The calm atmosphere of Hina's house was now filled with the warm aroma of coffee. Just a few moments ago, there had been a heated argument between the two, but now the air carried a softer warmth.
Hina came in carrying a tray with two cups of coffee. She gently placed it on the table and slid one cup toward Haruki.
"Why are you trembling so much?" she asked, noticing Haruki's hands shaking slightly as he picked up the cup.
Haruki took the cup, sipped once, and snapped,
"You say such scary things yourself, and now you're asking why I'm trembling?"
Hina couldn't hold back her laugh. A small smile formed on her lips.
"Sorry for blackmailing you like that…" she said with a sheepish grin, then got serious, "But you accused me without thinking. That's why I had to do it. If I hadn't, who knows what else you would've thought about me."
Haruki stayed quiet, simply rolling the cup between his hands.
Hina leaned forward a little, peering into his face and teasing,
"Do you have some kind of overreacting disorder?"
Haruki gave a straight answer, "No."
Hina raised her brow, "Then why do you overreact so much?"
Haruki's patience snapped. He placed the cup on the table a little harder than necessary and almost shouted,
"Do you even realize how dangerous it can be to invite a stranger into your house?!"
Hina took another sip of coffee and gave Haruki a light punch on the head.
"Yes, I know!" she replied in a matter-of-fact tone.
Haruki lowered his voice,
"Then why would you invite anyone like this to your house?"
Hina put her cup aside and looked him in the eye, speaking calmly,
"Why would I invite just anyone? And as for you… we're friends."
She tilted her head slightly and asked in a playful tone,
"Remember that? Or did you forget?"
Haruki gave a faint smile and took another sip,
"Yes, I remember."
Then, all of a sudden, Hina's expression turned serious.
"Don't you consider me a friend?"
Haruki panicked,
"No, no! It's not like that. It's just… I've never had a friend before. That's why it's hard for me to believe it."
A gentle smile appeared on Hina's lips. She said softly,
"I've truly considered you a friend. So don't ever say you don't have any friends."
Haruki finally smiled back.
"Alright, fine."
Hina pulled out her phone.
"Give me your number."
Haruki set his cup on the table. The cup wobbled slightly, as if it almost slipped from his hands.
"Wh-why… why do you need it?"
"Oh, come on, don't start again." Hina rolled her eyes. "We're friends. Friends should have each other's numbers."
Haruki sighed and pulled out his phone.
"Okay… fine."
He shared his number. Then he glanced at the clock, and his expression changed.
"It's already this late!"
He stood up suddenly, almost rushing toward the door.
"See you tomorrow, I'm getting late!"
Hina called out from behind,
"Okay… bye!"
INT. HARUKI'S HOUSE – LATE AFTERNOON
As soon as Haruki reached home, he set the bags on the table and took a deep breath.
"Anyway… time's up."
Just then, the doorbell rang.
Haruki muttered to himself,
"Who would come to see me at this hour? I don't even know anyone…"
He opened the door — Isame stood there.
"Hi!" – Isame greeted him with a smile.
Haruki asked in a slightly rude tone,
"What are you doing here?"
Isame walked in without asking for permission.
"I came to see you."
"How can you just come in without asking?" – Haruki said, sounding irritated.
Isame placed his bag to the side and sat on the couch.
"Do I need permission to visit my best friend's house?"
Haruki blinked, confused.
"Since when did we become best friends?"
Haruki eventually sat down beside him. Isame pulled out a coffee from his bag and handed it to Haruki.
"Since the day we met."
Haruki accepted the coffee with a suspicious look and thought to himself,
"Is he trying to drug me by offering coffee?"
Isame pulled out a burger from his bag and started eating. Haruki stared at him.
Isame paused mid-bite and asked,
"What's wrong? Aren't you hungry?"
Haruki shook his head,
"I am… hungry."
"Then eat! Why are you staring at me?" – Isame laughed.
The two of them started eating together.
After a while, Isame casually remarked,
"By the way, you look kind of tired today."
Haruki drank some water, set the bottle down, and sighed deeply.
"The girl who works with me… Hina… I went to her house today."
Isame raised his eyebrow.
"Oh? Why?"
Haruki looked ahead and explained,
"I went to the supermarket. She was there too. She bought way too much stuff, so while helping her carry it, I ended up going to her house."
Isame checked the time on his phone and got up.
"Alright then… I should go now. It's getting late."
Haruki gave a faint smile and said,
"Okay, bye."
Isame left.
Haruki sat in silence. His eyes looked distant, filled with thought.
"Until yesterday, I had no friends… today, I do. But I don't know how long they'll stay with me…"
Just then, Haruki's phone rang.
He looked at the screen, and his face turned somber. He turned off the speaker and ended the call.
But immediately after he hung up, a message came through.
📩 MSG:
"Haruki, at least talk to me today. It's my birthday… consider it my birthday gift."
Haruki set the phone aside. Tears welled up in his eyes.