~The Neighbors~

Kofuyu unpacked the last of her belongings and folded up the last cardboard box. Her eyes scanned the room then landed on the small chest in the corner of the room. Kofuyu pressed her lips into a thin line then left her room with the cardboard box beneath her arm. She dropped it in the pile laying in the middle of the living room right as the front door opened.

"Beanie, guess what!" Her aunt gasped as she entered the house. She, Takejiro, and Takejiro's mother were the only ones she would allow to call her that. Kofuyu hummed curiously and Aunt Tomiko continued, "I met this really nice man in the parking lot. He's our upstairs neighbor and a transvestite, and apparently, his daughter is going to the same school as you."

"Wait, really? She's going to Ouran Academy too?" Kofuyu asked, surprised. She didn't expect someone so close to her to also be going to the same school as her. 

"Mhmm," Aunt Tomiko nodded. "What a coincidence, huh? Anyway, we're going to their place for dinner, so be ready by six!" She didn't give Kofuyu a choice and went straight into her room. Kofuyu groaned to herself. She wasn't in the mood to socialize with neighbors. 

Kofuyu retreated back into her room and sat at the edge of her bed. Her eyes scanned the room once more, unsure if she liked the placement of her furniture. She was too lazy to change anything about it at the moment, though. Kofuyu laid flat against the bare mattress and silently reminded herself to find a fitted sheet for the bed later. Her mind wandered back to the storage chest sitting in the corner of her room. 

~

Shortly before the Ikehetta family moved, Kofuyu came home to see that chest sitting by the front porch. She dropped her bike haphazardly on the front lawn and approached it curiously. A note was folded up and taped to the front. It was addressed to her, and Kofuyu instantly recognized the handwriting as Atsuya's, Takejiro's mother. 

Kofuyu plucked the note from the chest and unfolded it. She silently read it to herself. 

Sweet Bean, your aunt told me the news! Although I'm sad you'll be moving out of town, I'm so proud of you for winning that scholarship. I know Jiro would be proud of you too. I brought some stuff I thought you might like that you can take with you to the city! <3

She re-folded the note and stuck it into her pocket before unlatching the box. There were a few books and cutesy stationery supplies, all of which Kofuyu liked, but there were a few objects that caught her attention. There were some t-shirts and a hoodie. She instantly recognized them as Takejiro's. It was some of his favorite clothes. 

Kofuyu closed up the chest, unlocked the door, and carried the box into her room. 

