Chiz

Chiz stands, professionally dressed, in the gleaming lobby of a bank.

Chiz walks the corners where the streetlights don't reach, sewage pooling under the cracks in the pavement.

"Chiz, Chiz, where are you going?"

Once Chiz learned to run without stumbling, she had to leave home and help her older siblings find food outside. Shiny bread wrapped in plastic… Chiz only saw that once. Most of the time, all she could find were wild vegetables and mushrooms. When even those were gone, they had no choice but to hunt "Apocha." That's what they called the edible Anomalies. But Apocha were dangerous; it was common to get hurt, and medicine was even harder to find than food. And then there was that saying: "Eat too many Apocha, and you'll become an Esper." Espers, like Anomalies, were outsiders to be driven away; because, just like Anomalies, Espers attack. After dinner, Chiz watched her mother cradle her newborn baby sister; patting her, soothing her, singing to her. Chiz remembered when she was little, so little that the whole world was no bigger than her mother's embrace, her mother would gently pat her, soothe her, and sing to her.

"Chiz, Chiz, grow up quick."

Faster, faster. Chiz pressed her palm against the bleeding wound on her neck, glancing back at the Apocha that was closely tailing her. She ran as hard as she could, away from home. Farther, farther, until she couldn't run anymore. Chiz tripped on a rock and fell hard to the ground. The Apocha had vanished somewhere along the way. She didn't have the strength to stand, so she just lay there, nibbling at the food she'd found. She could only eat a little. She had to bring the rest home. Her family was waiting for her. She had to get home… Chiz couldn't remember how she found her way back. But somehow, she made it home with the food… and a new Ability. Maybe, just like the stories said, she had eaten too many Apocha. On her last night home, she used her new Esper Ability to put on a little fireworks show for her younger siblings. She remembered their eyes shining bright, their soft gasps; fighting over who got to play with their magical big sister.

The next day, her mother brought Chiz to the shore. A boat would take her away from home, carry her to a new world. Even after her mother's silhouette had completely disappeared from sight, Chiz could still hear someone calling out in the salty sea breeze.

"Chiz, Chiz, you must…"

Chiz now lives in the heart of Hethereau. Even at night, the whole New Herland District blazes with lights. Chiz often turns off all her lights indoors and leans against the window, watching the flow of cars outside. Back in her homeland, nights were deathly silent. Light didn't mean streetlamps or the moon; light meant danger. It could be an Anomaly's lure. It could be dangerous Espers and their weapons.

Chiz sits in the darkness of her room, while a glittering world sparkles outside her window. She hugs herself, imitating her mother from memory, softly humming a melody still warm with feeling.

"Chiz, Chiz, you must be happy."

"The outside world is dangerous." Chiz learned this when she was very young, back when food at home wouldn't just appear on the table. Sometimes, her older siblings would go out and never come back. And then Chiz reached the same age. It was her turn to go outside.

The number of wounds on her body grew faster than her height. The first wound was on her left arm, left by a branch that caught at her while she tried to flee an Anomaly. The second was on her right foot; she stepped in a trap while bumbling down the wrong path through the woods. The third was on her left thigh, where an Apocha bit her before becoming their family's dinner… Some wounds healed and disappeared. Others became scars. The last wound her homeland gave her was on her neck: a scar that remained deep even after healing. In the end, just like her siblings, Chiz went out and never came back.

Chiz boarded a ship headed who knows where; their routes were never fixed, after all. Chiz was unlucky: She became an Esper. But she was lucky enough to find a ship leaving the very next day. All of her mother's love became a thin stack of money pressed into the kind captain's hands. Leave, leave. Staying here will only bring more pain. Chiz began living on the ship with others from her homeland. Some were Espers like her. Others were ordinary people who could no longer bear the strain of staying. But they never really connected, even in such close proximity. One day, two days, three days… One month, two months… Then she lost count. People got on. People got off. The kind captain brought her to a clean, safe city. Chiz was almost landsick.

Chiz arrived at her new home. Here, there were lovely clothes, a warm bed. Delicious food appeared, almost magically, on the table. She sat quietly in a corner, eavesdropping, and learned this was the Dvořák family's orphanage. Chiz loved Dvořák. She loved the orphanage. She made new friends here, and every day they wore the same clothes and ate the same food.

"Why don't you wash your hands?" a friend asked Chiz one evening after dinner. "You should stay clean. You'll trouble the caretakers."

