Chapter 1
“Asha, we’re leaving,” Mrs. Hirahara calls from the living room.
Their young girl trudges down the hallway. “Where are you going this time?” she grumbles, big, round eyes looking up at them from under her short blue bangs.
“Your father and I are going out on business trip. We’ll be back soon,” Mrs. Hirahara replies.
Asha says, “You’re never home. Can’t one of you stay with me this time?”
“We’re sorry, hon, but we’ve got to go. We’ll see you soon.” Mrs. Hirahara hugs Asha goodbye. “Remember to listen to the caretaker, and don’t strain yourself, okay?”
Asha nods sadly and watches her parents leave.
The caretaker, Mrs. Kurosawa, steps up and locks the door behind them before facing Asha. “You know what you need to do, young lady,” the old woman growls, pushing her glasses up on the ridge of her long, pointy nose. “Get to your lessons.”
Asha trudges to the table and spreads out her school books in front of her. “All that lady ever does is leave me alone for hours to do my reading,” she mopes, looking longingly out the window at her friend’s house next door. “Maybe I could sneak out while Kurosawa-san isn’t looking...” Asha slips out of the study room to the back door and carefully slides down the wooden railing of the spiral stairs outside. “I hope I didn’t get a scratch,” she whispers warily. She checks for any scratches on her legs, and when she sees none, she walks over to her next-door neighbors’ house and knocks on the door. “Suzuki-san! Suzuki, are you home?” Asha calls.
Finally, the door creaks open, and her friend steps out from behind it. “Asha, what are you doing here?” she asks.
“Hello, Suzuki-san! I was wondering if I could borrow your skates,” Asha answers.
“You know you’re not supposed to do that,” Suzuki says. “What if you get hurt?”
“I’ll be careful, I promise!” Asha pleads. “Please let me use them?”
“Oh, all right,” Suzuki acquiesces, “but if your parents find out, they’ll be really mad, you know.” She disappears back behind the door and then returns with an old pair of roller-skates a few moments later.
“Thank you, Suzuki-san!” Asha says happily, taking off with the skates.
“Her parents are gonna kill me if they find out,” Suzuki groans.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Asha laces up the skates and holds on to a nearby bench for support as she gets up and begins to roll. She imagines herself on ice as she skates around the park, the wheels grinding on the pavement. “Maybe one day...” she whispers to herself, a wide smile crossing her face. Suddenly, trapped in her reverie, Asha loses control of the roller-skates as she trips over a patch of rocks, falls down and cuts her knee. Asha begins to panic when she sees the scrape. Oh, no! I can't make it back home..! “Somebody, help!” she calls, desperately looking around for anyone who can lend a helping hand.
With no one else there but a few teens with scary faces, Asha tries to get up and run to the nearest public place so that she can ask for help. However, she is still wearing the skates, and she falls down again, making the ugly cut worse. “Help!” she cries again.
Finally, someone comes to her aid: a boy with blonde hair, wearing a headband with the kanji for "tiger" on it, approaches Asha, takes the skates off, and helps her up on to the park bench. “Are you alright?” he asks softly.
“My knee...” Asha cries. “I scraped it...”
“Let me see,” he says, examining the cut. He takes a cotton ball and a band-aid out of the bag on his shoulder and treats the cut himself. “There. Will that do?” Asha nods shyly. The boy smiles at her. “Good. You should probably get your parents to check it out, just in case.”
“Thank you,” Asha says in a near-whisper. The boy begins to walk off when Asha calls, “Wait!”
“What is it?” he asks.
“Could you please take me home? Just in case?” she asks.
“..I’m afraid I can’t. I’ve got to go,” the boy says.
“Can you at least tell me your name?” Asha asks.
“...It’s Haru,” he replies, “Haru Asahi.” He turns to walk away a second time.
“Haru-san, wait!” Asha calls to him again. “I– I’m not going home yet. I want to try to do it one more time,” she says gesturing toward the pair of skates, “Can you stay and watch me, just in case?”
Haru looks surprised. “Why do you need me to stay and watch you? Where are your parents?”
“I came without them knowing,” Asha whispers. “They don’t want me to roller-skate.”
“Why not?” Haru asks.
Asha looks ashamed, “I’m...I’m not normal,” she answers, “and I get hurt very easily. I know that they just want to keep me safe, but...”
An awkward silence permeates the air for a moment. “All right,” Haru acquiesces. “I’ll stay. But just this once.”
Asha looks at him questioningly. “You don’t come here very much, do you?” she asks.
“No. I never stay in one place for too long.”
“Your family moves around a lot?” Asha asks, putting the roller-skates back on.
“You could say that,” Haru replies.
“I see,” Asha says as she gets back to her feet and steadies herself on the skates. “Doesn’t that get lonely?” Haru just shrugs. “You should stay. After all, you’ve made a friend here.”
“We’ll see,” Haru says, laughing to himself, “What would this person’s name be?”
Asha realizes that she hasn’t told him her name yet. “Asha,” she replies, “Asha Hirahara.”
Haru smiles. “You’re a pretty good skater,” he compliments her.
“Thank you.”
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Asha walks the short distance back home with Haru grudgingly following. Asha is pleasantly surprised that he doesn’t say anything mean when she forces him to come along. Upon arriving at Suzuki’s house, Asha rings the doorbell and calls for her friend. “Suzuki-san, please open up!” she calls.
The older girl appears in the doorway. “Asha, it’s about time!” Suzuki exclaims, “Kurosawa-san has been looking all over for you! What on earth took you so long?”
“I fell and scraped my knee,” Asha admits, “But don’t worry! My friend fixed it up himself! Haru-san is an expert.”
Suzuki heaves an irritated groan. “Go put the skates away, Asha,” she says. Once Asha has gone out of earshot, Suzuki stares Haru straight in the eye and says, “The next time she hurts herself, you bring her back here, do you understand?” Ashamed, Haru hangs his head, trying to hide his embarrassment. “She’s not even supposed to roller-skate,” Suzuki adds.
“Why not?” Haru asks. “She’s really good at it...and she loves doing it–!”
“Because she can’t!” Suzuki yells. “She’s sick! If she keeps hurting herself, she’ll–!” Haru steps back, stunned. Suzuki calms herself and explains, “She has a disease that makes it dangerous for her to get hurt.”
“...I’m sorry,” Haru apologizes. He turns and walks away.
By the time Asha comes back, only Suzuki is waiting at the door. “Where did Haru-san go?” Asha asks.
“He left,” Suzuki answers. “You should go home, too.”
Asha lowers her head. “I might not see him again, Suzuki-san,” she says. “He was my friend.” She rounds the corner of Suzuki’s house and shuffles sadly down the sidewalk.
