The train pulled away slowly, leaving a fine trail of dust that mixed with the cold mountain air. That steady clack-clack of the tracks made your heart feel like it was keeping pace with the locomotive. Harumi pressed her forehead against the window, took a deep breath, and smiled.
A smile that was half crooked, half nervous, half "oh my God, what did I get myself into?"
"We're here, Izumi…" she said, trying to sound confident, but sounding more like someone who just signed a contract without reading the fine print.
Izumi, her younger sister, stepped off the train carrying a box bigger than herself, wobbling as if she could topple over at any second.
"I still think it's crazy to buy a house without even seeing a picture!" she complained, taking uneven steps. "What if it's haunted? Did you even think about that?"
Harumi grabbed another box from the luggage rack and laughed.
"Ghosts make great neighbors. Quiet, never borrow sugar."
"As long as they don't snore," Izumi huffed. "Because you already do it for two."
"I don't snore! I just… breathe with enthusiasm."
The cold wind tossed their hair as they walked. The narrow street was lined with cherry trees that stubbornly clung to a few petals, as if giving the visitors an extra charming welcome.
The small town looked like it had stepped right out of an old movie. Miso soup smells floated from open windows; elderly folks chatted near gates; fat cats strutted along lazily, as if they'd seen every season ten times over.
And at the end of the street, there it was.
The new house.
Harumi stopped in front of the gate and spread her arms wide, like she was presenting a historic monument.
"Ta-da! Welcome to my new home!"
Izumi tilted her head, taking in the traditional Japanese house. Wooden roof, narrow veranda, shoji windows… and, of course, that irresistible vibe of "this definitely needs urgent renovations."
"Wow… it's way older than I imagined," she said. "Feels like a drama set!"
"I know, right?!" Harumi knocked on the gate proudly. "It has personality."
"Personality and a ton of dust," Izumi added, sneezing. "Achoo!"
Harumi rolled her eyes and slid the key into the lock.
"Let's go in!"
She tried turning the key.
Nothing.
She tried again.
Still nothing.
A firmer twist.
The key gave a small, crooked turn.
And then—
CLACK!
The doorknob fell straight into her hand.
They stared at it like it had personally insulted their entire family.
Izumi blinked slowly.
"…Nice start, huh?"
Harumi held up the doorknob like a trophy, smiling that kind of smile people give when they're one step away from a meltdown.
"It's just… a minor technical hiccup. Every new house needs a little welcoming ritual, right?"
Izumi crossed her arms.
"Oh yeah? And what's the name of this ritual? 'Congrats, your door gave up on life'?"
"Don't complain," Harumi pushed the door with her shoulder. "Just a little help—"
The door swung open with a shocking crash.
They tumbled halfway inside, halfway outside, tripping over boxes, doorways, and their own feet. When they finally regained balance, they looked around.
A cloud of dust rose, making the tatami look like a desert.
Curtains hung crooked, the air smelled of poetic abandonment, and the late afternoon light streamed through holes in the shoji, illuminating floating dust particles.
Izumi looked around, impressed.
"Wow… it's worse than I imagined."
Harumi patted the walls like someone testing a horse before buying it.
"It's perfect! Just needs love… care… and maybe an exorcist."
Izumi raised an eyebrow.
"You bought this without seeing it first?"
"Yes!" Harumi answered proudly. "Online auction. Bargain."
"BARGAIN?!" Izumi nearly lost it. "Harumi, when something old is too cheap, there's always a reason!"
"The reason is that I'm smart."
"The reason is that nobody else wanted it."
Harumi threw herself back dramatically.
"I'm an independent woman, Izumi! I don't need a new house! I just need a house that won't collapse the moment I open the frig—"
BLOFT!
An interior door fell out of nowhere, as if it had been waiting for this exact moment to quit its job.
They stared at it lying on the floor.
Silence.
Izumi pointed at the fallen door.
"That… was the bathroom door, right?"
Harumi sighed.
"Yeah."
"So, we're going to have to… like… announce it when we want to use it?"
"Sisters share everything… even trauma."
Izumi laughed.
"Are we really going to survive this?"
Harumi smiled, genuinely this time. A smile that said, "It's a little crazy, but this is my life."
"Of course we will. This is just the first stage."
Izumi lifted one of the boxes.
"And what's the second stage?"
Harumi took a deep breath, like stepping onto a stage for a grand performance.
"The stage where… I pretend I know what I'm doing, and you pretend you believe me."
Izumi laughed.
"That I can do perfectly."
They entered the house completely, leaving boxes in the hallway, stumbling here and there, dodging hazards, listening to floorboards groan threateningly under their feet.
Harumi sighed, hands on her hips.
"Welcome to our new beginning."
Izumi smiled at all that cozy chaos.
"Yeah… it really feels like a beginning."
The house creaked again.
They exchanged a look.
Harumi added:
"…A beginning with A LOT of work."
And for the first time since the train, they laughed together—loudly, with relief, because this strange, broken house was exactly what they needed:
A place to start over.
A home, crooked as it may be.
And, most importantly…
The beginning of all the chaos yet to come.