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<div style= "position: relative; overflow: scroll; height: 100vh; width: 100vw">[[<img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48491970716_ee6f46a8b6_o.png" style="position:absolute; top:35px; left:0px; width=73px; height=245px;">->Hana]][[<img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48492141062_86a401bc5b_o.png" style="position:absolute; top:0px; left:73px; width=104px; height=396px;">->Kakeru]][[<img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48491970626_903db7d1f7_o.png" style="position:absolute; top:0px; left:177px; width=287px; height=280px;">->Haiji]]<img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48492140997_fba3fb634b_o.png" style="position:absolute; top:0px; left:464px; width=256px; height=280px;">[[<img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48492141442_f78ac172e2_o.png" style="position:absolute; top:0px; left:720px; width=306px; height=280px;">->Yuki]] <img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48492140797_50a5d10eac_o.png" style="position:absolute; top:280px; left:177px; width=351px; height=115px;"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48492140862_8a8799c9fb_o.png" style="position:absolute; top:280px; left:526px; width=500px; height=66px;"> [[<img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48492141382_b5f46b6ff7_o.png" style="position:absolute; top:395px; left:73px; width=190px; height=232px;">->Second Floor]]<img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48492141432_9555021758_o.png" style="position:absolute; top:395px; left:263px; width=264px; height=232px;"> <img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48491970806_8721253e2e_o.png" style="position:absolute; top:346px; left:527px; width=242px; height=280px;">[[<img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48491970956_cabe00a292_o.png" style="position:absolute; top:346px; left:769px; width=258px height=281px;">->Nico]] [[<img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48501302427_df7cd9f822_o.png" style="position:absolute; top:292px; left:6px; width=60px; height=40px;"->exit]]</div>

<div style= "position: relative; overflow: scroll; height: 100vh; width: 100vw">[[<img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48496906841_bee37246ed_o.png" style="position:absolute; top:0px; left:0px; width=383px; height=285px" alt="jota"></>->Jota]][[<img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48497075992_6bf2ee3243_o.png" style="position:absolute; top:0px; left:383px; width=271px height=285px" alt="king"></>->King]][[<img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48497076027_1e7f5d020c_o.png" style="position:absolute; top:0px; left:654px; width=303px height=288px" alt="musa"></>->Musa]][[<img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48497075872_c0602b6da5_o.png" style="position:absolute; top:285px; left:0px; width=429px height=93px" alt="joji_corridor"></>->Joji]]<img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48497075832_6ba28e19ba_o.png" style="position:absolute; top:285px; left:429px; width=528px height=74px" alt="corridor2 (1)"></> [[<img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48497076182_fc5c254de8_o.png" style="position:absolute; top:378px; left:0px; width=193px; height=259px" alt="stairs2 (1)"></>->First Floor]] <img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48496907081_6f47268d28_o.png" style="position:absolute; top:378px; left:193px; width=236px; height=259px" alt="wc_bath2 (1)"></> [[<img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48497076097_33b41f670c_o.png" style="position:absolute; top:359px; left:429px; width=255px; height=278px" alt="ouji"></>->Ouji]] [[<img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48497076127_0d2b8bc012_o.png" style="position:absolute; top:359px; left:684px; width=284px; height=278px" alt="shindo"></>->Shindo]]</div>

<h2>Hana</h2> Hanako stood in front of the entrance door, fist hovering over the old wood. In theory, there was no reason for her hesitation. She had been formally invited after all. Well, as formal as a message through Line was nowadays. She clenched around the grocery bag she had bought on her way and inhaled deeply. The knocking sound was quiet, muffled by the humidity in the wood, but the commotion inside the house was indication enough that they had heard. Just as the lock turned, the footsteps reached the bottom of the stairs and then a banging sound before there was silence. The rails didn’t protest much when the door slid open and two familiar faces welcomed her with a grin that she couldn’t help but [[return->First Floor]].