Chiz hid her sauce-stained hands behind her back in alarm. She finally realized that even wearing the same clothes and eating the same food, they were still different. She was a little mouse that had drifted for so long before being being washed ashore here. "Mice are the dirtiest of all!" said the picture books. Of course, her friend was kind. She led Chiz to the bathroom and helped wash the sauce off her hands. Chiz was very grateful.

"You have to wash your hands. If you don't, people won't like you."

Chiz was smart. She remembered this. From then on, she washed her hands spotlessly clean every day. Three rounds of soap. No slacking. Clean between the fingers and under the nails. Wash before bed, wash after waking up, wash before meals, wash after meals, wash before playing with toys, wash after playing with toys… As time went on, just like those old wounds, Chiz's hands became wrapped in bandages. The caretakers cautioned her that she couldn't wash her hands so often. Her friends were worried too, gently blowing on her hands and asking if it hurt. Chiz smiled at all of them. "It doesn't hurt," she promised, saying she'll remember.

Much more time passed. Even after all the wounds on her hands had healed, Chiz still kept the habit of wearing bandages.

In an age when digital payments are everywhere, Chiichan still insists on withdrawing her salary from the bank each month, exchanging it for cash, and dividing it into a thin stack and a thick stack. She picks up the thin stack and counts it carefully. Once, twice, three times. Then she takes a few bills from it and adds them to the thick stack before tucking it all into a sturdy envelope.

"This address…" she says. "We don't have direct delivery there." The post office clerk looks at the destination with some difficulty.

"Th-That's okay."

"There's a good chance it could get lost with that many transfers, you know?"

"…Yes, I know."

Chiichan hands the envelope to the clerk. The envelope is stamped; she receives a mailing receipt in return. Walking home with the receipt, a map slowly unfolds in her mind. Chiichan has looked at many maps. On them, the place where she was born is just a tiny dot. If she left from Hethereau, she would have to take a very, very long boat ride to reach a new city, then transfer to a train and ride for a very, very long time to yet another city… If she chose to fly partway, she would have to take a very, very long bus ride… But even once she's figured out the route home, she has to think about the travel costs, and the savings needed so her family could live happily together without ever having to hunt Apocha again. She calculates how much she can save each month, how long it will take… By the time she's done with all the calculations, she's arrived.

Chiichan stands in front of the mailbox by her door, breathing deeply. Whenever she moves somewhere new, the first thing she does is send her new address back home. Then she waits. Maybe today will bring a letter…

"Knock knock." Chiichan taps lightly on the mailbox. "Knock knock." Two more taps.

This is a secret code between the siblings: it means "I found you." When they couldn't speak, they would answer each other with soft knocks instead.

Chiichan opens the mailbox. Inside is nothing but dust. So it is, every month.

Chiichan closes the mailbox and goes home with another mailing receipt. There are a dozen identical ones in her bedside drawer. So it is, every month.

Chiichan doesn't know when she will receive a letter from home. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe next month. Maybe never.

Chiz keeps a diary. She hasn't stopped writing since receiving her first journal. She writes down everything worth remembering, so that when she sees her family again someday, she can tell them everything. Then, she'll finally say the words she's been preparing for so long: "Yes, I've been doing well out here."

But her diary isn't just words: there are rice ball wrapper labels, flower petals that landed on her shoulder, and stickers from coworkers. They're all proof that she's doing well. Chiz feels that only by recording things this way can she truly feel like she's not just stumbling through a pleasant dream.

At first, Chiz's diary entries were very short.

"M: XX, D: XX. Food was good."

"M: XX, D: XX. Clothes were pretty."

"M: XX, D: XX. Flowers smelled nice."

She didn't know what else to write, so she just honestly recorded how she felt. Once, a friend found out and suggested, "If you don't know what to write, why not try drawing?" But Chiz didn't think her drawings were all that good, either. She was still troubled.

One day, Chiz ate a delicious candy. She couldn't bear to throw away even the crinkled wrapper, so she put it in her diary. The candy was delicious, and her problem was solved. She's continued to this day.

"Ahhh, how is it this late already? I have work tomorrow!"

Chiz hurriedly closes her diary. Her entries have been longer and longer, lately. There's more and more worth recording. That tasty milk tea has to be written down. Getting praised by her manager has to be written down. The first sunny day of spring, the first sunny day of summer, the first sunny day of fall, and the first snowfall of winter all have to be properly recorded. Chiz doesn't like rainy days. She only likes sunny days, because on rainy days, food is hard to find.

