Momo Moves In

[Malkavia]

"So LAW decided to let you in the door huh?"

When I broke the news to Grandma, I wasn't really sure how she'd take it. I half-expected her to start going on about all the training I had left to do before I could earn the red belt at her dojo, but I guess she and I both knew like. I was...never gonna wear that belt.

I told her while she was watching her daytime comedies, and she didn't even look up from the TV, just kinda dragging on her cig while I stood in the door. "Guess that means you're gonna be living all on your own, huh?" she said. "And in Tokyo of all places. They giving you a place to live?"

"Yeah, actually. Looks like I got lucky and landed a single." That kind of worried me, actually. I'd been living with Granny here since I was a little kid. It wasn't like I couldn't handle it—Hell no. I was tough. I could do laundry and cook dinner. But like...

"Good for you, kiddo. A single's gonna get awfully quiet though. We should get you a TV."

"Whaaaat? Nah, Grandma, I'm gonna be livin' in Tokyo! You think I'm gonna be spendin' a lot of time cooped up in my little old apartment? Nah, dude, I'm gonna be out cruising, living the night life. Gotta see the sights, you know?"

"Sure, kiddo. Go get 'em."

It wasn't until a lot later, when I was charging across Japan on an eight-hour train ride, that I realized it wasn't my empty apartment Granny was worried about.

—

Before I rode out to Tokyo, I was hyped as Hell. There were so many places I wanted to visit. Foodie friends online had me prepped with a list of big city dining I "just had to try," which was cool as Hell, but not as cool as the clothing outlets. Holy crap, the clothing outlets dude. Fashion's a gyaru's armor and a wrestler's brand, yo, and there was nowhere like Tokyo for putting together a completely fire look.

But man, eight hours takes it out of you, especially when your dumb ass is too stoked to sleep. By the time I rolled into the station, I was way too beat for any of that stuff, and suddenly the idea of a quiet single apartment sounded just—perfect. All I had to do was drag myself through one more cab ride. I put my earbuds in and jammed quietly, eyes closed. Everything else...arriving at LAW housing offices, dragging myself out of the cab, making small talk with the lady at the desk, taking my key. Man, I was barely dragging myself through it.

But then—safety. The apartment itself. Getting there was a blur, but I knew once I opened the door, I'd have a nice, cool bed to go sleep in for as close to forever as I needed.

Except, when I turned the key and pushed open the door, it wasn't an empty single with a cool, inviting bed waiting for me. Nah, bro, there was like. A girl in the room. Which—okay, I get that sounds maybe surprising and annoying, oh no the housing people made a mistake, but why am I saying it so whacked out and shocked?

Well see, she was uh. She was kinda...

Naked.

Like, seriously naked. I opened the door, and—BOOM. Ass. Her hair — which is this totally amazing purple, by the way — is damp, like I guess she'd just been in the shower or something, and it's just clinging to these, like, bare shoulders. Do you know how sexy shoulders can be dude? And then she turns around, and holy crap dude she's got these tits, these huge honking tits with these...nipples like, and then her navel and bush and—

"Agh—c-crap lady what the Hell! What—" My jaw was just kinda—jawing while my face just burned from how red I was turning. It pissed me off, bad. "What the crap are you doing in my apartment?! A-and—uh—" It had been winter when I arrived in Tokyo, so, lucky us, I. came dressed in layers. I pulled my sweater off and tossed it her. "Put somethin' on!"