<h2>Yuki</h2> "A [[home->verythickbooks]], or domicile, is a living space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for an individual, family, household or several families in a tribe. It is often a house, apartment, or other building, or alternatively a mobile home, houseboat, yurt or any other portable shelter. A principle of constitutional law in many countries, related to the right to privacy enshrined in article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the inviolability of the home as an individual's place of shelter and refuge."

<H2>Nico</H2> To some people, home is a place. Their childhood home, a cramped dorm room, their first apartment. The place where all your attempts to escape cease. To some people, home is a place. To others, home is… ...a [[memory->Memory]].

<h2>Joji</h2> Getting to the conclusion that sharing a room was the best solution had been very easy. After all, they were already used to spending an unlimited amount of time together and had already come up with a system for the intimacy problem. Plus, sharing a room meant saving money which in turn meant a bigger budget for going out. [[- Futons->Futons]] [[- Framed Photos->Framed Photos]] [[-Table->Table]] [[Back to floor plan ->Second Floor]]

<h2>King</h2> When morning came, the first thing King did was to look into the [[black mirror->black mirror]]. Usually there were no relevant notifications, sometimes a headline, sometimes an automatic alert urging him to check this or that post he missed from a “friend” he barely remembers. He hoped to see an email for an interview, but there were no new messages. <i>Wake from death and return to life.</i> There was no way King couldn’t see these words when he woke up. Every morning his eyes would land on this sheet of paper, a homemade [[motivational poster->motivational poster]], that tried its best to do its job. Maybe he did try to follow this motto, once, when he got the poster, so he wouldn’t blame himself for not making any effort. But they were all cut short anyway. The only thing he kept a vivid interest in was quizzes, and finding a job, if that was a valid answer to “interest.” He tried to follow sports, to delve into cinema, music, books; all for the sake of making friends, to not look and sound like a fool at parties. This poster often invited him to self reflect, at the cost of ruining his mood for the entire day. King thought, with all the knowledge he got from playing quizzes, he would always find things to say, words to add. He would sound cool and dependable. While he tried so hard to convince himself the surface-level would be enough, King knew it was trivial.

<h2>Musa</h2> What one thinks of as “home” can change over a lifetime. Your childhood bedroom, repainted and rearranged. The town you grew up in, now a very expensive plane ticket and 36-hour flight away. Getting homesick can be costly, but… …if one thinks of home as a [[person->person]], distance is never an issue.

<h2>Jota</h2> Getting to the conclusion that sharing a room was the best solution had been very easy. After all, they were already used to spending an unlimited amount of time together and had already come up with a system for the intimacy problem. Plus, sharing a room meant saving money which in turn meant a bigger budget for going out. -[[Door]] -[[Alarm Clock]] -[[Poster]] [[Back to floor plan->Second Floor]]

It’s only once the futons had been neatly folded away that Jirō noticed the huge crack in the wooden floor and his face dropped. There was no way the others wouldn’t notice considering that this room was the one used for the gatherings. “Shit, shit, shit. Think, quick !” His eyes scanned the room and fell on the pile of magazines on the other side of the room. [[Perfect->Joji]].

Jirō slapped the paper on the table and quickly got to work. He retrieved the pair of scissors he knew would serve him one day despite his brother’s protests and started cutting. It wasn’t a terribly hard or even long job in theory, but the importance had pushed him to take his time, tongue slipping out of his mouth in concentration. Once he was done, he actually paid attention to the material and hummed in satisfaction when he deemed the quality to be good enough on its own. He turned to the small bag from their local supermarket he had hurried to after getting his precious copy and pulled his purchase out. He smiled, satisfied, at his hard work as now, in the middle of his memories from his childhood proudly, stood the framed picture of his [[Running Team->Joji]].

Jirō had long lost track of the number of drinks he’d had, which considering that he was still underage and thus, strictly gulping down non alcoholic drinks didn’t sound so scandalous anymore. His smile hadn’t faded since the afternoon where they had made it to the top ten at the Hakone Ekiden. It had been [[glorious->glorious]], the reward of all this hard work as sweet as this white peach juice. Even his brother who had looked nervous the train ride back had finally loosened up and was laughing loudly at whatever drunken nonsense Shindō had been spouting. The others weren’t fairing much better though, despite their protests. From his sober perspective, it was still fairly obvious.

