Chapter 2 – Under Moonlight, We Met
The night air in Tokyo had a different kind of stillness to it—clean, quiet, and calming. After hours of unpacking, Arohi had taken her coffee out to the balcony, hoping the steam and the breeze would soothe her aching muscles and overworked mind.
She leaned on the rail, her fingers wrapped around the cup, eyes slowly drinking in the muted skyline of her new neighborhood. That's when she saw him.
Across from her, on the balcony directly opposite, stood a boy. Or rather—a young man, tall and lean, wrapped in a dark hoodie, his headphones just sliding off his ears. The glow of his apartment behind him silhouetted his messy hair, tousled and soft in the pale moonlight. His gaze met hers.
Startled, Arohi gave a quick, awkward nod of greeting and opened her mouth to say something. But in the shuffle, she lost her balance slightly and bumped the side of her forehead into the wooden pillar between the balcony panels.
"Ow—" she muttered, rubbing the spot.
A soft chuckle floated across the night air.
"Are you okay?" the boy asked gently, in Japanese.
Arohi blinked, momentarily embarrassed. She straightened up, trying to steady herself. "Hai... I-I mean... I'm okay," she replied, her Japanese heavily accented and halting.
There was a small pause, then the boy smiled and switched to fluent English.
"You can speak in English, if it's easier. I'm fluent."
Her shoulders dropped a bit, relief washing over her. "Oh thank god. I've only been here a few hours. My Japanese is still terrible."
"You're doing fine," he said, his voice gentle. "I'm Natsuo. I live here." He nodded toward his apartment behind him.
"I'm Arohi," she replied. "From India. Just moved in today."
Natsuo tilted his head slightly. "Welcome to Tokyo. First time here?"
"Yeah. I'm part of an exchange design program. I'll be here for a year."
"Interior designer?" he asked.
Arohi smiled. "Yep. How'd you guess?"
"Just a hunch," he said with a shrug.
Her jaw dropped playfully. "How did you know?"
" most of the designers here are interior designers ,thats why."
She gasped "Oh."
The breeze shifted slightly, ruffling their hair. For a moment, they stood in a comfortable silence, sipping from their respective cups—his probably tea, hers the trusty Indian instant coffee.
"Your accent sounds familiar," she said.
"I studied abroad in the US for a while," he replied. "Also… I like languages."
Arohi tilted her head. "So what do you do?"
He hesitated. "I'm an assistant composer… kind of. I work with a studio on a few background scores."
"That sounds… really cool."
"It's not as glamorous as it sounds," he chuckled. "I mostly just tweak sound levels and fix bad transitions."
Arohi leaned forward slightly, resting her elbows on the railing. "Still. You get to make music. That's pretty amazing."
He smiled. "And you get to create beautiful spaces. Sounds like we both work with emotion. Just different mediums."
That line made her blink. No one had said that before. That design was emotional.
"Yeah," she said softly. "I never thought of it like that."
The moonlight softened both their features as the night deepened. Somewhere in the distance, a car door clicked shut. A dog barked once and fell quiet. The world felt paused.
"I've always wanted to try Indian food," Natsuo said suddenly. "The real kind. Not the fake curry they sell in convenience stores."
Arohi's eyes sparkled. "Oh, I'll cook for you. You'll never eat konbini curry again."
He grinned. "Deal. And I'll introduce you to real ramen. Not the sad ones with a dull soups."
They both laughed again. It felt too easy. Too warm.
"I should probably sleep," she said reluctantly. "Big day tomorrow."
"Same. Studio meeting in the morning."
She waved a little. "Thanks for talking to me, Natsuo. It made Tokyo feel less scary."
He nodded, a quiet smile on his lips. "Anytime, Arohi. Get some rest."
She stepped inside, heart lighter than before. As she slid the balcony door shut, she paused, looked back once. He was still standing there, sipping his tea, watching the moon.
And when she lay down again, Tokyo didn't feel like a strange city anymore.
It felt like a melody just beginning to play.