
Subaru held his face downward, tucking it away from the cold wind as it collided against him and ruffled his hair. He realized that it had been quite a while since he last had his haircut. His never before dyed black hair was probably the longest it’s ever been in his life.

Because of his big black eyes, he looked younger than he actually was. His eyes, along with his hairstyle, always fooled the people around him. His superiors at work and even his younger colleagues would look down on him, and it bothered him. But lately, he realized that he should have just ignored them from the beginning.

His shoulders started to shake and Subaru started to rub his hands vigorously. It was so cold that he found it difficult to think of other things. He wasn’t sure what to do from here. He hadn’t found a place to stay yet.

In Hokkaido, the wind blew fiercely, and it was bitingly cold. Surprisingly, there actually wasn’t much snow. Mist was coming up from the asphalt just like in Tokyo. Still, there was a difference in the cold between the two cities.

This trip to Hokkaido all started when Subaru was supposed to return to his hometown in Yamaguchi. That day, something seemed to be wrong with his ticket, so he went over to the airport help center.

While Subaru was waiting in a long line, his eyes suddenly fell on the electronic notice board. The name “Shin Chitose Airport” stood out to him as it was displayed in bold letters. He thought to himself that the stars were probably very pretty this time of the year since the air was crisp and clear.

Subaru's turn in line finally came up. 

"One ticket to Chitose Airport, please."

Those words suddenly came out of his mouth, and he had no clue why.

So, during Subaru's flight, his hands started to sweat at the thought that he was actually headed to Hokkaido without a plan.

“Well I’m already going, so there’s no use worrying about it.”

After spending a while trying to wrap his head around it, he finally decided that whatever happens, happens. Besides, Subaru felt as if he had all the time in the world until he died.

After arriving at the Shin Chitose airport, Subaru went straight to the arrivals lobby and left. Unexpectedly, there wasn't a single bus at the terminal, and he didn't know how long he would have to wait until the next one.

While there were a few empty taxis around, Subaru was afraid to get on since he wasn’t sure how far he was from the city center. He also hadn’t decided where exactly he wanted to go.

His knowledge of Hokkaido was pretty vague. He only knew what food was good and that it was full of nature. And in Hokkaido, you can see a lot of stars. He only knew that much, but despite that, Subaru still had decided to come all this way.

He was also surprised at how much it actually cost to get a ticket from Haneda Airport. It cost as much as his New Year's bonus, but he paid the price anyway.

He could no longer remember how he had originally wanted to spend his New Year since he had quit his job and was preparing to leave his home. He had become so caught up in the busyness that came with quitting his job and moving, that he had forgotten how he wanted to spend the New Year. And before he knew it, the New Year had actually come, and only felt apathetic towards it. By far, this year,  had been the most shocking out of his entire life. He had no job, a home, and now, the added uncertainty of finding a new place to live. While he had a lot of time, that was not the case with money. That was a whole other problem. Of course he had some savings and he was expecting to receive his severance payment in one lump sum. However, he didn’t have a plan and wasn’t sure when he would find his next job, so he needed to be careful when using it. He had originally planned on returning to his parents' house, but his brother, who got married last year, just moved back in there with his wife. Subaru heard that his brother's wife was pregnant, so he felt that if he were to return, he would surely be a burden in the house. Subaru decided that his first priority should be finding work and a new place to live.

All the work needed to sort out his move and resignation awaited him back in Tokyo. Subaru felt like he couldn't even catch a break to breathe. His hardships were far from over.

And that’s why he wondered why he was even in Hokkaido right now. Perhaps it’s true that when a person gets too tired, their judgment tends to dull.

Subaru had grown tired of thinking about these things, so he decided that since he was in Hokkaido, he might as well enjoy it. He was just going to have a lot of fun and buy some souvenirs to bring back. At the very least, he’d stay until his New Year’s money ran out. 

Now that he finally figured out what he was going to do, it was time to start moving. If he couldn’t take a taxi or bus, then he could always at least take the train.

Subaru took a look around outside the airport in search of the station, but there wasn't one in sight. There weren't even any buildings. He turned around and walked back inside the airport and headed towards the information center for some direction. After an hour and a half train ride from the Shin Chitose Airport Station, Subaru arrived to Sapporo.

This was the first time Subaru was in Sapporo. All he saw was snow around him. The piled up snow at the ends of the roads and street corners was dirty from the mud and exhaust fumes. Still, snow was snow. He was kind of moved. The cold made him feel like he was truly in Hokkaido.

“What should I do next?”

There was a large department store right next to Sapporo Station. Banners for the first sales of the year were hung all over the department store. The most important thing he needed to buy was cold resistant clothing so he wouldn't feel miserable in this bitter cold weather. He carried his luggage while looking around aimlessly until he found a store with scarves, gloves, a bulky coat, and boots. He bought them all in one go and changed into them right away, putting his other clothes into his suitcase. He didn’t know how long he would be staying, so he also took this opportunity to pack another change of clothes.

