"Company for Lunch"
Shoguichi was in bed, staring at the ceiling as rays of late morning light streaked across the room.
He wasn't asleep—just avoiding the day. The smell of boiling herbs from the kitchen drifted in. Then came the knock.
Knock-knock.
"Sho, we have guests!" Grandma yuki's voice went up.
He groaned. "Of course… guests," he muttered.
Still in his hoodie and shorts, he dragged himself to the kitchen and picked a corn dog from the plate he had fried earlier, biting into it lazily. He walked to the door, yawning mid-chew.
Probably one of Grandma yuki's tea-drinking buddies. Some ancient crone with loud perfume and louder stories.
He opened the door with the corn dog still stuck in his mouth—and froze.
Standing before him were Grandma and a girl. Not just any girl. Sakiko.
For a heartbeat, their eyes locked. Hers widened slightly, His mind stuttered.
Then—
"How rude! Staring at a guest with your mouth full," Grandma yuki scolded, giving him a light whack with her fan.
He coughed, choking a little on the corn dog. "I—I wasn't staring!" he protested, face heating up. "Just… surprised!"
Sakiko laughed, a crisp, cocky sound.
"Nice place," she said, stepping in like she owned the room.
Grandma yuki beamed.
"She's new in the building, grandma tan's place. I was showing her around when she started feeling faint from hunger—nearly passed out at the stairwell, poor girl! So I said, 'Come, my Shoguichi must have made lunch by now.'"
"Wait… you volunteered my kitchen?!"
"Of course," she grinned. "I volunteer you for everything. Builds character."
Sakiko had already slipped off her shoes and plopped onto the cushion chair near the kitchen bar. "Nice chair. Better than the tram seats. Can't believe I slept through that ride."
"You came with the market tram but that's not legal."
"It was cheaper, besides I am light weight."
As Grandma poured some soup into bowls, Sakiko casually mentioned, "Met your neighbors, by the way—James and Korie? Real sweethearts. Flipped out when they heard I used to run with Team Skyspire."
Shoguichi turned sharply. "Skyspire, you are from skyspire?"
"Yup." She flicked an invisible speck from her sleeve, smug.
"Junior runner. Did relays and recovery rounds. Nothing major, but hey—top speeds, good form.They are going to miss me alot, you bet!"
"So why are you here, seems you were doing pretty well enough, only the rejects pick Atlas" Sho replied.
"No way, I got bored,wanted to start my own thing, Team Sakiko, We run to deliver...thought of it all!" She waved dramatically.
Grandma Tan clapped her hands. "Would you believe, Shoguichi's father was also a runner? Best there was. Until…" She trailed off briefly, then smiled faintly. "But my grandson here—he's got the genes, he is really good."
Sakiko glanced at him, interest lighting behind her casual smirk. "Really now?"
He shifted uncomfortably, suddenly more interested in rearranging spoons.
"Don't let the scowl fool you," Grandma Tan added. "He used to be on the field with his father.''
Sakiko raised an eyebrow. "Hmm. I'll believe it when I see it. Right now, he just looks like a guy who burns dumplings."
"Speaking of which," Grandma said quickly, "be warned. He cannot cook dumplings. That's his one tragic flaw."
"I can cook dumplings," Shoguichi muttered.
"You really can't."
Knock-knock.
Another knock. He groaned again. "What now?"
He opened the door to see James and Korie bouncing on their feet like puppies.
"It's Saturday!" they chorused. "Lunch day!"
Behind them, the building's sun-stained corridor stretched on, and the breeze carried the scent of old oil and fresh herbs.
Inside, Sakiko turned, recognizing them. "Ah! My latest recruits."
They starred. "Recruits?"
"Yes sure, Team Sakiko, we are going to make alot of money and make alot of deliveries,how about it?"
"This is the best day of my whole life," James sobbed.
They rushed in.
"Is it true you ran the Skyspire 500?" Korie asked.
"Did you really punch a drone mid-race?" James added.
Sakiko grinned. "Who told you that?"
"You just did!" they laughed.
As they all squeezed around the little table, bowls were passed, laughter started bubbling, and stories flowed like tea.
Shoguichi remained quiet at first, but something inside him felt… lighter. He didn't know what it was—maybe the chaos, maybe the presence of someone else who once ran like him.
Maybe just the way Grandma Tan kept stealing glances at him, smiling like she hadn't in months.
He caught Sakiko's eye once. She was talking fast, hands flying, laughing and embellishing her tales with flair—but there was a sharpness behind the show.
As table buzzed like a quiet storm—chatter, clinking spoons, occasional bursts of laughter.
The little wooden apartment smelled of sautéed greens, fish stew, and something slightly burnt that Shoguichi swore wasn't his doing.
Sakiko leaned back in her chair, sipping warm tea like she owned the moment.
"So," she said, pointing a chopstick at James, "you're the one who once ran the East Wall climb, right? Weren't you the one that cried halfway, It was someone from thid tower definitely!"
James turned red instantly.
"That's—That's not even accurate!" he stammered.
Korie laughed hard, nearly spitting out her yam fries.
"It was the rain! And you slipped! And cried a bit. Maybe."
James groaned and buried his face in his palms.
"Why does everyone remember that moment and not when I finished top ten, I didn't get picked but I did finish that race,"
Sakiko smirked.
"Because crying's more memorable. You're welcome and don't you worry buddy, with me, you will be running top three, you bet! "
Even Shoguichi chuckled at that one, a soft sound that faded quickly when Sakiko glanced his way.
Their eyes met again. Not long. Not awkward. Just long enough for the silence between them to say something neither had the courage to speak yet.
Grandma Tan bustled back in, balancing a tray of spicy dumplings and a bowl of guava fruit.
"Alright you noise makers, pipe down. Time to see if Shoguichi's cooking finally grew up."
"I told you the dumplings are fine now," Shoguichi grumbled.
Korie picked one up skeptically, poked it with his fork like it might explode.
"It's not glowing. That's a good sign."
Sakiko leaned in, whispering just loud enough.
"Wait, his dumplings used to glow?"
Grandma Tan waved dramatically.
"They were legendary. No one knows what he put in them."
The whole table broke into laughter, even Shoguichi—though his cheeks flared with color.
He looked up once more, catching Sakiko watching him with a small smile. This time, he didn't look away immediately. He just returned the smile, soft and awkward but genuine.
Grandma Tan watched from the kitchen entrance, drying her hands on her apron.
She saw it.
That shift.
Shoguichi was sitting straighter. There was a faint light in his eyes she hadn't seen in months. Years, maybe. Since the accident. Since that day.
James and Korie continued arguing about who was faster and who had better shoes. Sakiko had joined in, spinning stories from her Skyspire days, half of them probably exaggerated, but no one cared.
The warmth had settled into the room like a blanket on a cold morning.
Shoguichi reached for another dumpling—then paused.
He looked around the table.
And for once… he didn't feel like the outsider.
He belonged.
Right here.
Right now.