The delicate glow of the stars caught Riku’s eyes. Her long brown hair flowed down her back as she stared up at the night sky. Moonlight filtered through the sky to her balcony. The sprinkled stars lit extra lands of the sky for her eyes to visit.
A noise caught Riku’s attention. Curiously, her head swung to look next door. Lights came from the windows. The door was flung wide open. People went in and out with boxes. Apparently, someone was moving in.
It was a Friday evening, but there was work the next day. Riku Satseiya was almost out of high school, almost ready for college. She lived in her large house with her father. Sadly, her father was an archaeologist who was never really home. Therefore, more often than not, Riku was on her own.
Riku’s head turned to look inside. The clock, with it’s bold numbers, claimed that it was ten o’clock. “Time for bed,” She told herself. “I guess I need to get something for the neighbors at work…Good thing I work at a bakery.”
The next day, work was normal. Children swarmed to buy cookies at the counter. Riku was the center of attention for the hoard of customers. That was fine for her, though. That was what she got paid for.
In the crowd, she saw only one person she didn’t recognize: a boy about her age, with dark hair like the night and blue eyes as bright as the day sky. He wore tan kakis with a white sweater and was a couple inches taller than Riku. He was also next in line.
“Two strawberry tarts, please.”
“Mind waiting?” Riku’s chipper voice echoed. “We’re making a fresh batch right now.”
“Alright then.”
“May I have your name?”
“I can’t give it to you, literally…”
“Something tells me you know what I mean.”
“Takumi Mabarta.”
“All right then, Mr. Mabarta. We’ll call you when your tarts are ready.”
“And you?” She stared blankly at him. “Your name, I mean.”
“Riku Satseiya.”
“Thank you, Ms. Satseiya.” He walked away from the counter, and her eyes watched him leave.
The food was ready. Riku put it in a bag as she continued selling food. She took a microphone from the counter’s side and called for him.
“Mabarta, your order is ready.” There was no answer. “Mabarta.” Still, no one came to claim the food. Her boss, the baker, Satoshi, left it on the counter.
Hours passed. The food stayed on the table. It was time for closing by the time they noticed money in place of the brown bag that once sat at the edge of the counter. There was that, and there was an envelope addressed to ‘Ms. Satseiya’.
“Oh, Satoshi!” Riku forgot until then about getting something for her new neighbor. “Could I get some money taken out of my paycheck for a strawberry tart?”
“No problem to me,” he said. She took her tart and ran to the bus-stop.
As she walked home, her feet turned a house early. The sun beat down on her as she walked up to the door. Loudly, she made the knocker hit its wooden back, hoping someone was home. The door opened. Surprise filled her blood.
“Ms. Satseiya,” she heard a familiar voice say. “Is something wrong? What brings you here?”
“Well, this is a surprise.” she replied. “Apparently, you’re not only the new customer but you’re also my new neighbor.”
“What do you mean?”
“I live right next door.” She could seethe confusion make his eyes widen. “Anyway, I got this for you- a welcoming gift. It’s a strawberry tart… I’d have gotten something different if I’d known. Have a good day, Mr. Mabarta.”
Before he could say anything, she gave a small wave and ran off. She ran home, ready to make a dinner of cup of noodles. She didn’t really have an idea why she just ran off like that. Something inside her told her it was time to go. So she left.
The night came. As always, Riku stood at the railing of her second story balcony. Sprinkled stars glistened in the sky. A yell came from next door and, for a moment, she didn’t notice. It grew louder. When she recognized her name, she turned to face the house near her. Takumi stood waving, standing at his own window’s porch.
“Riku!” he called. “What are you doing tomorrow for dinner?”
“It makes a difference?” She looked at him inquisitively.
“My mom and I were thinking that, if you were free, maybe you could come over to our place for dinner tomorrow night.”
“I’m free, but really-” She was cut off by his voice.
“Great! So I’ll see you around six?”
“I never said-” Takumi didn’t hear her protest. He had already gone inside to tell his mother. “Good lord… That guy really is kind of goofy…”
*****
Sunshine filtered in her window. The blue sky was clear; not a cloud was available to look at. She rubbed her eyes. So comforting was the slumber, she hated the idea of leaving it. Given that Sunday was her only day off, she could have slept in if she really wanted to.
After getting dressed and having alight breakfast, she ran out of the house. Not a light shined through the windows of the house next door. Were Takumi and his mother out? For an unknown reason, the question stuck to her as she walked about.
Traffic didn’t faze her. She knew the patterns by heart at the stop-lights, and she took mostly quiet streets anyhow. As she went on her way, unsure of her destination, she glanced at the sky to watch the clear blue follow her.
Evening came and Riku sat at home, staring at the ticking clock. Her mind wandered as she waited for the minutes to pass. She was somewhat excited to have dinner with her new neighbors. It seemed like it would be a pleasant experience.
Six o’clock came. Gently, Riku’s hand knocked on the wooden door. As it creaked open, a woman looked at her. She smiled, saying, “You must be Riku.”