Akihiro doesn’t think much of the past. He’s been out of high school for a long time, been in college for a long time, wearing a groove in the floor sitting in front of his computer, smoking and coding and feeling like there’s a massive stone weighing him down, keeping him from changing. He wasn’t always this way. In high school it wouldn’t have been a stretch to say he was an entirely different person from who he is now. Akihiro had always been tall, broad and stocky and much scarier-looking than he actually was. People encouraged him to be an athlete, with his physique he had to be a natural at rugby, with his height he had to be a natural at basketball. None of those quite tugged at his heart like running did. [[He remembers…->Remembers]]

Akihiro remembers waking up before dawn, trudging to the school in his uniform and tracksuit with a heavy duffle bag on his shoulder. The way the cold morning air felt wet, just beginning to form dew. The streaks of orange escaping over the mountains, painting the clouds. He remembers the long bus rides to far away track meets, the excitement and anxiety before his race, and the apathy he felt in the shot put ring. Those memories, long forgotten, float up to the placid surface of his mind as his alarm beeps. Six a.m. [[Again->First Floor]]. After all this time, his body still remembers, and his fingers don’t shake as he ties his running shoes.

Musa spent much of his first year in Japan on the phone with his parents. The time difference was manageable, and he hadn’t made any friends and yearned for the comfort of his mother’s voice, his father’s laugh. Moving into Aotake introduced Musa to the culture of Japanese university students and, most importantly, Shindou. There was, and probably never will be, another person that Musa just clicked with so well. It didn’t matter what they were doing or where they were, whenever Shindou was in his presence Musa felt calm. [[He thinks of back home…->thinks of back home]]

Musa hears his father’s laugh in Shindou, sees his mother’s smile on his face. The warm, bubbly feeling Musa gets in his chest when he’s around people that he cares about. People that he loves. The way his heart pounds when Shindou takes his hand, takes him to his home in the mountains. The softness of his lips, the weight of holding him in his arms. Maybe Musa does get homesick for Tanzania, but that’s not really home anymore. Not in the way it used to be. Isn’t that what growing up is all about? Making a new home for yourself? Warsan Shire wrote, “you can’t make homes out of human beings,” but Musa knows, he knows, that you can [[make a home with them->Second Floor]].

His lock screen background used to be generic light circles floating around, bland and predictable, the wallpaper of anyone. Shindo once suggested to put some kind of good luck image, like a charm or a maneki neko. He sent to King some pictures he saved long ago, that used to be sent to another person. “You’re looking so hard for a job, it might better your odds!” King raised an eyebrow, amused Shindo would be into this kind of stuff. When everyone caught Haiji’s fever of running Hakone Ekiden, Shindo sent him a photo of a sunset from Mt Fuji. It was breathtaking, no doubts, but it could’ve honestly been any other photo, like the thousands and billions of shoots of Asakusa shrine or Kinkaku-ji. “We climbed Mt Fuji last New Year’s with my family, the view was wonderful! I think I haven’t seen a better sunrise in my life.” King took interest in the scenery. It was truly impressive they went all the way to the top. It was something he probably couldn’t do, or wasn’t willing to in the first place anyway. [[He saved the picture->King]].

The sparks of hope lurking in Haiji’s eyes always shone too bright for King. He, who wanted an exciting college life, a new start, found in this rundown dorm Haiji’s impossible dream. <i>“His ambitions are crazier than mine, I have no excuses to fail.”</i> While he tried to bullshit Haiji with his usual small talk the first weeks, he stayed polite but adamant. Maybe that guy was bullshitting him too, as if he were able to see crystal clear in all things, but King wasn’t good enough at guessing people’s intentions. It took him 4 years to realise he could open up to Haiji, and that Haiji was a stubborn dumbass. Maybe all those motivational posters he gave him were supposed to be warning signs. <i>Stronger than yesterday. Challenge your limits. Work hard, [[dream big->dream big]].</i> He used to find them really annoying, though he couldn’t throw them away either, Haiji would have found out. It reminded him how little he did of his life.

