~Kotoba wa imi o motte inai toki~ 言葉は意味を持っていないとき CHAPTER 1 "So, why're you going to Japan?" My best friend, Melony asked. "I'm going to meet the famous rock star, Tsukimia Tadase," I replied. "Do you even know Japanese?" Melony asked, "Who's Tsukimia Tadase anyway?" "You just don't get it," I said. It's been my dream, ever since I watched one of his concerts over the internet, to meet him. "And no, I can't speak Japanese," I admitted. Melony just sighed. "So, you're just traveling over the pacific ocean, joining some fancy boarding school, just to meet some rockstar I've never even heard of? Sounds crazy to me," Melony said. "Baka," I spoke to her in Japanese. It was one of the few Japanese words I've learned from watching various Animes, meaning something along the lines of Idiot or Dumb. What I didn't mention to Melony was the craziest of all. The school Tsukimia Tadase attended was an all boys school. I got the idea of joining his school as a girl from a manga I read once. "Where are you gonna stay?" Melony asked, laying back on my bed. "The school has dorms," I replied. Melony just gave a small hmph. "I wonder what taiyaki tastes like, and riceballs, do you suppose they're just rice squished together to form balls, or rather triangles, or are they something completely different?" I desperately changed the subject. "I don't know, you'd think that's what they are I guess," Melony replied with a confused expression. "And bean paste as a snack? That sounds bitter," I went on. "I don't know, Colleen, Japan has some odd foods," She stated. "Yeah, and I'm gonna try them all!" I said, falling back onto my bed, missing Melony by an inch. "Good luck with that," She giggled. "I'll need it!" I giggled back. "You know, I'll miss you when you're gone," She said. "Yeah, I'm probably gonna miss you too, and all my other friends, and Dad," I sighed. Dad was my only parent left, since Mom died five years ago in an accident. It was difficult to lie to him and say that I was visiting a friend who had moved there and intended to go to school with her. "My flight is tomorrow," I said, wondering what Japan would be like. "you think you should start packing?" Melony asked. ~Kotoba wa imi o motte inai toki~ 言葉は意味を持っていないとき CHAPTER 1 "So, why're you going to Japan?" My best friend, Melony asked. "I'm going to meet the famous rock star, Tsukimia Tadase," I replied. "Do you even know Japanese?" Melony asked, "Who's Tsukimia Tadase anyway?" "You just don't get it," I said. It's been my dream, ever since I watched one of his concerts over the internet, to meet him. "And no, I can't speak Japanese," I admitted. Melony just sighed. "So, you're just traveling over the pacific ocean, joining some fancy boarding school, just to meet some rockstar I've never even heard of? Sounds crazy to me," Melony said. "Baka," I spoke to her in Japanese. It was one of the few Japanese words I've learned from watching various Animes, meaning something along the lines of Idiot or Dumb. What I didn't mention to Melony was the craziest of all. The school Tsukimia Tadase attended was an all boys school. I got the idea of joining his school as a girl from a manga I read once. "Where are you gonna stay?" Melony asked, laying back on my bed. "The school has dorms," I replied. Melony just gave a small hmph. "I wonder what taiyaki tastes like, and riceballs, do you suppose they're just rice squished together to form balls, or rather triangles, or are they something completely different?" I desperately changed the subject. "I don't know, you'd think that's what they are I guess," Melony replied with a confused expression. "And bean paste as a snack? That sounds bitter," I went on. "I don't know, Colleen, Japan has some odd foods," She stated. "Yeah, and I'm gonna try them all!" I said, falling back onto my bed, missing Melony by an inch. "Good luck with that," She giggled. "I'll need it!" I giggled back. "You know, I'll miss you when you're gone," She said. "Yeah, I'm probably gonna miss you too, and all my other friends, and Dad," I sighed. Dad was my only parent left, since Mom died five years ago in an accident. It was difficult to lie to him and say that I was visiting a friend who had moved there and intended to go to school with her. "My flight is tomorrow," I said, wondering what Japan would be like. "you think you should start packing?" Melony asked.