At the table, Riku sat quietly. A bowl of miso soup sat in front of her. Next to it, a piece of pre-buttered garlic bread, glistening in the dim light. Riku just stared for a moment, then looked up. Takumi was smiling at her from across the table. The seat next to him was empty as they waited for his mother to finish serving the food. Then she sat down, and so they ate.
“Thank you for having me over,” Riku said, taking a bite of bread.
“It’s our pleasure,” the woman replied. She was tall with dirty-blonde hair and eyes just like her son’s. “So, you work at the bakery?”
“Yes. My father is never around, so Indeed the extra money for the groceries.”
“Where is your father?”
“Right now? He’s in China. He has a lot of business trips…”
“It must be hard on you,” Ms. Mabarta said.
“No, not really. I’m used to it. My mother died a few years ago… That’s when I started staying by myself. The government has already said it’s perfectly legal.” She gave a weak smile that even Takumi could see through. He knew that it was hard, and he knew she was just trying to keep anyone from worrying about her.
“Are you enjoying your dinner, Ms. Satseiya?” he asked.
“It’s wonderful,” she replied simply. They continued to eat. After dinner, Takumi asked her to go upstairs with him. His mother agreed, knowing what he was truly asking. Riku followed him.
“Where are we going?” Riku asked.
“The balcony.”
“What will we do there?”
“Just wait. You’ll see.”
They made it to the balcony. Riku’s skirt billowed in the soft evening breeze. They leaned over the cool metal railing, looking down on the street from high above. “You come out here every night too?”
“It’s fun to watch the stars.” He looked at her, and for a moment she could feel his stare.
“It is,” Riku agreed. She turned her head and looked at the clock. “It’s getting late. I should go home…”
“What’s the rush?”
“School tomorrow.”
“What school do you go to?”
“Tamera High.”
“I’ll see you there, then.” Though she wanted to ask how he knew that for sure, she just waved and left. It was all she could think to do. She got home and changed, then went outside. She looked at his balcony. He still stood, staring at the sky.
It wasn’t until an hour later he noticed her, and it was only because of her calling out to him. “Good night, Takumi!”
Sleep had never made her feel so refreshed in her life. She ran to school, actually excited for the day to come. Riku liked school, but she was usually not a morning person. For some reason, that day was different. She didn’t let it bother her.
In class, she sat at her seat. Everyone sat at their seats, except for Takumi. Takumi stood at the front of the class, waving lightly at her, though not directly. A rosy color filled her cheeks as she stared at her desk. The teacher began to speak.
“This, class, is Takumi Mabarta. He will be joining us for the rest of the year. Mr. Mabarta, why don’t you take the seat next to Ms. Satseiya?” Usually, Riku would have to raise her hand by now. Instead, Takumi just took his seat. It wasn’t hard since they knew each other already.
Classes went on. Lunch came with the fourth ring of a bell that meant a new period was to begin. Riku took a seat on a bench, anxiety rushing into her as she saw three boys. She knew them well, and she was sure it was time to listen to them talking behind her back although they could tell she was there.
“That teacher’s pet was acting all smart again,” the first one started.
“Who does she think she is, showing off like that?” said number two.
“She thinks she’s so cool,” number one responded.
“Yeah, just because her dad’s a famous archaeologist,” Number three added in.
“I hear he got the job just so he could stay as far from his family as he wanted.” Number one noted.
“I hear her mother killed herself from being stuck with her so long!” number three pointed out.
“No one likes her, not even her family!” Number two claimed.
“She’s such a loser,” Number one said. They laughed as they walked away. Nearby, Takumi heard the whole thing. Riku’s drooping head told him who they were talking about. He ran after them and started yelling, right nearby Riku’s bench.
“Hey, you!” he called out. “Who’re you to say whose ‘cool’ and who’s not? Her father, Keiichiro Satseiya, was an archaeologist before any of you were born!” Riku looked up for a moment, her tear-stained cheeks still being the bed of the rivers that flowed out of her watering eyes. “As well, Ms. Satseiya isn’t hated. It’s you that’s hated, and you know it.” They glared at him, and Riku ran. All she could think to do was run. She hid in a corner, and Takumi suddenly noticed. He ran after her.
“Ms. Satseiya?” he called out. She cowered and came out of her hiding spot.
“Why did you do that?”
“They’re trying to hurt you. You’d do the same for me… I can tell.”
“Why would you-”
“I think you know the answer to that.” This was what happened each day for the next month. She’d be bullied, he’d stop it. They’d eat lunch together. People started calling them a couple. They knew it was just another way people tried to get at them.
A month after all this, Takumi found out his mother had found a new job. It was going to make him move a good couple hours away. He came knocking on her door and hugged her when she opened it. Then he whispered goodbye in her ear and ran off.
It had been a month after he left by the time she remembered the note. It fell off her desk as she was cleaning up her clutter. She picked up the envelope and opened it. Her hand lifted a note out of the vanilla envelope. She cried as she read it.
Ms. Satseiya:
He was killed, Riku. Your father was killed by a gunshot. Don’t lose sight of what’s important. Let the stars guide you. I will be there for you as much as I can. I will be your guiding star, if you’ll let me.
Your star,
Takumi Mabarta.
“My star,” she said. She hugged the note to her chest and smiled as the tears rolled down her cheeks. “My guiding star.”