But there was no shame in doing average. It was a mindset King took years to accept, let alone embrace. From time to time he would still get lost in the “what if.” When he packed up and set a foot outside his realm, King was at peace with what he did. From now on he would be living on his own, in a city bigger than all he ever knew. King was grasped by the same anxiety he had leaving high school for college, it was the excitement and fear of turning a page and starting a new chapter. Life at Aotake bore no resemblance to what he envisioned. For he talked long enough with Kakeru, with Musa, or Haiji, King knew people found [[home->Second Floor]] in the place he paused.

<h2>Kakeru</h2> "Do you like running?" Like a shooting star did those questioning words sparkle light in Kakeru's pitch-black starless sky. Did he? Kakeru hesitated to answer the inquiry even in his mind, let alone to allow those syllables to roll off his lips. That sole question has started an avalanche in Kakeru's life and heart. Haiji-san has successfully collected the smallest scoop of snowball and threw it down from the peak of [[Mountain Hakone]]. Allowing it to grow bigger, stronger, into a whole right before reaching the bottom.

<h2>Haiji</h2> Home is often a thing: a place, a house, a person, the bittersweet nostalgia of a memory. Something you can touch, something you can see. A hand, photographs, a deed, an address. There are, however, some to whom home is something much more intangible. Their home… … is a [[feeling]].

<h2>Ouji</h2> The door made a cracking sound as Haiji forced it open and Akane was starting to regret ever agreeing to this. After some reflection, the room isn’t smaller than anything else on the market for poor college students only incredibly cheaper, although if were to make a comparison with his room back in his parents’ house, large, new and free, he would probably break down and start crying uncontrollably. However, Akane knew that he had limited choices and that’s why when the dorm leader looked at him expectantly and said “So, what do you think?” he only sighed. [[“That will do.”->ouji furniture]]

<h2>Shindo</h2> People are products of their environments. Nurture and nature, but nature can take root more strongly in others. There are houses that you love, for their shape, or for what is contained inside. The roads that lead you back there, you love. The distant scenery, the smell of the air, the well-known weather patterns. You love your home… … and your home is a [[place]].

Are you sure you want to exit the house? [[Yes, I want to leave.->true exit]] [[No, I want to go back inside. ->First Floor]]

In a flash of maturity, he stopped to look at the state of the room. The mess was greater than any of the ones they had made previously. It had to be expected, after all they had been very diligent in their training and hadn’t indulged in those gatherings ever since Kakeru had joined the dorm, not counting the time just before the competition where they had been too nervous to even finish a single bottle. They had made it. They had made the famous cut of the top teams who were granted an automatic invitation to this big event without having to go through the qualifications. Jirō certainly felt giddy from the knowledge and as his eyes fell on his [[wall->Joji]], he made a mental note to go buy the newspaper retelling their feat tomorrow.

-[[Manga->Manga]] -[[The TV->TV]] -[[Reading place->Reading place]] -[[The Treadmill->Treadmill]] [[Back to floor plan->Second Floor]]

During his [[childhood]], reading manga and watching anime had been expected of him, deemed “age appropriate” or whatever. He had reveled in it, knew all of his favourite moments by heart and would act them out with his friends. In honour of his vast knowledge, much wider than any of his peers, they had playfully started calling him their “Prince”.

Akane had been used to sleeping in complete silence at his parents' and only rarely would he fall asleep while watching some anime adaptation of his favourite series. Although to be fair, [[it was always silent in that house]]. He had never thought much of it before moving there but unlike certain people, his family with himself included did most things without making much noise.

Prince had never thought that he would be sharing not only his manga but also his reading place. Sure, he had already lent Musa some but it had been more as a reading exercise than out of real appeal for the support or even just the story. Kakeru, however, had seemed genuinely interested. Since the first year student had started coaching him for the qualifications of the Hakone Ekiden, he had slowly been spending more and more time with the last Aotake recruit. Until one day, he had stared at him while he had been reading and outwardly expressed his desire to read some. “Prince, won’t you [[lend]] me one?”

