The two teens walked in silence, nether one wanted to say anything to the other. Naota was starting to wonder if going over to Ninamori’s place was such a good idea. The only reason she wanted him over had to be so she could boast about her wealth and superiority over him. He should be back at home, he should be in his room, and he should be with Haruko. Then again, forget that last one, he should definitely NOT be with Haruko.

“Are we there yet?” Naota gripped, kicking a rock as he followed Ninamori.

“It’s only another block, stop being such a baby.”

“I’m not a baby!” Naota snapped. He hated when adults looked down at him, but when his own classmates start, then something is wrong. He sighed and looked off into the horizon where his house was, he wondered what Haruko was doing. She’s probably burning everything he owned for fun, he dolefully thought.

“We’re here,” Ninamori said, breaking him from his thoughts. Naota stared at the mansion in front of him and frowned, it was bigger then he expected. Naota didn’t really care about wealth, he could stay in middle class for the rest of his life and b happy, but something about seeing such a big, expensive house made him feel very conscious about his own empty pockets. Why was it that someone got born into a rich family, while others didn’t? It was unfair, but uncontrollable. You can’t decide who your parents are, any more then you can decide what your natural hair color is.

A thought struck Naota then, that wasn’t true for him anymore. He had been given a new parent and now had a clean slate to what he would look like. That both excited him and filled him with dread. If all it took was a trip up a woman’s twat for someone to become a new person, how was anyone to protect his or her individuality?

“Hey Naota, would you quit zoning out and come in. It’s cold out here and I want to warm up inside.” Ninamori complained from in front of her front door.

“Whatever,” he mumbled, while shaking off his reflections on birth and life. Maybe Hauko was right and he had to lighten up. All his assessment about identities and a person’s existence were just a waste of time. The link with Haruko would break apart and everything would return to normal, No changing, no invasions of his mind and no more calling her mommy. Haruko was just some crazy chick with a guitar and funky hair; he refused to let her control her life anymore. He’d start taking back his life, by having a nice evening at Ninamori’s place, free of any weirdness.

“Go anything to drink?” He asked, as he stepped into her house and closed the door behind him.