Meeting Hoshiko

(Akane's PoV)

—

The farther we went into the backstreets, the quieter Sora became.

I first noticed it around the third corner. She was happily swinging her shopping bag, asking whether tattoo artists kept regular working hours.

By the fifth turn, she'd stopped asking questions. By the seventh, she was practically glued to my elbow, her bag bumping against my hip every few steps.

She also kept looking up at the narrow strip of sky between the rooftops, probably making sure it was still there.

Honestly, I couldn't blame her.

The streets around Hoshiko's studio were still the same mess, because only the chosen ones were supposed to meet her.

A cat watched us from a wall with the sort of contempt only cats can manage. Somewhere nearby, a pipe dripped steadily onto the pavement.

The last bit of daylight squeezed between the buildings, turning everything a miserable shade of yellow.

"Akane?" Sora sounded a little nervous.

"Yeah?" I said, casually.

"Is there a map of this area? Perhaps at the district office?" She clung to me tighter.

"Nope."

"I see…" She looked behind us. "And what happens if someone gets lost?"

"They get lost forever. Easy." My voice grew sharper.

Sora let out a nervous laugh. "D-don't joke like that, please…"

Then she looked at me to check whether I was really joking or not.

I smiled back, but she didn't look reassured.

Then, after another few minutes, we rounded one final corner and reached the dead end.

There it was. Hoshiko's studio.

A huge black iron door stood at the end of the alley, complete with enough bolts and locks to make you wonder whether the owner was a tattoo artist or an escaped supervillain.

Above it, a pink-and-blue neon sign buzzed against the dark brick.

Tsukishiro's Art Sanctuary.

I loved that stupid sign.

The moment we saw the name, Sora stopped walking.

Her eyes traveled from the iron door to the neon lettering, then slowly returned to me.

The folder was pressed tightly against her chest while a carton of strawberry milk poked out of her shopping bag.

"Akane…" she called out, her voice shaky.

"Yeah?"

"A-Are you sure this is the place?"

I grinned. "Just watch, beautiful idol."

I approached the door and found the little brass button hidden beneath a sticker of a skull wearing sunglasses and then pressed it.

And kept pressing.

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

Somewhere inside the studio, the buzzer started screaming, and I immediately began giggling.

"Akane?" Sora looked alarmed. "You're supposed to ring once."

"This is the traditional greeting." I kept pressing that button.

"I-I really don't think it is."

I kept my thumb on the button, and from inside came a distant voice.

At first, I couldn't make out the words. Then the voice got louder, rising steadily in pitch, and I heard something crashing. A metallic object hit the floor and rolled.

Then came a shriek, followed by a string of profanity that would've killed someone's mother on the spot.

I bent forward laughing, one hand braced against the wall.

Sora looked ready to call the police.

"Akane," she whispered. "I think someone is being murdered."

"Oh, don't worry. That's just Hoshiko being Hoshiko."

"Well… she surely doesn't sound like someone that might hug me, you know?" Sora said.

"Not yet."

The buzzer kept going, and so did my laughter.

I must've held that button down for two whole minutes. Maybe more. I wasn't counting.

There are very few pleasures in life as pure as ringing Hoshiko's doorbell.

Finally, I heard the locks.

Clunk.

Clunk.

CLUNK.

The iron door flew open so violently that it slammed against the wall.

And there she was.

Hoshiko, my beloved fox.

Her hair was half escaping its bun, her face was twisted with rage, and she was wearing an old band shirt with the sleeves cut off.

In one hand, she held a butter knife raised like a dagger, completely covered in chocolate hazelnut spread.

There was chocolate on her knuckles, too, and a suspicious brown smear across her cheek.

Sora took exactly four steps back.

"WHO THE HELL IS—" Then she saw me, and immediately stopped.

For about three seconds, she stood there with her mouth hanging open, the knife still raised above her head.

Then her expression changed.

Oh, there it was.

That ridiculous smile.

"BABY WOOOOOLF!"

The knife went flying over her shoulder. Something crashed inside.

I didn't even have time to say hello before Hoshiko launched herself at me.

Her arms locked around my ribs, and suddenly my boots weren't touching the ground anymore.

"I MISSED YOOOOOU!"

"Hoshiko—!" My air came out of my lungs as she squeezed harder.

"I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!" She exclaimed. "I was going crazy!!!"

"Jeez! I saw you this morning!"

"THAT WAS ALMOST TEN HOURS AGO!!" She squeezed even harder.

"Exactly—!" I tried to push her away but without success.

"IT FELT LIKE TEN YEARS!" She then finally loosened her grip.

I couldn't help but laugh.

"Hoshiko, you're getting chocolate all over my hoodie—!"

"I'LL BUY YOU A NEW ONE!"

