Tʜᴇ Wᴀᴠᴇ | Nɪᴊɪʀᴏ Mᴜʀᴀᴋᴀᴍɪ

03

"The only people up at 3am are in love, lonely, drunk, or all three."

Chapter 03

She swiftly took a brief shower, seeking to cleanse herself of the day's beach escapade with the briny sea water. Her heart continued to race uncontrollably, though she couldn't discern whether it was due to her apprehension of the ocean or rather the dread of her aunt's impending judgment.

"Grandma, wait," she uttered, draping the towel she had employed to dry her hair over the back of a sturdy wooden chair in the expansive open veranda, where the communal kitchen of the hostel was situated. Drawing nearer to the elderly woman, who strained under the weight of cumbersome water-filled pots, she accidentally caught hold of one of them, causing her grandmother to drop the entire vessel in alarm. It crashed onto the floor, its contents cascading across the surface and pooling beneath the adjacent table, near the chair. The repulsive sound of metal colliding with the ground startled her, yet her grandmother's wrathful voice resounded through the room, "Oh God! You will ruin everything you touch!"

She gazed at her grandmother's flushed countenance, her face burning with embarrassment and fear. The overwhelming emotions caused her hands to quiver like aspen leaves, prompting her to clasp them tightly together, intertwining her fingers.

"I apologize," she humbly bowed, to which her grandmother merely waved her hand dismissively and turned her attention to the spilled water. "I will clean it up," Makani declared, attempting to salvage the situation in some small way.

"Didn't you hear me?! Go away!"

She stopped in her tracks, her heart racing in her chest. Despite her frustration, she reluctantly complied with the command. With clammy hands and clenched teeth, she grabbed the towel hanging on the chair and prepared to leave. However, to her surprise, there were two familiar faces waiting for her in the facility. Myiakei seemed more aware of the situation and began to leave, but Nijiro, standing by the wooden support post, locked eyes with her, his brows furrowed. For a brief moment, it seemed as though he felt remorse for witnessing the scene.

A gentle breeze tousled his dark, still damp hair. It was then that she realized he had seen and heard everything that had transpired. She averted her gaze to the floor and started to absentmindedly towel-dry her hair, as if trying to distract herself from the situation. To pretend like nothing had happened.

"Hey, wait!" Nijiro's urgent voice called out as she passed him. He quickly turned towards her, waiting for her to acknowledge him, if she would at all.

"Yesterday, you made a promise to both of us. When are you going to give us the tour?" he suddenly blurted out, causing her to audibly sigh and glance back at him with disinterest.

"That was before the two of you started acting like children," she replied briskly, making her way towards the door of one of the larger rooms that she was still renovating.

"We've expressed our apologies multiple times, we did not realize..." he glanced at Myiakei, who stood with his arms crossed, waiting to see if the situation would change, "we didn't realize you were so scared. It won't happen again."

"Aren't you familiar with navigating the city on your own?" she whispered, this time locking eyes with Nijiro. He took a small step towards games.

"Nijiro, let it go. If she's not interested, let's not put pressure on her..." Myakei interjected, growing impatient. However, Nijiro could see Makani contemplating his words. Encouraged, he continued.

"Activities like these are better supervised by someone experienced. We'd only end up at the most tourist spots, and you know we can't afford that. Surely you know of some budget-friendly places where we can have fun."