~

Even though his t-shirts were no longer in the chest, and now hung up in a special spot in her closet, she kept replaying that memory over in her head. Kofuyu didn't come from a wealthy family, and neither were most of the households in her old town, so hand-me-downs and gently used clothing was a common thing she'd receive from family friends. None of that amounted to what she received from Atusyu, however. 

~~~

When six o'clock rolled around, the two Ikehetta women slipped their shoes on and headed upstairs. Kofuyu silently followed her aunt and internally complained, "I could be using this time to relax, but no... Aunt Tomiko is so desperate for me to make new friends. I don't get why it's such a big deal. I'm fine on my own." 

Tomiko knocked on the door and a few seconds later, the door opened. Ranka stood there with a welcoming smile. "Thank you so much for coming!" His eyes landed on the expressionless teen. "You must be Kofuyu! It's a pleasure to meet you," he said and held his hand out to shake hers. 

"Thanks for having us," Kofuyu replied and connected her hand with his. 

"My name is Fuijoka Ryuoji, but you can just call me Ranka. This is my daughter Haruhi," he said and motioned to the girl that entered the room. "Haruhi, come and say hi!" 

The four of them introduced themselves, and Kofuyu hated every second of it. She hated the politeness, forced or authentic, and the need to appear normal in front of newly formed acquaintances. The four of them sat at the table and drank tea as dinner finished cooking. 

"My dad says you'll be going to Ouran too," Haruhi tried to strike up a conversation. 

"Yeah, that's right," Kofuyu confirmed as she took in Haruhi's appearance. Her hair was short and a little choppy, but Kofuyu wasn't one to judge on that. Her unruly long black hair was often left un-styled but brushed. "I was surprised at first. I didn't expect to live so close to another Ouran scholarship student." 

"Yeah, I didn't either," Haruhi replied with a small laugh. 

Ranka and Tomiko smiled at the sight of the two teens conversing. They glanced over at each other with knowing looks. They both wanted pretty much the same thing. 

Ranka wanted Haruhi to have a friend, someone nice and smart, someone he thinks would be a good role model so his daughter wouldn't be so independent. Tomiko, on the other hand, wanted Kofuyu to stop being so closed off. Ever since the death of her best friend, Kofuyu was often by herself. Tomiko didn't want Kofuyu to be lonely whenever she wasn't able to be around.

"So, where did the two of you just move from?" Ranka asked as he served his guests. 

"Just some small rural town, Karuizawa," Tomiko answered with a slight wave of her hand to show it wasn't that important. "We mainly moved here for Kofuyu's school. The plan was to initially let Kofuyu be taken in by a host provided by the school, like an exchange student, but I decided to move here with her," Tomiko explained. "I would've missed her too much." 

Kofuyu didn't respond to their current conversation. She was too busy eating her dinner and enjoying every part of it.  

"Plus, I think Kofuyu prefers I move with her rather than she's on her own. She's a bit of a, uh, introvert," Tomiko giggled. Ranka looked over at Kofuyu, and she nodded with a mouthful of food. 

"Are you enjoying the food, Kofuyu?" Ranka asked with a cheerful grin. She nodded and swallowed before responding. 

"Yes, it's very good, thank you," Kofuyu replied. Ranka cooed at her response and waved one of his hands. 

"Thank you so much, Dear. Haruhi and I did our best." Ranka said and motioned to her daughter. 

The rest of dinner when by well. In the end, Kofuyu didn't mind going up there. She got some good food out of it. Aunt Tomiko asked, "So, what'd you think about them?" as soon as they stepped back into their house. 

"Ranka seemed very fun... energetic. Fujioka-san was nice," Kofuyu shrugged, not telling Tomiko her true feelings. She wasn't lying, however. She just wasn't saying her full opinions. She did like both of them, though. Kofuyu could see herself getting along with Haruhi in the future. 

"I can't tell her that or she'll freak out and get so excited," Kofuyu figured and went back to her new room for the night. 

~~~~~~

Kofuyu stepped into the almost empty convince store and greeted the lady behind the counter with a soft smile. "Hi, do you have any Kit Kats?" she questioned the lady. 

"Mhmm! They're in that aisle over there," she replied and pointed to the farther side of the store. "Let me know if you need anything else." 

"Okay, thank you," Kofuyu replied in a cheery tone. She calmly walked over to where the lady directed her. When she was out of the lady's direct vision, she adjusted the strap over her shoulder, so the bag rested against her front hip. It was second nature for her to subtly sneak bars into her oversized sleeves then into her bag. 

Each move she made was strategic to avoid detection from the store employee, the one other customer, and the one camera located in the corner of the small store. She didn't take much this time. Kofuyu grabbed a green tea Kit Kat and a normal milk chocolate one before heading to the cashier. 

Kofuyu stepped out of the store only to notice a familiar face passing by. Haruhi walked by with a couple of grocery bags in her hands. 

"Hey, Kofuyu-san," Haruhi greeted. 

"Hey," Kofuyu repeated. "Going home?" she asked, and Haruhi nodded. Kofuyu took one of the bags from her hands and began walking in the same direction Haruhi was heading. "I'll walk with you," Kofuyu explained. Haruhi quietly thanked her, and the two girls walked in silence for a few moments. 

"I was thinking earlier, maybe we could go to school together," Haruhi suggested. "I mean, we're both going to the same place at the same time. Why do it alone?" She explained her request. Kofuyu hummed and thought for a second. 

"Yeah, why not?" She decided it wouldn't be too bad. She was starting to get used to Haruhi, and she always preferred being around someone rather than her on her own. Haruhi sent her a small smile and nodded. 

The two of them discussed where and when they'd meet up, and in a few short minutes, they were at the apartment complex. 

"Thanks for helping me with that," Haruhi said as she took the grocery bag back from her neighbor. 

"Yeah, it's no problem," Kofuyu replied. "I'll see you later." Haruhi nodded in agreement, and the two girls went in the directions of their homes.