Charisma and confidence were a perfect duo for D4NGER, but Yusuke Kujikawa, the man behind the mask...not so much. Nerves and nausea suited him far more due to the simple fact that he couldn't currently stomach anything more flavorful than a bowl of porridge. Renewing his passport had been arduous process requiring him to take the metro, interact with the woman at the kiosk, and force a smile for the camera. It took far more social energy than he was ready for, but he knew that it would be the least amount of social activity he'd have for the next week. Cheers were already pouring in from all over Japan (and Utaite twitter) due to being one of the first acts to come from YouTube. There were a few Twitch streamers here and there, but most were one city acts or openers rather than headline acts. He felt like a minnow swimming with sharks...
...And that was enough to make him puke all over again.
D4NGER's last tweet had been a picture of the sun barely rising as they ascended into the sky, his stomach rumbling all the while. He made sure to pack a month's worth of clothes, his equipment, and extra cash; however, he neglected to bring any type of sedative or anti-nausea medication so the twelve hour flight consisted mostly of the flight attendant reassuring him that was in fact, fine that he needed another paper bag. Granted, that was after the person next to him complained about the odor wafting from his first bag. When asked why he didn't simply go to the restroom however the answer was simple: he was stuck in the middle. He didn't want to be that guy who constantly went back and forth from his seat to the aisle.
So he waited, always a minute or two after the person in the aisle seat left before he went to the bathroom and eventually settled on falling asleep to a movie and listening to old mp3s on his Zune, a gag gift from his sister on his tenth birthday. Despite being seemingly obsolete, it held power far longer than his cellphone and had a variety of animal stickers to remind him of their pet-filled childhood. Even without his family attending, he could pretend that they would be there.
When they finally landed, Yusuke stumbled out of the plane and towards the shuttle area, his mind still piecing together his itinerary. The fresh air blew away his nausea, the song birds swept his grogginess and the waft of fried food stirred his appetite.
"Mag ik een bestelling met vis?"
The words came out just shy of a whisper.
"Oh! Don't worry, I can speak English too. What would you like?"
"F-fi"
"I'm sorry. My ears are not very good anymore. Can you repeat?"
"F-fish..."
"Oh! You want an order of fish!" The vendor grabbed a small, paper tray before placing four pieces of fried cod and handing it over to him. "That will be three euros."
"T-thanks you very much."
He forced a smile as he walked away from the vendor and sat on one of the benches, nibbling one of the fried cod pieces. He supposed that the vendor wanted to give him points for trying, even if his accent was painfully thick and his volume was well...low to say the least. Despite going to school, listening to guides, and interacting with his English-speaking fans, it was no match for conversing with real, actual foreigners in person.
Why couldn't this be online?
He would have time to use a translator. He could type instead of speak. He turn off his camera if need be and he didn't have to worry about all the unknown factors ahead of him.
"Miauw."
Yusuke raised his head to meet an orange tabby staring at his lunch. Though it made no move to pounce its eyes were clearly fixated on one of the pieces he was holding. He dangled the fish forward, beckoning for the cat to come closer, a smile beginning to tug on his face.
It was comforting to know that at least the animals spoke the same language.
...And that was enough to make him puke all over again.
D4NGER's last tweet had been a picture of the sun barely rising as they ascended into the sky, his stomach rumbling all the while. He made sure to pack a month's worth of clothes, his equipment, and extra cash; however, he neglected to bring any type of sedative or anti-nausea medication so the twelve hour flight consisted mostly of the flight attendant reassuring him that was in fact, fine that he needed another paper bag. Granted, that was after the person next to him complained about the odor wafting from his first bag. When asked why he didn't simply go to the restroom however the answer was simple: he was stuck in the middle. He didn't want to be that guy who constantly went back and forth from his seat to the aisle.
So he waited, always a minute or two after the person in the aisle seat left before he went to the bathroom and eventually settled on falling asleep to a movie and listening to old mp3s on his Zune, a gag gift from his sister on his tenth birthday. Despite being seemingly obsolete, it held power far longer than his cellphone and had a variety of animal stickers to remind him of their pet-filled childhood. Even without his family attending, he could pretend that they would be there.
When they finally landed, Yusuke stumbled out of the plane and towards the shuttle area, his mind still piecing together his itinerary. The fresh air blew away his nausea, the song birds swept his grogginess and the waft of fried food stirred his appetite.
"Mag ik een bestelling met vis?"
The words came out just shy of a whisper.
"Oh! Don't worry, I can speak English too. What would you like?"
"F-fi"
"I'm sorry. My ears are not very good anymore. Can you repeat?"
"F-fish..."
"Oh! You want an order of fish!" The vendor grabbed a small, paper tray before placing four pieces of fried cod and handing it over to him. "That will be three euros."
"T-thanks you very much."
He forced a smile as he walked away from the vendor and sat on one of the benches, nibbling one of the fried cod pieces. He supposed that the vendor wanted to give him points for trying, even if his accent was painfully thick and his volume was well...low to say the least. Despite going to school, listening to guides, and interacting with his English-speaking fans, it was no match for conversing with real, actual foreigners in person.
Why couldn't this be online?
He would have time to use a translator. He could type instead of speak. He turn off his camera if need be and he didn't have to worry about all the unknown factors ahead of him.
"Miauw."
Yusuke raised his head to meet an orange tabby staring at his lunch. Though it made no move to pounce its eyes were clearly fixated on one of the pieces he was holding. He dangled the fish forward, beckoning for the cat to come closer, a smile beginning to tug on his face.
It was comforting to know that at least the animals spoke the same language.