Ultimately, Prince had been grateful for the treadmill. He had never been one to back down from a challenge and certainly not when he had already given his word. He was going to pass the qualifications and take his nine, loud, insane teammates to Hakone Ekiden even if it killed him. He ran, ran, and ran again, eyes glossy and lungs on fire. He was going to wake up running, eat running and bathe running if he had to. He knew that they would never resent him if he didn’t make the cut, but that just made him more desperate to succeed. Because it wasn’t about him, it was about [[them ->ouji furniture]].

Around [[middle school]], while he would continue his reading rituals diligently, he started noticing a progressive slip on his entourage’s attention. Instead of focusing on his words, they would stare at his face, his frame.On one or two occasions before he decided to shut down and withdraw for his own sake, he had been surprised by their hands stroking his hair. He stopped talking, started keeping to himself, ignoring people from the back of the class always with a manga or book in hand. They must have thought he wasn’t paying attention but he could clearly hear them whispering not so discreetly about him: a fair Prince, frail, meek and quiet.

He had gotten some sort of a break in [[high school]], maybe because most of the people had been in the same middle school and the novelty had worn off, or was it the upcoming dreaded university entrance exams? In any case, Akane was glad to be left to his own devices, and only when he came across some new student would he get the usual double take and occasional blush when he would catch them looking.

At the results board of his [[university]] entrance exams, Akane was bracing himself. Being accepted in his first choice only assured him his academic plan was in place, but he was under no illusion that the next four years wouldn’t be a repeat of what he had experienced from middle school until then. He tried calming himself. Only four more years until the general indifference of adulthood, and then, he would finally be free.

That’s to say, Akane hadn’t counted on meeting a fellow literature student, albeit older. He looked up from his Shonen Jump and in front of him, there’s an older boy. He had half a mind to just ignore the student but it dawned on him that the boy in question kept staring at him. As he made a move to clear the table off his things and go on his way, he unfortunately seemed to take it as his clue to start talking to him. “So, you like manga?” Akane froze. [[“Huh…”]]

He certainly hadn’t expected to be chat up on the first day of university. He took his courage to reject the guy as kindly as possible, but when he looked into his eyes, he saw a chilling determination that gave him the shivers. “You know that there’s a club manga? I bet you haven’t joined yet, [[I can take you there if you want to.]]”

There’s an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach, but the promise of a club where he could share and discuss his passion, feel accepted among his peers, was enough to put his instincts at bay for now and with more enthusiasm than he had felt in a long time, he demanded to be taken there. The older boy didn’t seem the slightest bit offended by his rude outburst and he let out a low chuckle. “I will. But you know, Prince. I actually have a [[small proposition]] I think you’ll be interested in.”

That sounded shady as all hell, but the student had already promised to take him to his [[Heaven]], so he only figured he could indulge him for a bit, if only to keep an appearance of politeness. He sat back down. “I’m listening.”

It’s surprisingly easy, getting used to living in Chikusei-sou. And there’s something he really hadn’t expected: calm. Sure, they liked having a few drinks from time to time and then there was no stopping them, but otherwise they were very responsible and mindful of others which considering they were a dorm full of male university students was very acceptable. The cherry on top would be no one really batting an eye at his [[hobby]].

They all have had very different reactions to it, but none had seemed mocking, and even Sakaguchi-senpai who had outright yelled at the amount of manga he had in his room the first time he had opened the door now regularly came to borrow his weekly copy of Shonen Jump. He had also quickly learnt that every Aotake member had been graced with a nickname, to bring them closer, and even if he had scrunched his nose at the moment, he would be lying if he said that living with a King, a Prodigy and a Demon (not that any of them actually had called him that to his face, he was the cook after all and they all valued their life) had drastically normalised his “Prince” alias. Otherwise, for his first year, life had been pretty uneventful [[there->ouji furniture]], making him feel more at ease with his unexpected stack of friends/dorm mates, and growing collection of manga.