"That's not the point!"

"I'LL BUY YOU TEN! I'LL TATTOO YOU A NEW HOODIE!"

"How the hell would that even work?!"

Then, she finally put me down, grabbed my shoulders, and inspected me from head to toe with the seriousness of a doctor checking a patient.

Apparently satisfied, she hugged me again.

"Ahhh, my baby wolf! I'm so happy you came!"

"You're going to break my ribs, Hoshiko—! Shit—!"

"And you rang the bell like a complete lunatic! I missed that too!"

"Well… you were about to murder someone… it didn't look like that—"

"Yeah. I was. That's funny, isn't it? In the end it was you, so I didn't kill anyone." She released me, and I could finally breathe again.

"Well… thank you." We were both laughing now.

Beside us, Sora hadn't moved an inch.

She stood with her shopping bag clutched in both hands and her folder tucked beneath one arm, staring at us with her mouth slightly open.

She'd probably spent her entire life believing that normal people greeted visitors with a polite bow and a pleasant smile.

Poor girl, in the end she wanted to hold the bag because she wanted to give it to Hoshiko by herself.

Then, Hoshiko moved her gaze away from me and finally noticed our guest.

"Hm?" Her head turned. Slowly.

She looked Sora up and down, starting with her polished black shoes, then moving to her pleated skirt, perfectly ironed collar, and neatly pinned hair.

By the time she reached Sora's face, her eyes had narrowed suspiciously.

"Hmmmmmm…"

Sora straightened immediately while Hoshiko rubbed her chin with a chocolate-covered hand.

I could practically hear the gears turning.

"Well, well, well…"

"Hoshiko," I warned, but she ignored me, of course.

"That is a very normal-looking girl…" She mumbled.

Sora blinked. "E-Excuse me?"

"Too normal." Hoshiko started walking around her. "Look at this uniform. It's perfectly ironed. Not a single wrinkle. And that collar!" She leaned closer. "There's an actual crease in your sleeve. I haven't seen one of those since middle school."

"Hoshiko."

"No, baby wolf, I'm being serious. This girl looks like she does her homework voluntarily and then goes to snitch to the teacher. I don't like that. That's the kind of person that sees us as monsters—"

"She's the girl I told you about this morning," I said.

Hoshiko stopped circling. "Ah?"

"Don't you remember? The friend I said I was bringing."

She blinked. Once. Twice.

"Oh." Then her eyes widened. "OHHHH!"

She looked at me, then at Sora, then back at me, and finally, she noticed the shopping bag.

Her gaze dropped to the suspiciously large collection of snacks sticking out of it.

"What's that?"

Sora nearly jumped out of her shoes.

"A-ah! I, um…" She raised the bag nervously. "I bought some snacks. For you and Akane…"

Hoshiko stared.

"I wasn't sure what you liked, so I tried to get a little of everything. I'm terribly sorry if it's too much. I panicked at the convenience store and…" Sora's voice trailed off, because Hoshiko's face had changed again.

First her eyebrows shot up, then her mouth dropped open, and then came a smile so enormous that I genuinely started worrying about the integrity of her cheeks.

"EHHHHHH?!"

Oh, boy.

"YOU'RE ALREADY MY FRIEND!"

"H-huh?!" Sora blinked.

Hoshiko threw herself at Sora, and the poor girl didn't stand a chance.

Her folder went flying, her shopping bag swung dangerously close to a trash can, and Hoshiko lifted her clean off the cobblestones, then spun her around. Once, just for good measure.

"AHAHAHA! I LOVE YOU ALREADY!"

"A-Akane!" Sora's voice came out strangled over Hoshiko's shoulder. "Akane, she's very strong!"

"I warned you, idol. That's Hoshiko." I smiled.

"YOU DIDN'T SAY THAT SHE WAS THIS STRONG—!"

"Well, I may have underestimated her enthusiasm." I giggled.

"Ohhhh!! She's so soft!!!" Hoshiko said. "And that perfume? It's nice!"

Then, Hoshiko finally set her down, and Sora immediately tried to recover her dignity.

Which was difficult, considering her hair was slightly crooked, and she looked as though she'd just survived an encounter with a particularly affectionate bear.

Hoshiko took the shopping bag and peered inside.

Her eyes went round.

"Rice crackers…" She pulled out a packet. "The GOOD ones!" She held it up reverently. "With seaweed!"

Sora smiled nervously. "I thought those might be—"

"STRAWBERRY MILK!" Hoshiko plunged her hand back into the bag and pulled out the carton. "I LOVE STRAWBERRY MILK! I'VE LOVED IT SINCE I WAS SIX!"

"Ah, that's wonderful…"

Then Hoshiko reached deeper, and her fingers closed around another packet.

