The morning sun spilled softly across the wooden floor of the Renjirou household, casting long beams of gold through the window blinds. Masaki stood quietly by the glass, sipping warm milk tea, eyes distant. A quiet day. A family day.
Suddenly—
"Nii-chan!!" a high-pitched voice echoed from the stairs.
Nana, his ten-year-old sister,
"Let's go out today! It's sunny, and you promised!"
Masaki arched a brow, calm as always. "I did?"
"Yes. In my dream. So it counts," she said proudly, crossing her arms.
Their mother peeked from the kitchen, chuckling. "I think she's right. You've both been so busy lately, and a little fresh air would be good."
Masaki gave a slow nod, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Alright. Let's go."
And so, the Renjirou family—Masaki, Nana, and their mother—headed to a quaint little coastal district not far from the city. It was a quiet place filled with secondhand bookstores, retro cafés and boardwalk faint scent of sea breeze
Their first stop was a bookshop. While their mother browsed for poetry, Nana dragged Masaki to the manga section.
"Look! This is the one I told you about—the magical alpaca who becomes a superhero!"
Masaki blinked. "That odd manga."
"It's brilliant. He transforms with a rainbow scarf."
Masaki kneeled beside her, glancing through the pages with an amused smirk. "I think something wrong with this author."
Nana gasped. "Take that back!"
After buying two volumes for her, they wandered along the boardwalk. The air was fresh, seagulls called in the distance, and Masaki could feel something he hadn't in a while
peace
Nana skipped ahead near a taiyaki stand, humming a tune. Masaki kept his eyes on her until—
Bump.
He collided lightly with someone.
"Ah, sorry," he said calmly, stepping back.
The girl he bumped into turned toward him, surprised. She was around his age, wearing a beige oversized cardigan, black shorts, and headphones loosely hanging around her neck. Her eyes were a striking amber, warm and sharp all at once.
"It's okay," she replied with a soft smile. "My fault too. I wasn't paying attention."
They paused for a beat. Masaki's gaze lingered, not out of habit, but curiosity.
Then Nana rushed up, holding two taiyakis. "Nii-chan! You dropped your phone—ohh…"
She slowed when she noticed the girl, and then glanced slyly at Masaki. "Who's this?"
The girl laughed. "I should be asking you the same."
"She's my sister," Masaki clarified, gently taking his phone from Nana's hand.
"Hmm. You don't look alike," the girl said, playfully squinting. "She's cute. You're just… tall."
Masaki smirked. "Unfair comparison."
The girl gave a light laugh. "I'm Asuka Minami."
"Masaki Renjirou."
"Masaki…" She tilted her head, thoughtful. "That sounds familiar, but… maybe I'm imagining things."
"Maybe," he replied calmly.
There was a silence, comfortable, not awkward.
Then Nana, never one to hold back, stepped between them. "You like taiyaki?"
Asuka nodded. "I do."
"Good! Nii-chan will buy you one."
Masaki blinked, then looked down at her. "Am I?"
Nana grinned mischievously. "You bumped into her. Manners, Nii-chan."
Asuka chuckled. "She's got a point."
They walked together along the boardwalk, eating taiyaki, talking about the most ridiculous things—bad dreams, candy rankings, what superpower they'd want if they could only have useless ones.
"I'd want the ability to always know when the toast is perfectly golden… even if I'm nowhere near it," Asuka said.
Masaki shook his head. "That perfectly useless."
"But breakfast would never be ruined," she argued.
Nana added, "I want to talk to cats. But only cats named Kevin."
Masaki stared at her. "That's… deeply specific."
They all laughed.
Eventually, the sun dipped low. It was time to go. They stood near a vending machine as the breeze picked up.
"Well… this was unexpectedly fun," Asuka said. "Thanks for the taiyaki. And the weird superpower debate."
Masaki nodded. "Alright."
She looked at him thoughtfully for a second, then pulled out her phone. "Number?"
He raised a brow. "You going to spam me with pictures of magical alpacas?"
"No. But now that you mention it…"
She handed him the phone. He input his contact.
Asuka smiled. "I'll text you sometime."
Nana immediately leaned in. "Are you gonna be my sister-in-law?"
Masaki froze.
Asuka blinked… then burst out laughing. "Wow. She doesn't hold back."
Masaki placed a hand on Nana's head, gently turning her away. "Let's go."
"Still a valid question!" Nana called out behind her.
Asuka waved. "Bye, Masaki! Bye, tiny interrogator!"
As the family walked away, Masaki found himself glancing back just once. Asuka Minami stood there, headphones back around her neck, watching them disappear with a grin.
A soft smile found its way onto Masaki's face.
"What're you smiling about?" Nana asked, poking his arm.
"Nothing."
"Liar."
"Keep it up and I'll tell mom about the time you microwave ice cream because it was 'too cold.'"
"Nii-chan, no!! That was ONE time!"
He chuckled. The sky turned orange. For the first time in a long time, Masaki felt like the world could slow down even if just for a while.After that they gather again with their mom and go back home.
⸻