But Chiz really likes snowy days in Hethereau. Snow is clean and white.

After completing basic employee training, Chiz's first task at Pink Paws Bank was to get a customer to sign up for a card.

"It's easy," said Mayu, her mentor, patting her on the shoulder. "Our bank has the best benefits in all of Hethereau. You've got this."

"Sorry, I don't need one."

"No thank you."

"Uh-huh, okay, okay, uh-huh, okay, I understand, okay, okay."

Chiz collected dozens of polite refusals and cold shoulders. The air conditioning blasted in the bank lobby; Chiz felt cold inside, too. She huddled in a corner, wondering about resigning. Maybe she wasn't cut out for this job. She was always bad at so many things. She didn't even know how to write a resignation letter.

Chiz would probably remember the day she met Kolinsna forever, with her beautiful golden hair and dazzling red dress. Chiz felt like she was looking at Fons herself walking among mortals. She remembered how Mayu had described it: "Someone who looks like they'd definitely sign up for a card." Chiz really wanted to stay. She just had to try a little harder. So she gathered her courage and walked up. "H-Hello!" she started, "Welcome to Pink Paws Bank… Would you like to sign up for a card?"

The girl with the golden hair and red dress seemed startled by her. She stared at Chiz for a good while, then spoke. Her voice was lovely… until she proceeded to point out Chiz's every flaw; from the way she talked, to her outfit and appearance, to her posture and the angle she was standing at. Chiz felt stares coming from every direction. Tears were already welling up in her eyes. She really wasn't suited for this job after all…

"I'll sign up for a card."

Would Mayu teach her how to write a resignation letter…?

"Hey, don't you even know how to process a card?"

"S-sorry!" Chiz apologized on reflex, then kept responding yes, over and over. Before her brain could catch up, she was already standing in front of the machine. Somehow, despite her fumbling, she managed to successfully issue a card.

"Th-thank you for coming." She didn't know why things had turned out this way, but the result was delightful. After seeing off the young noblewoman, Mayu finally found her chance to approach. She looked at Chiz, who was especially happy about successfully signing up her first customer, with an indescribable expression. "Chiz, do you know who that was?"

"She was… That lady just now?"

"She's the Dvořák family's young lady."

Chiz's smile slowly faded. Pink Paws Bank belonged to the Dvořáks.

Under Mayu's pitying gaze, Chiz choked out: "M-Mayu, do you know how to write a resignation letter?"

Chiz is terrified of loud noises. She's been afraid of thunder since she was little, but it got so much worse after she became an Esper. This is the price she pays for her powers. The sound of popcorn machines, fireworks going off, even karaoke, any overly-noisy environment makes her heart race. Only her soundproof home soothes her. Because of this, Chiz never attends gatherings.

"Chiz, want to grab dinner together this weekend?"

Mayu was inviting her again. Chiz did want to go. She was so grateful to Mayu, the first person to show her kindness after she joined Pink Paws Bank. And it wasn't just Mayu; there was Haruna, Grace… All her coworkers were wonderful people. Chiz had always wanted to treat them to a meal and properly express her thanks. But someone like her…

"I should probably…"

"How about coming to my place? I'll show you my cooking. Come on, Chiz, come on."

If it was at someone's home, it probably wouldn't be too loud…

Chiz finally accepted. She stayed up all night reading posts on Bagel to learn how to be a polite houseguest. If she never got another chance, she had to make this one count.

"Welcome! You didn't have to bring anything!"

"Chiz's here? Come in, come in!"

"Um… H-Hello, everyone…"

The house was warm. There was the smell of home cooking and the chatter of coworkers. So this is what a gathering was like. How nice. Just as Chiz was secretly feeling happy, Grace handed her a box.

"F-for me?"

"Of course! Open it, quick." Haruna leaned in close to Chiz, urging her to open it.

Chiz untied the ribbon. Inside the box was a pair of noise-canceling earplugs. They were beautiful. And pink.

"Pretty, right? We all picked them out together."

"Other than being cute, they're almost completely useless. The noise-canceling is extremely average."

"But they're perfect for our Chiz, right?"

Yes, the noise-canceling was perfectly average… Just enough for Chiz to hear the sound of fireworks blooming in the sky without being so scared that she had to cover her ears and run away.