That is why, when he had first moved in, he had continued executing his evening ritual as usual. Time passed without a hitch until one day, when he kept lying awake, incapable of falling asleep. He had waited, and waited to no avail. Frustrated, he had been about to get up when suddenly, the door entrance opened and someone stumbled inside the house, walked his way upstairs and stopped at the toilets before unlocking the door in front of his. [[Ah, King is home ->ouji furniture]]. A few moments later and the familiar white noise of the tv reached his ears. He had half a mind to go and ask him to lower the volume, when he felt his eyelids become progressively heavier and in a matter of minutes, he was sound asleep.

He hadn’t known how to react. Usually, only his kind, aka fellow nerds, would ask this of him. However, Kakeru belonged to the athletic group, so far away from them he didn’t think they were actually supposed to see each other, let alone talk. [[“Seriously?”]]

The runner had looked taken aback by the slight aggressiveness in his answer that was so unlike his usual apathy but didn’t back down, not that Prince had expected him to. “Well, yes. I figured that since you’re putting so much effort into running maybe I could meet you [[halfway]] and try to understand your world.”

He stared at the younger boy but could only find honesty in his eyes. Prince was stunned, not even his dorm mates of over a year had been this considerate, settling for just respecting his hobby which contented him plenty. He slowly nodded, and then quickly get on his feet. “Is there a genre in particular you want to read?” Kakeru shook his head and Prince got to work, reappearing mere seconds later. “Here, it’s got some sports and it’s not very long so maybe that will keep you entertained long enough.” He accepted the manga, looking at the strange object with wonder. Prince turned around and sat back at [[his usual spot]] to pick up his reading.

He had expected Kakeru to eventually leave and so, was shocked when he spoke up. “Can I ? Uh, can I sit… [[beside]] you?”

Prince’s face looked up, eyes wide in slight panic. “Why ?” He hadn’t meant to speak out loud but well. “It would be a waste to just take it to my room. I read quite fast so...” He was looking at him nervously and even though the idea had first surprised Prince, he realised he didn’t really mind. [[“Sure.”]]

He scooted over a bit to make more space between Kakeru’s bigger frame and his surrounding stacks of manga. The runner cautiously sat down and looked at him. “Thank you.” An awkward silence passed between them. They were closer to each other than he had anticipated. Eventually, Prince picked up his manga. “Well, I hope you enjoy.” Kakeru nodded, and took it as his cue to [[focus]] on his own copy.

The older boy kept staring at the same page, unable to read, hyper aware of the body beside him and the contact their knees would sometimes make. It’s only when Kakeru gasped, some fifteen minutes later, that he got out of his dream-like state. “[[Prince! ->ouji furniture]] Where’s the rest of that story?” He looked at the bright brown eyes of the runner and smiled softly.

Takashi has always been more comfortable at higher altitudes. He grew up at an elevation that’s so close to the clouds it takes pastries longer to bake. That didn’t matter so much; Takashi wasn’t a very good cook anyways. He was much better at hiking. Their first break after the race, a week in the height of spring as flowers were pushing their bright heads out of the dirt, Takashi takes Musa home. His family is happy to meet him, and more happy to see their prodigal son’s return. Takashi falls asleep that night in his old room, Musa beside him on the futon, listening to the sweet sounds of the forest. Years later, after Musa finishes grad school and they save enough money to buy plane tickets to Africa, Musa takes Takashi to Tanzania. [[Musa takes him home…]]

It’s a beautiful country, with beautiful views and beautiful people (and one very beautiful person in particular), but it is very different from Japan. Musa’s family is warm and welcoming and Takashi instantly loves them as much as his own. It almost breaks his heart to leave them after only a few days, but Musa has a camping trip planned and Takashi can’t say no to him. It’s a long drive, and he has no idea where they’re going, until the peak of the mountain rises up in the distance. Kilimanjaro. They take one of the easier routes, carrying their gear on their backs. Takashi knows they don’t have the time or the skill to make it to the summit, but the mountainside is beautiful anyways. That night, curled up in their small tent, legs and arms tangled within the sleeping bag, Takashi falls asleep with ease, listening to the familiar sounds of the forest and Musa’s steady breathing [[beside him ->Second Floor]].