CHAPTER 2 "Bye Colleen!" My Dad said, or rather he wept. My dad has been pretty clingy since Mom died. Still, I love him to death. I laughed in spite of myself. "See ya,Dad," I gave him a final hug. "Now you'll come back for the holidays?" He looked down at me with his tearful eyes. I swear, he reminds me of many manga dads, almost half girl. "Of course," I replied. I clutched my duffle bag packed with my boy's school uniform, a photo album and various items that I hardly remember packing. "Alright, just one more hug," I gave him a quick hug before turning around and heading toward the terminal, not looking back. "All passengers on the Tokyo 10:30 flight, please hand in your luggage here then proceed onto the plane," A lady with much to much pink lipstick and blue eye makeup yelled over the noise of the crowd. After I handed in my suitcase and duffle bag, I walked over to a balding man carrying a sign that read "Unescorted Minors". "Are you Ms. Colleen Johnston?" He asked. "Yep," I replied. "Follow me." I followed him onto the plane. "Now you can sit here, you can watch movies with the tv on the back of the seat here and if you want anything, I'll be at the front of the plane," He told me aftershowing me to my seat. "Okay, thanks," I replied. I sat down and began my long flight with an episode of Elfen Lied on my iPod. Someone was shaking me back to consciousness, whispering my name soothingly. Mom? It sounded like her voice. "Coleen? Colleeen? Colleen!" Mom's voice turned into the hoarse voice of my flight escort. He was the one shaking me back to conscousness. He was not whispering my name, but almost yelling it. "Yeah?" I asked. I opened my eyes and looked up at him, yawning. "You're in Tokyo, the flight has ended," He replied.
CHAPTER 3 I stepped off the plane and into the buzzing airport. Many people were on their cellphones speaking rapid Japanese, waiting in line, or eating some sort of food I've never even seen, much less tasted. "Are you Colleen Johnston?" A man spoke to me with a very thick Japanese accent. "Um... Yeah," I replied. "Follow me," He said calmly. I followed him outside of the airport. Tokyo was breathtaking. Colorful advertisements on huge screens implanted on skyscrapers that seems as tall as a mountain, taxis, buses and cars piled into the streets, yet there were still enough people to fill the sidewalks lining the streets. The man led me to a taxi, or 'Takushi' as he pronounced it. After he talked with the taxi driver for a bit, he opened the back door for me and I crawled in. "Sayu Boi No Akademi?" The taxi driver asked, looking at the mirror at me. "Hai," I replied. 'Hai' was another word I've learned from watching Anime, meaning Yes. "Oke," The driver began driving. I wondered what Sayu Boy's academy would be like, and if I'd be able to pull of acting like a dude for a year. I smiled to myself. What was I getting myself into?
CHAPTER 4 The taxi stopped in front of a wide, brick building. "Arigoto gozaimasu," I said 'thank you' before paying the driver and sliding out of the taxi. I slinked across the school yard, which was filled with boys. They were whispering to eachother (in Japanese of course), I imagined them talking about non-kid-friendly material I'd rather not describe at the moment, the kind that anime boys academy students are always talking about. I had planned to cut my hair to make my appearance more boyish on the plane, but my escort would have known something was up, and the fact that sharp things, such as scissors, weren't allowed on the plane. Because of this, my hair remained long and silky. I walked a little faster when I saw a few boys point at me, whispering. Just a couple more yards, just keep going, head down. I placed my hair in front of my face to avoid suspicion later. I made it, without any interruptions. Scissor time! I reached in my bag and took out a pair of chrome scissors. I rushed to my dorm as fast as I possibly could, and fortunately for me, it appeared that my new room mate wasn't there yet. Snip, snip. My hair fell onto the bathroom floor. The bathroom was an interesting place, unlike American bathrooms, the toilet was located in a completely different room. Blue tile covered the floor, and a short, simple vanity with a cheap looking, turquoise stool stood close to the door, making the threshold feel cramped. A small bath with a cream covering was placed at the far wall. A shower with a used-to-be-white-but- somehow-miraculously-turned-faint-yellow shower curtain. By then, my hair only reached the center of my neck at the longest. My face still looked girly, but some boys just look girly. Especially in Animes. I thought of the Ayase-kun from Okane and laughed. Forget girly, that kid looked like a freaking porcelain doll. I swept up my hair with my hands and stored it in a plastic bag. Now, to get rid of the evidence.