Chapter 15
The room felt different that morning. The sun filtered in through the thin curtains, painting long slats of gold across the wooden floor, and the silence was no longer empty — it was full of memory that always brighten their days.
Kazuki woke up before his alarm rang. The soft light touched his eyes gently, like a whisper of a new seseason
He blinked slowly, staring at the ceiling above, where tiny cracks branched out like faded veins of time.
There was no sound from Ayaka's side of the apartment yet, which was rare. Usually, she would be up before him, humming a song or clanking around in the kitchen.
He sat up, pushing the thin blanket off his lap. His phone showed 6:42 AM. The world outside was still a little blue, caught between the fading night and the full glow of day.
Yesterday lingered in his chest — the quiet talk they had on the rooftop, her hand brushing against his for a moment too long, the way she looked at him with something soft behind her usual light.
He stood and shuffled toward the kitchen. It was tidy. A plate drying on the rack. Two mugs stacked neatly. Ayaka's notebook left open with a scribbled doodle of a cat wearing a scarf and a dog was waving at the cat wearing a clown outfit.
"Is that supposed to be me and her..."
He smiled at it.
Just as he was pouring water into the kettle, he heard her door creak open. Light steps, but unmistakably hers. Ayaka appeared, hair slightly messy, wearing a large gray hoodie that probably wasn't hers 'cause it's his.
Their eyes met. For a second, neither of them said anything.
"Morning," she start the conversation first, rubbing her eye.
"Morning," he replied, voice quieter than usual.
She walked past him, opened the fridge, and took out a small container of milk. "You're up early... as always for Arai Kazuki," she remarked.
"I could say the same to you."
"That sounded a lot like sarcasm.."
She leaned on the counter as he handed her a clean glass. Their fingers brushed slightly — she didn't pull away.
"I couldn't sleep," she admitted. "Too much was going in my head like some tornado or something."
"Same," he said. "I kept thinking about yesterday when we sleep next to each other."
She looked at him then, really looked. "You mean… what I said?"
He nodded.
A pause stretched between them like a held breath.
Ayaka set her glass down. "Look… I didn't mean to make things weird."
"I just… sometimes when I feel something, I can't keep it in. I've done that too many times before, and it always ends badly. So this time, I wanted to be honest."
Kazuki nodded again, slower. "I'm glad you did."
Another silence, but this time, it was warmer.
They spent the morning in quiet companionship. She made toast while he brewed tea. They sat on the small carpet in the living room, plates on their laps, sunlight brushing their faces.
After breakfast, Ayaka stood and stretched, her hoodie riding up slightly to reveal a thin stripe of skin. Kazuki quickly averted his eyes with a blush because she always lowered her guard like that in front of him.
"Hey," she said suddenly. "Let's go out today."
He blinked. "Out?"
"Yeah. You've been cooped up too long. Let's just walk. No plans, no maps. Just you and me, and wherever our feet take us."
It was so spontaneous. So Ayaka.
And strangely… he wanted to say yes.
"Okay," he replied.
She beamed.
---
They wandered the streets of their quiet neighborhood first. The season was just starting to turn — not quite spring, not quite winter. Trees were bare, but buds were forming. The air was crisp but not cold.
They walked side by side. Sometimes their arms brushed. Sometimes, they talked. Sometimes, they didn't need to.
They passed a park where children played, a bookstore with a cat sleeping in the window, and a tiny bakery that smelled like butter and sugar.
They bought two cream buns and sat on a bench. Ayaka fed crumbs to a pigeon. Kazuki watched her more than the birds.
"Have you always lived like this?" she asked suddenly.
He tilted his head. "Like what?"
"Quiet. Alone. Detached."
He thought about it. "I guess… it just became normal. After a while, you don't question it anymore. You stop expecting people to stay. Or to care."
She was silent for a long moment.
"Don't say that..."
"You do know that I cared," she said quietly.
He looked at her. She wasn't smiling this time. Her expression was serious. Honest.
"I know," he whispered.
They kept walking after that. Into streets they didn't recognize. Into corners of the city they had never seen before. It didn't matter. It felt like they were discovering not just the world, but each other.
By late afternoon, clouds had begun to gather. They stopped by a narrow alley lined with ivy and listened to the wind.
"Let's stay here a while," Ayaka said while pointing a good place for us to sit.
They sat on the stone edge of a planter, listening to the distant sounds of traffic and life.
She leaned against him, head resting lightly on his shoulder with a worried face.
Kazuki's heart beat loud enough he was sure she could hear it.
"I'm scared," he admitted softly.
"Of what?"
"Of this. Of feeling again. Of losing it all."
She didn't respond immediately. Then: "Me too. But… even if it ends, I want to feel it now. With you."
He turned his head. She looked up.
Their faces were close. Closer than before.
A single drop of rain touched her cheek.
And then, without thinking, he leaned in.
Their lips met — tentative, soft, unsure.
But real.
The rain came gently. They stayed like that, together in the quiet, beneath the gray sky.
And for the first time in a long time, Kazuki didn't feel broken.
He felt whole.
Because she was there.