Tarō had been a bit taken aback by the state of the house at first. The cracks in the wood and the old smell had made him anxiously glance at his baby brother who hadn’t seemed to notice a thing, too busy being in awe of this traditional style house. He should have seen it coming, really. It was no wonder Joji would react like this knowing that they rarely spent time in such houses, except when going to some fancy ryokan, or when they used to go visit their grandma a decade ago. It was those fond memories and certainly not the barely-safe-to-live-in house that made his eyes glowing. [[Well, as long as Joji likes it. ->Jota]] Ten minutes later, and they were the happy owners of the key to room 201.

There had never been a greater difference between the Jō twins than at the moment of waking up, as Tarō was painfully reminded of [[every single morning]].

Tarō kept staring at the soccer poster his brother had hung in their shared room what seemed like a lifetime ago. The closer they got to the Hakone Ekiden, the more it looked like it was taunting him. Objectively, he knew that he wasn’t made for running, unlike Jirō, and that going back to soccer once he had fulfilled his promise would be the logical choice for him to make. However, leaving the club would have consequences, ones he really didn’t want to commit to. He hadn’t told anyone this, not even Jirō. He was afraid to. Because he knew his brother would know what to say to talk him out of it. Or maybe he would just look all sad and he’d still change his mind in the end. And what it he cried? God, what if any of them cried? From what he knew, none of them were criers but even he wasn’t sure he’d be able to hold it together when the time came. Heart heavy, he looked over at his surroundings. Really, who would have thought that [[leaving->Jota]] this crappy room could be so difficult?

The curtains made a ringing sound as they slid open and the flash of light by this traitorous sun hit him mercilessly. He groaned, rolling in his futon in despair to escape from this cruel reality. “Hey, brother.” Tarō at that moment wholeheartedly hated the low voice his brother always adopted like he was trying to be considerate despite still committing the unforgivable felony of bringing him back to the world of the living. “Brother.” He let out a long, painful whine, face buried in his [[pillow]].

“What.” “It’s time to wake up. They will soon be waiting outside.” “You know the rule, Joji. No waking up before the alarm clock.” The obnoxious beep resonated in the room as the display flashed the agreed hour in big red angry numbers. Tarō stared at his brother as best as his could with eyelids still as heavy as when he had gone to sleep eight hours ago. “I hate you.” His brother [[flashed him a smile ->Jota]].

As you leave the house - no, the home - behind you, you hear the sound of pounding feet behind you. They pass you in a blur, faces alight with joy. Laughter floats back to you on the breeze. Perhaps you'll come back [[someday...->Credits]]

In the neighborhood surrounding Kansei University, there is an old dormitory tucked away amongst the high-rise apartment buildings and fancy new coffee shops. “Old” is a very kind word to describe it; Chikusei-sou had seen better days, even when it was new. The residents call it Aotake, with a fondness for its creaking floorboards and leaky roof. [[Go inside?]]

Thank you for playing! Game made by Team with the Wind Hana, Jota, Joji, and Ouji written by Iza Haiji, Shindou, Nico, and Musa written by lacksley Yuki and Kakeru written by felhocske King written by LittleRain Floor plans drawn and edited by LittleRain Game code written by BonesOfBirdWings [[Restart->Intro]]

The first stretch Haiji takes after waking up is always satisfying. The pull of his muscles, stiff from sleep, help him clear his hazy, half-awake mind. His routine, feeding Nira, preparing breakfast, knocking on doors with inhuman cheer to wake his teammates. It’s comfortable, doing the same thing every morning. His life used to be so unpredictable and volatile and now… he’s calm. The smell of the morning air, before rush hour starts and exhaust fumes overpower the dewey grass and moist dirt. Haiji takes comfort in the way his feet pound the pavement, how his well-worn running shoes are perfectly molded to his feet. The complaints and protests of his team tell him that he’s doing the right thing. [[He feels the wind at his back…]]

The feeling of support he didn’t know he could have, from people, from the Earth herself, pushing him forward, flying, free. Haiji feels everything, the sweat pouring down his back, the hot sun beating down on him. The rhythm of conversation, lost in the breeze. Even the pain in his knee. Haiji feels everything, all of it, and he wouldn’t choose anything differently, even if he could. Everything has culminated in this feeling, of being here. Of being [[home->First Floor]].

