Dear Journal,

I'm finally starting to like this place. All the people I met are really cool. Yukiko does seem like the jelous girlfriend type.
All during lunch she was trying to put a guilt trip on Juzo for breaking up with her. I knew people like her, they kinda
bugged me sometimes. Other than that she is really nice. Eri's really nice too. I sit next to her in class. All dayshe was
nothing but nice to everyone; she always had a smile on her face. Hiro also seemed really cool. He's al ot like some of the
guys from back home. They are both a little stuck on their looks, they like to flirt, and they're just really interesting. He
gave me his phone number and told me to call him today. I dunno, he's a great guy, but I think he's a bit direct sometimes.
I'm still going to call him though. I also have to call my sister back home at Berkley. She's making me call her today. I
should be getting to the phone.

Signed (as usual) Shiori


***


Shiori picked up the phone and dialed about 10 numbers to get the international call. She was calling her older sister back at
home in school at Berkeley. Her and sister are really good friends and they're only two years apart. They weren't always
friends, not until Shiori was 15 and she was dating her sister's friend. They started to have the same friends and hang out
together.

"Hey, is Emi there??" Shiori asked.

"This is she, this sounds like Shiori-chan?? Would that be true??"

"That would be!!"

"So...how is Japan?? Has dad gotten drunk and gone to a karoke bar yet??"

"No, not quite yet. I think that might happen tonight. Japan is great. I really love Osaka, it's really nice. Well, at least the part
I've seen. School is good, the people are al ot like they are back home, but they speak Japanese and look a little different.
I'm supposed to call this guy tonight. He's kinda aggressive with the ladies."

"Sounds like someone whose name would start with an 'M'."

"You think he sounds like Mike?? Don't even start. He was kinda an asshole when we first met, this guy's been nothing but
nice to me. I must say, he's cuter than Mike."

"Cuter than Mike?? Sure, say what you want, he can't be cuter!! So, what does this hottie look like??"

" His name is Hiro. He's tall, at least six feet, he's got these deep brown eyes, nice hair. It's hard to even say. I'll send you a
pic of him, I gotta go. It's getting late around here."

"Talk to you little sis."

"Yeah, talk to you later Emi-chan."

Shiori hung up and started to look around for Hiro's number. A phrase that her sister said stuck in her mind. 'Sounds like
someone whose name would start with an 'M'.' It played over and over in her mind.

"Maybe Emi is right. I don't need an aggressive guy after what happened with Mike. He just was so genuine with me, he
doesn't look like he'd be that kind of person to force anything on me like Mike did. Sure, I said yes, but I wasn't ready for
what Mike wanted."

Shiori rummaged through her bag for that little piece of paper that Hiro had written his number on. She dumped the
contents of her school bag onto her bed. She threw everything that wasn't that little piece of paper on the floor. After a
minute or so of searching she found the little slip of paper with a number scribbled across it and Hiro written at the bottom.
She picked up the phone and hesitated. She thought to herself again about what her sister said. She stuffed it into the back
of her mind and dialed.

The phone rang about five time then a female voice at the other end said a chipper hello.

"Hello, is, um, Hiro there?" Shiori stuttered ever so slowly.

"Just a second," Shiori breathed a sigh of relief. She heard the girl yelling in the background ", Hiro, it's some girl calling
you. Make this fast I got a call coming in."

"It'll be as fast as I make it," she heard Hiro yell back. "Hello??"

"Hi, Hiro. It's Shiori."

"Oh yeah, I was wondering who it was. I forgot I gave my number to you."

"Well, if you forgot you gave your number to me, then you must have forgot that you said that you wanted to say
something to me."

"Actually I didn't forget about that, but I was just gonna ask you at school tomorrow."

"Ask me what??"

"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to go out Saturday night?? Something like a dinner and a movie maybe."

"That sounds great. What time did you have in mind??"

"I was thinking at about 7, sound good to you??"

"Sounds great to me."

"I have a sibling monitoring my call here, I better go so someone won't get upset. I'll see you at school."

"Yeah, see you."

Shiori waited for Hiro to hang up, then she hung up. She laid down on her bed and thought about the whole Mike situation.

"He can't be like Mike, he can't be. He wouldn't do what Mike did to me. He wouldn't."

She nestled herself under the covers and fell asleep shortly.


***


Shiori remembered to wake up earlier this morning so she could get a seat on the bus. She rushed out the door ten
minuets earlier than yesterday. She rounded the corner to see a whole bunch of students scattered everywhere. They
weren't all in one particular group. Shiori looked around to find the people she met yesterday. She couldn't quite call them
friends, maybe Eri and Yukiko were friends, and of course Hiro. She glanced around to find Yukiko waving at her to get her
attention. Shiori walked over to the same group of people as she had had lunch with. She walked in the direction of Hiro so
she could stand next to him and maybe swing a seat next to him on the bus. She walked around his back and ended up
standing between him and Juzo.

"Well, hi there Shiori," Hiro said smiling down to her. "Hows it goin?"

"I'm good, tired, but good." she smiled back.

"Are you looking forward to Saturday? I am."

"Me too."

Touma was nearby standing with another friend, Nobu. Both of them could hear Hiro's loud voice talk with Shiori about
their date. They listened in quietly until the bus came along. Today Touma sat with Nobu about five or so seats back from
Shiori and Hiro.

"So, I see Touma has a little thing for a certain person named Shiori Hayami. And why would that be?? She's out of your
league," Nobu said to Touma.

"Well, I don't know. I normally don't like those kind of girls, but..."

"What about Satsuke??"

"She's different. She's not like Shiori is anymore. If anything, she's become the total opposite. She's becoming more
withdrawn, I don't know if I like that. Any ways, as I told Satsuke this already, she has this innocent kind of feel to her. She
doesn't seem like he'd be the kind to just smash your heart. Maybe it's her smile or maybe it's her eyes. I dunno, I just
sound like an idiot right now trying to justify everything," Touma said. He sighed as he looked up at Shiori and Hiro
laughing and talking. "I'm nothing like him. I guess that's good in a way."


***


Saturday night got closer and Shiori got more and more nervous. Yukiko, Eri, Yumi, and Emiko had all promised Shiori that
after school sometime on friday that they'd all go shopping. They figured that it'd get her mind off of the actual date and just
make it seem like a meeting with Hiro.

Friday came and the five girls all brought some clothes with them to change right after so they didn't have to go shopping
in their itchy school uniforms. Shiori stuffed her Do Martens that weighted about 5 pounds each thanks to the large sole, a
pair of navy cargo flares, and a white 3/4 sleeve polo shirt . She tried to put them in so they wouldn't end up getting
wrinkled. She ended out rummaging out an over the shoulder bag, which the clothes fit in rather well.

After school on that Friday, they went to Eri's house, which was about a 5 minute walk from the school and the subway, to
change. Shiori peered into her bag and noticed that her shirt was wrinkled a little. She put it on anyway. It was tight
enough not to look so wrinkled when she put it on, but it wasn't skin tight. She did have some dignity not to wear
something really tight like that. She bounded out of the bathroom to see the other girls in clothes that were quite different
from hers. But Japan is a different country and her clothes made her look like the all american girl. They all headed out the
door to the subway.

The subway ride was only about fifteen minutes, and they were at the one of the largest malls in Osaka. First thing, they
headed to Printemps, a French department store with a branch here. They headed up to fifth floor. They all looked around
for about an hour. Shiori found an above the knee skirt that was kinda tight, but not overly suggestive. It had an under layer
of pink and the top was a pink see through shimmery fabric. She found a pink shimmery cardigan to go with it. Shiroi was
ready for her date now.

***