1 Prologue

The more I try to remember, the blurrier it gets, well, anyway. My childhood was a pretty quiet one, I wasn't boisterous, I didn't do anything stupid and I didn't have a lot of stars in my eyes when I talked about something, and energy to spare like the others. As an only son I very quickly had access to the floor at the table in the middle of my parents, I had my say from the moment I said my first words, I was listened to and taken seriously. Nevertheless I remained a child, born in the 2000s, curious, clever and mocking I was. I didn't have a lot of friends, well not so many at the beginning of primary school, it probably wasn't that important to me.

Around the age of five I received my first games console, a PlayStation 4. I remember wanting it very much, so much so that I only bothered my parents two weeks after it was released, and they gave it to me as a present. I distinctly remember falling in love for the first time in my little life, when the controller was on my hands I felt like a shiver, like lightning. I was just happy to be there in my living room, playing hours and hours of games during my All Saints' Day holiday that year.

SPF, RPG, Adventure, Sports... I played more games than the number of years I had been on earth, and in a time that seemed short for my age. My mother was not happy enough to see me so isolated, playing games with strangers on games, but as this was my only passion at the time she let me enjoy my early childhood.

In the middle of the second trimester of the following year, I had a baby-sitter because of my parents' late hours, that evening when I had to be in bed, I hid myself in order to look at what she had been looking at for a while, my eyes came across this animated image, these fights that immobilised me on the spot. I had just had my second crush – the animated ones. Why did I fall in love with Amphinobi versus Dracaufeu? I don't know, all I know is that from then on I started watching them.

Some lively, some old lively, some new lively. Breasts, shōnen, shōjo, josei... Everything had to go through there, everything had to go through there. I remember that year Anaïs gave me my first paper Naruto, which I read and reread during the summer at my grandparents' house. That's when my cousins and I started talking about it all the time without ever stopping. From then on, at school it became other things, the following years I was like this child fan of anime excited by a new episode, a t–shirt with a character on it, as well as collector's items of all kinds. My parents saw all kinds of things, I no longer isolated myself to play the game all weekend. I would invite friends to play, I would sleep over with her friends there to talk about the next snk that was coming out next week in the bookstore.

A new world. I was immersed in a new world, I wasn't alone anymore, I was dealing blu–ray games, pokémon cards in the school yard, I was a kid like any other who was goofing around. Every time my mother was summoned, she wouldn't scold me, she would smile, offer me a cookie flavoured ice cream and tell me not to do it anymore.

On my ninth birthday, I woke up in Japan and my wish to attend a convention where the main theme was "Video Games and Animated" had been granted. I suspect that my mother had told my father about it. As he also had a business there, we enjoyed it at the same time. Two weeks of missed classes was no big deal. As there were several conventions and events on the same theme. When I came back I had a Switch, several presents for my friends and above all, more stars in my eyes.

*****

— So tell me, darling, what's your exploit of the day? Asked my mother with a huge colgate smile.

— First of all, I didn't do anything! NO, BUT FOR REAL ! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING !

— Calm down my darling and tell me about it. Tell my mother by putting me back on my passenger seat with the seat belt.

— We were in a class playing Super Smash Bros. with our friends, you know ! And then Emy showed up and she started to show off my friends and I couldn't let it go, so I said I'd leave her alone if she beat me... I just shut up with a fine grin on my lips and I look at my mother with a lot of complicity.

— And??? Ask my mother, tickling my abdomen.

— AND I SMASHED IT !!!! I HAVE NOT LOSED HA HA HA HA !!!! that's why she's in the back seat.

My mother turned around and noticed the girl pulling her face, not wanting to accept defeat. We quickly changed our route to the little girl's house. On the way home my mother kept praising my playing skills to her.

— Here Emy. You haven't eaten an aprem.

— Because of you I gave my snack to the others! I don't thank you. And I like chocolate with hazelnuts not peanuts !

I smile and I left with my mother. That evening, my father announced that in two days he would be transferred to Japan. That the tickets had already been paid for, and that I really had to learn the language. I was about to leave England, leaving my little private school for a privileged little boy, my neighbourhood…

The next day I enjoyed myself like crazy with the others and Emy. Before going home I had told the blondie everything.

— So tomorrow I'm spending the day with you, as you're excused from school tomorrow. Don't worry, I'll tell my father, he'll understand.

She gave me a hug, if my skin was her colour, I must have blushed like her. That same evening she was in front of my door with her things, we spent the night watching Japanese animated films, I showed her some of my favourites, the same for her. The next day we were up at noon, we spent the whole day at the amusement park; no, I'm kidding, we had played PUBG, she on my PC and I on the console. After my lunch…

She spent another night with me, this time we didn't stop talking. And it was just beautiful, it was magical, I had had my third crush when she kissed me. We had spent the year cuddling in front of Hunter x Hunter.

— Already you don't forget me.

— Already we're not together.

— You don't know how to talk to girls, you're not going to get away with it poor thing.

— And you, don't change.

— Stop talking like you're my grandfather's age.

I gave her a hug, she kissed me again in front of our parents this time and then we left for the land of the rising sun.

******

Thanks for reading, and see you next Sunday. Do you well!