The ten residents and their friends are found within. Select the person whose story you would like to see, or go upstairs to find the rest. [[Ready?->First Floor]]

Or so Yukihiko had learned from his very thick books. That's all that term meant to him, nothing more, nothing less. Only what was needed for his tests to turn in. Yukihiko wasn't antisocial or uncaring, yet ties were something intangible, something he couldn't find in his books, so he preferred to shut out anything that could remind him of such feelings. Exactly, feelings. What he had no need of. Thus, ever since he was a teenager, he just grabbed his headphones to shut out surroundings, noises, feelings. This tactic has worked for a while, and eventually even the most stubborn person would stop calling if you kept not answering your phone. Humans were like that, big words without actions. Not that Yukihiko concerned himself with that, he kept his distance after all. Until something he couldn't distance himself from entered his life. Something so annoying and bothersome he couldn't help but force himself to open his shell. [[Smell]].

His room was reeking from the disgusting smell oozing from room 104. It crept itself under Yukihiko's skin and not even his headphones could help. His right to privacy had been breached but after several weeks, months, he realized his understanding of that certain term was wrong. As laughable as it is, Yukihiko misunderstood the concept. Nothing served as a better reminder of that than his bloody jogging shoes and his cellphone next to his headphones– it was finally time to call his mother. "Dinner is ready!!!!" Haiji yelled. "Start without me–!" he yelled back, having already dialed. "Guess we will wait," Nico-chan-senpai knocked on his door gently while walking past toward the kitchen. There was no reminder lingering as the smell of smoke anymore. "Hey, mom. It's me." Changes are scary. [[But changing for the better is brave.->First Floor]]

It was one of those journeys that Kakeru has heard about as a child from some picture books. The difference was that Kakeru's pages were black and white, boring. He had crossed the dorm's threshold carrying such a dull looking book, however, to his shock, his story wasn't boring itself, just colorless. Thankfully though, the residents of that dorm, all of them, one by one had their own unique crayons to fill those lone forms in Kakeru's picture book. [[Do you like running?]]

Kakeru smiled to himself while putting on his jogging shoes and leaving his neat room. On his way out, he has bumped into the person living across his room. "Kakeru, good morning!" Haiji has greeted the raven-haired boy as he limped his way toward the main door, having the leash in his hand. "I am going out on a small walk," he informed Kakeru. [[Will you be fine?->next]] [[Are you sure isn't it too early for you to take the dog on a walk?->next]] [[What if you slip outside? It's winter?->next]]

"Haiji-san," Kakeru trotted after the older, only following him to the doorstep. Haiji turned around, seemingly uncertain. The cold morning painted their breath in the air. There were a lot of questions Kakeru could choose from, yet there was only one that his soul yearned to enlighten. "Please, ask me your question now." Haiji's eyes widened as a snowflake fell on Kakeru's nose, and let out a burst of laughter. Abruptly, the twins ran past Kakeru, celebrating the snow. They could hear Yuki's voice echoing as he scolded Nico-chan-senpai. King being grumpy and shutting his window with a loud crack. Soon enough Musa and Shindo joined the twins in their merry mood. Prince stopped next to Kakeru, wordless. Only watching the snowfall. "Hey, Kakeru!" Haiji yelled at the other, mostly to draw his attention back. Kakeru's eyes met the older's, he was grinning wide in the noise, surrounded by everyone. "Do you like running?" Like a shooting star did those questioning words sparkle light. Kakeru's sky wasn't starless darkness anymore though. Yet, Haiji's light was unparalleled. Kakeru's lips stretched into something akin to a fond smile. "It's bright," Kakeru said thoughtlessly. "It's seven in the morning after all," Prince shrugged next to Kakeru, before he later pat him on the shoulder and ran after the rest outside. [[Yes, I do.->First Floor]]