He now walked with his suitcase swaying heavily behind him. He thought it was a relief that he didn't pack much to begin with.

Because it was sales time, Subaru was much more relaxed like the other people walking around. He felt that even though the dialect and accents were the same, it was almost as if the climate and the culture were completely different from what he was used to.

The thought of going to Hokkaido actually had always lingered in the back of his mind. Since a very long time ago, he had this feeling of wanting to see it, but he never had a chance until now. For a moment, Subaru thought back to his plane ride here to Hokkaido. He began to feel excited about the new year to come now that he had been granted the chance to travel. He reminisced looking out and down at Honshu as the plane flew over it.  Subaru began to walk, constantly thinking over and over just how different this place really was.

By the time he finished shopping, it was already dark outside.

As he looked around, he noticed that the buildings were quite tall. He didn't think that Hokkaido would have any tall buildings. His image of it was one with a whole sky full of stars that could be seen from anywhere, but there was more city life than he expected.

So many hotels stood before him that he got lost trying to decide on which hotel to stay. He decided to think about it later, and just like that, he called for a taxi.

“Where would you like to go?”

He hadn’t decided on where to go when the elderly driver had asked him, so Subaru turned the question on him.

“I would like to go drinking. Are there any places you recommend?”

“Hmm, I don’t really drink so I don’t really know any places... For the time being, is it okay to start driving?”

“Yes, please go ahead.”

Subaru leaned back onto the soft seat of the slow moving taxi as he absentmindedly stared at the cityscape. It was hot inside the taxi.

“Are you here on a trip?”

“Kind of. It was unplanned though.”

“Unplanned?  That sounds exciting. Where did you come from?”

He didn’t really think that it felt like a fun trip, but he didn’t say it aloud. They were only sharing the same space for a short time, so he didn’t want to ruin the atmosphere. Instead, he answered with a smile.

“I came from Tokyo, but my hometown is in Yamaguchi prefecture.”

“Wow, you’ve come from quite far away. Since you’re from a warm place, the cold must be tough for you.”

“It is. Though I bought a coat as soon as I got to Sapporo.”

“Today was especially cold. But it’ll snow tomorrow, so it shouldn’t be as cold.”

“I always thought that it gets colder when it snows, but I guess that isn't the case.”

“Yup, it’s true. It actually gets a bit warmer when it snows.”

The driver continued talking until they stopped in an area that looked like a shopping district. Subaru paid, gave his thanks, and got off the taxi.

There were many different shops in this area: crab shops, sushi restaurants, and general izakayas. In the middle of the random eateries, there were suspiciously colored stores with blinking pink lights.

Subaru was all the way in Hokkaido so he figured he might as well find a good place to drink. He walked slowly, in search of places that caught his eye. Rather than a busy chain store, he wanted to drink in a more relaxed place with a private atmosphere.

The new boots he bought weren’t broken into yet, so it made walking difficult. As he thought that he would start to feel tired soon and had better hurry up and pick a place, he noticed a black signboard.

Among all the other sparkling neon signboards was a simple, plain looking one right in the middle. Its neutral, black color stood out from the other overflowing lights surrounding it. Taking a closer look, he noticed the name of a star, "Pleiades," written in flowing silvery letters on the signboard. Only a single white light illuminated it.

Pleiades. The Seven Sisters. The line up of the stars on the signboard was the same as the Pleiades star cluster. To think that he would find a bar with the meaning of his name. Subaru was deeply interested in the signboard, so he walked inside.

At the bottom of the staircase was a sign on the door that read CLOSED. Subaru looked at the time. It was only 7:43 p.m. Subaru decided that if it wasn’t open by 8, he would give up and go look for a hotel. It’s not like he had a reservation anyways.

He was waiting idly for the time to pass when he started to hear some noise from the inside.

Then, as if right on cue, the bell chimed, and the door swung open. An arm came out to flip the sign to OPEN. It looked like it belonged to the owner. He pulled his arm back and shut the door again. After making sure the bar was really open, Subaru opened the door and peeked inside.

“Is it okay to come in?”

“Ahh, yes go ahead. Welcome.”

A bartender swung around with a cheerful voice. Subaru's shoulders tensed when he saw the bartender's face.

It didn't take more than a look to remember that face. Even at a first glance, he would never be able to forget such a beautifully carved face that didn't quite resemble the look of a Japanese person. His soft lightly colored hair, the way blue and green blended together to make the strange color of his eyes.

Subaru knew that face very well.  And the fact that those eyes and hair were actually natural.

The bartender looked even more surprised, as if he had just seen a ghost or an alien. When his eyes fell on Subaru, he stiffened too. He was speechless.

“…..What?” the bartender mumbled in disbelief.

Seeing this surprised reaction left Subaru dumbfounded. He wrinkled his brows. Subaru barely swallowed his words, keeping the thought to himself. Wasn’t this person supposed to be the alien?