Chapter Text
Ever wonder what it’s like to be named after a classic literature author? That’s what people usually ask Tamashii Osamu.
He’d always make up a story on how the person responsible for his name inspired his parents, engulfing them in nostalgia and melancholy. His father, in particular, resonated with the struggles his works portrayed. All his classmates believed him, not doubting the class’s personal clown. All his classmates loved his jokes, laughing at his ridiculous antics. He’d always laugh along with them, even if he was called strange at times.
It didn’t really matter to him, as long as he was seen as normal and not as someone who had a name associated with a dead man and was a boy from a wealthy family.
His father was the head of the house, though not in the traditional sense. He was the one who made the most money in the house, with his mother working in the morning and coming back in the afternoon to care for him and his siblings. The middle child, that was his title in the house.
He didn’t mind, since he wasn’t old enough to help with the younger kids, neither being young enough to need constant care from his mother. He liked it like that, being left in the quiet of his room, and after school walks.
Osamu loved his family, really, but sometimes he resented his parents for naming him something that he did not want to become his only identity.
His father was the main target of these feelings, seeing as he was the one who picked it out. His mother a tad less, seeing as she allowed him. Whenever he brought his complaints to his parents, seemingly begging them to change his name, he was always met with disappointment. He’d always resort to nodding whenever he heard their babbling, telling him to appreciate how he had gotten his name and what it meant.
He hated it.
So, he started to come home late.
He’d take detours from his usual way home, walking through the busy streets of Kanagi. It was definitely a sight to behold, watching the petals fall from their place on the trees around him. Walking down the streets after waving bye to his companions, he’d usually walk to the convenience store that had recently caught his attention. It was stocked to the brim with unique snacks, flavors of unknown origin. When he first discovered this heaven of a store, he bought a bunch of different snacks, easily blowing through his allowance for the week.
He didn’t mind, though, but he started to find it tedious to continue making the snacks himself. He thought, I don’t want to make them, I want it prepared beforehand. It saved more time and was way more efficient. So he took it upon himself to scavenge through the aisles, searching both low and high.
One thing that did catch his attention was a canned item. Curious, he picked it up and inspected it. The label read “Canned Crab”.
Huh, he never heard of canned crab before, only tuna. Turning the can around, he noted the actual amount he would receive, and it was perfect for a snack after school. Slowly, he came back day after day, always getting one can. Then it turned into two, then three, before he started to buy five at a time.
He was addicted.
Transferring the canned goods into his bag whilst walking out of the store, he didn’t see the person standing in front of him. He bumped into them, muttering an apology before beginning to turn away. Though he paused, seeing as the man wasn’t giving him a look, only paying his attention to the screen in front of him.
Osamu tilted his head, pushing through the crowd to see what had everybody captivated. Reaching the front, he stood beside someone as he watched the trailer in front of him.
It seemed that an anime was soon to come out. He hummed, thinking his younger siblings would enjoy it, since it had a similar supernatural system to Inuyasha. He watched, noting the different kinds of characters the cast was made of.
“A detective agency made up of people with powers…” He pondered. But he blinked in surprise at the trailer's sudden change of tone. He crossed his arms, quickly tossing the idea of introducing this to his younger brothers. What caught his attention, though, was the name of seemingly the main character with an atrocious hairstyle.
“Nakajima…? Atsushi..?” Wasn’t that the name of an author who had long passed?
“That’s the author, right?” The girl next to him turned towards him. Osamu blinked. He didnt expect to be spoken to, watching as the girl turned back to the television.
As the trailer ended, the two read the name of the upcoming anime. Osamu furrowed his eyebrows, wondering what this anime was. Maybe it was just a coincidence that the names were so similar, you know. Perhaps he should look it up on the internet once he gets home.
“Hey! What’s your name, random stranger?” The girl grinned, already looking at him.
The brunette jolted. He turned around and blinked thrice as the girl was waiting. “Uh, I’m Tamashii Osamu. Nice to meet you.” He grinned. He bowed low, making himself tip over. Landing on his head with a small ‘humpf’, he laughed it off while rubbing his head awkwardly. Waiting patiently for a laugh or chuckle from the girl, he looked up only to freeze as the girl simply stared at him. Tilting her head, she said nothing.
Nothing at all.
Osamu’s laugh quieted down, alarm slowly seeping into his body.
“You did that on purpose.” She pointed at him with a blank expression.
Osamu’s eyes widened in horror.