She pulled it out, stopped, and then stared at it.

"..."

I recognized that expression.

Oh, no.

"DRIED SQUID?!"

Sora flinched.

Hoshiko clutched the packet to her chest like she'd just discovered a lost family heirloom.

"You bought me dried squid…"

She looked at Sora.

"I've known you for four minutes."

"Actually…" Sora raised a finger. "That one was supposed to be for me and Akane—"

Hoshiko froze, and Sora smiled politely.

"But you can have it, of course."

"NO!"

Sora jumped. "Y-you don't want it?"

"WE'LL SHARE!" Hoshiko then grabbed her hands. "Sharing dried squid is the first rule of our friendship!"

"We… have rules?"

"SO MANY RULES!" She nodded furiously. "I'll write them down! Actually, I'll tattoo them!"

I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"Please don't tattoo the student council president. School would get really angry, and we actually have graduation next month, you know?" I sighed.

"No promises! I already know a lot of particular tattoos that would be perfect on her!" 

Somehow, Hoshiko managed to calm herself down enough to remember basic manners.

She wiped her chocolate-covered hand on her shirt and offered it to Sora. It was still sticky.

"Hoshiko Tsukishiro! Tattoo artist, piercer, and professional designer of terrible decisions!" She flashed a grin. "People who knew me before I became an artist like that baby wolf's boyfriend call me Yuki. Except this little menace." She pointed at me. "She calls me fox!"

"Because you are one. Never seen someone more cunning than you."

"And you're my baby wolf!"

"Unfortunately."

Sora looked at the offered hand. Then at the chocolate.

I watched her hesitate for the briefest moment before accepting it.

"Sora Fujimoto," she introduced herself with a polite bow. "Student council president. It's a pleasure to meet you, Tsukishiro-san."

"Ohhh, so polite! Too polite!"

Sora smiled. "And… please forgive us for the doorbell earlier."

Hoshiko burst out laughing.

"Forgive you? That was my favorite part!"

She kept hold of Sora's hand for another moment, studying her face with increasing interest.

Uh-oh.

I knew that look.

The artist side was waking up. "Hmmmm…"

Sora blinked. "Is… something wrong?"

"No, no. Quite the opposite." Hoshiko tilted her head. "You know, with a slightly darker style and a couple of piercings, you'd be absolutely gorgeous."

Sora turned pink. "I… pardon?"

"Just imagine!"

Hoshiko released her hand and leaned closer, examining her face as if she were planning a portrait.

"A tiny silver helix piercing, right here."

She gently tapped the upper curve of Sora's ear.

"Nothing flashy. Just a little sparkle. And maybe a black ribbon instead of that boring hair clip."

Sora's blush spread all the way to her ears.

"I-I appreciate the suggestion, but I've never—"

"Hoshiko," I interrupted. "You've known her for five minutes."

"And in five minutes, I've already designed her entire aesthetic." She placed a hand proudly against her chest. "I'm efficient."

"You're a menace."

"An artistic menace."

Sora covered her cheeks with both hands.

Then she looked at me with an expression of pure desperation.

'Akane, please help me.'

I shrugged.

'Sorry, President. I already warned you about her.'

"ANYWAY!" Hoshiko clapped her hands, and a few tiny flecks of chocolate flew off. "COME IN, COME IN!"

She stepped aside and gestured toward the studio.

"I still need to close a few things and tidy up. You caught me in the middle of an extremely important lunch!" She said. "Consider this place your home, girls."

"Chocolate spread?" I asked.

"Of course. I needed to recharge a lot of energy today, you know? Chocolate is the best." Hoshiko smiled.

Then, a warm light spilled from the doorway, mixing with the pink and blue neon outside. The familiar smell of incense and tattoo ink drifted into the chilly alley.

Hoshiko swept one arm dramatically toward the interior.

"Welcome to Tsukishiro's Art Sanctuary!" Then she pointed down. "Oh, and mind the cables."

Sora looked at the floor. "The cables?"

"Yes. And if you step on a cat, don't worry."

Sora went pale. "Y-you have a cat?"

"No. I don't." Hoshiko replied.

"…What?"

"It's a cable that looks like a cat."

I closed my eyes. God, I loved this idiot.

Sora turned toward me, looking completely defeated.

"Akane…" she called.

"Yeah?" I said, leaning my back against the wall.

"Is she always like this?" She scratched the back of her head.

I considered the question for a few instants, and then shook my head. "No."

Sora visibly relaxed.

"Usually she's louder."

Her shoulders dropped.

I laughed, picked her folder up off the cobblestones, and handed it back.

"Come on, angel." I placed a hand between her shoulder blades and gently nudged her toward the doorway. "This is the part where you stop being normal and finally discover how to be yourself."