Azusa took me to Shibuya—trendy, vibrant, and brimming with youth culture, especially around the iconic Shibuya 109 fashion mall. We browsed through clothes, cosmetics, and accessories. She made me try on several dresses and outfits she thought suited me.
"You look amazing in all of them!" she beamed. "Maybe I should just buy all of them for you..."
"Huh?!" I exclaimed. "No!"
"Why not? Can't I give my best friend a present?"
"No! Not like this—absolutely not!"
"Eh? Why not?" she asked again, confused.
"I don't need all these clothes..." I muttered.
"But they fit you so well!"
Truth be told, I would've loved to buy them myself. But I couldn't. I was just scraping by with the money I made from my part-time job at the supermarket.
Azusa, however, ignored my protests and went to the cashier. She bought everything for me anyway.
"Azusa! I told you not to!"
"You can return the favor another time, okay?" she smiled sweetly.
Later, we headed to Takeshita Street in Harajuku—famous for quirky fashion and cute cafés. We tried out funky outfits, visited whimsical spots, and took tons of selfies.
Without telling me, she posted some of those selfies online. She said she wanted me to be exposed to a side of Japanese society that was kind and appreciative—one where someone who looked like me was admired.
She captioned the post:
At Shibuya with my Best Friend Forever! Love You For Life♡ #BFF #Shibuya #kawaii #gyaru #hafu #love
The comments came flooding in:
"Who's that other Hafu girl?"
"She's so cute and pretty!"
"They're the perfect contrast—Azusa-chan's fair skin with her friend's dark skin!"
"They should do model shoots together. Someone get them in the same agency!"
Even Princess Kaguya of Japan herself liked, hearted, and shared the selfies. She showed them to her mother, Princess Honoka.
"Azusa-chan made a new friend!" she chirped. But Honoka froze when she saw the girl next to Azusa—me. Her daughter. "Isn't she pretty?! She's half Black and half Japanese! Just like Azusa is half White and half Japanese! They compliment each other so well. I hope to see more of them together!"
Azusa was ecstatic reading the comments and eagerly showed them to me.
"Look!" she said. "You are beautiful! People do want to see more of you! Even Princess Kaguya liked our selfies and shared them! Why don't you join my modeling agency? We could do photo shoots together!"
"You didn't tell me you were going to post our selfies online!" I snapped, clearly upset.
"I'm sorry... I only did it because..."
"I get it," I sighed. "Thanks. But I have to turn down your offer. I don't want to be seen. It makes me uncomfortable."
"...Should I delete the post?"
"No need," I said. "Just don't post any more selfies of us again."
"Okay~!" she replied, still smiling.
We continued exploring Harajuku. We bought all sorts of kawaii (cute) goods, ate crepes, and drank bubble tea. Later, we stepped into a Purikura booth—a photo sticker booth in an arcade. We took more silly, glittery, overly filtered pictures.
"Can I please post these too?" Azusa asked with puppy eyes.
"No. Absolutely not."
"Pleeeease?"
"...Fine," I relented, making her light up like a kid at a candy store.
After that, we went to karaoke.
"I don't want to sing..." I said.
"Then just listen to me!" she smiled, grabbing the mic. Her voice was incredible. With vocals like hers, she could easily become an idol.
After karaoke, we went to the arcade and played a dance game. Unbeknownst to us, we were recorded—and the video went viral.
"Isn't that Azusa-chan and her best friend?!"
"OMG, they're so good at dancing!"
"I want more content of them together!"
We ended our day by hanging out along the Meguro River, sharing snacks under the moonlight.
"Thank you for today, Chisa-chan," Azusa said. "I've never done things like this before."
"Seriously?" I raised a brow. She was super popular. I figured she'd done this kind of thing all the time.
"I mean... I have. But it never felt real. What I have with you is."
"I should be thanking you," I said. "I've never done any of these things—not even in a fake way, like you."
We exchanged smiles and looked up at the full moon reflected on the water.
It was the best day of my life.
...But it didn't last.
When I returned to the children's home—
"You sure got back late, Chisa," one of the girls remarked.
I ignored them, heading for my room.
"We know you were out with Azusa-chan," another said. That stopped me in my tracks.
"Why so surprised?" a third girl chimed in. "Videos of you two went viral. Everyone's talking about the 'White Hafu' and the 'Black Hafu' doing cute stuff together."
"What's in there?" They grabbed my shopping bags.
"Ah! These are all the latest trends!" they gushed, rifling through the items.
"You don't mind if we borrow some, right? Since we're all sisters and all~"
"You've never treated me like a sister," I said coldly, snatching the bags back.
They didn't like that. They shoved me and pulled the bags from my hands.
"These are ours now, okay? Thanks for the gifts!"
That was it. I snapped.
Years of bottled-up frustration and silent suffering surged to the surface. Everything I'd swallowed, all the abuse—I couldn't take it anymore.
But if I fought back physically, I'd lose everything. I could end up in juvie or worse, a mental institution. And the girls knew that. That's why they never feared my fists.
But I had other tools now.
I pulled out my phone and started recording.
"I'm Azusa-chan's best friend," I said to the camera, flipping it to show my face. The girls froze, panic flashing in their eyes.
"These bags? These were gifts Azusa-chan bought for me. And these girls here just stole them. Can you believe it?"
I ended the video with:
"You girls are already at the bottom of Japanese society. No loving mother. No caring father. No family. So imagine what'll happen when people find out you're a bunch of thieves, too?"
"Chisa... you..."
"One post is all it takes to ruin your futures," I said flatly.
They threw the bags at my feet and stormed off, seething. But they never touched me again.
From that day on, I was free.
For the first time, life felt just a little more bearable.