[No-Ah]
The next hour was exhausting.
Not because cleaning was difficult.
Because Kei apparently had an emotional attachment to trash.
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"No-Ah."
"What?"
"Put that back."
No-Ah stared at the empty bottle in her hand.
Then at him.
Then back at the bottle.
"Why?"
"It's useful."
"It is empty."
"It has potential."
"It is a bottle."
"It is a bottle with opportunities."
No-Ah threw it away.
Kei looked genuinely offended.
"You're a tyrant."
"I've been told."
The cleaning continued.
Badly.
Mostly because every time No-Ah tried throwing something away, Kei objected.
Expired snacks.
Old receipts.
Empty containers.
Three identical chargers.
For some reason.
"Why do you own three of these?"
"In case one breaks."
"You have three."
"In case two break."
No-Ah stared at him.
"You think very strangely."
"Thank you."
"That wasn't a compliment."
"It sounded like one."
No-Ah resisted the urge to throw a cushion at him.
Barely.
Eventually, the apartment started looking less like a disaster zone.
Which was impressive.
Because when she'd arrived, she'd honestly been concerned there might be undiscovered lifeforms living under the couch.
While sorting through a pile of unopened mail, she glanced over.
"How were the concerts?"
Kei looked up from where he was sitting.
"Loud."
"Helpful."
"You're welcome."
No-Ah rolled her eyes.
"You know, most people answer questions properly."
"Most people aren't me."
Unfortunately.
That was true.
"What about the café?" he asked.
No-Ah shrugged.
"People keep ordering coffee."
A pause.
"That's horrible."
"I know."
"You should quit."
"I work at a café."
"Exactly."
No-Ah laughed.
Before she could stop herself.
The sound seemed to surprise both of them.
Neither commented on it.
Instead:
Kei pointed toward a stack of magazines.
"Those can go."
No-Ah blinked.
"Oh?"
"I've changed my mind."
"About throwing things away?"
"About those specifically."
Progress.
Remarkable progress.
She made a mental note to inform scientists.
Half an hour later—
A loud growl interrupted the apartment.
Silence.
No-Ah looked up.
Kei looked away.
Immediately suspicious.
"Was that your stomach?"
"No."
"It was."
"It wasn't."
"It absolutely was."
Kei frowned.
Then:
"I'm hungry."
"There it is."
"I'm just informing you."
"Thank you."
Kei leaned back against the couch.
Thoughtful.
Then—
"I have noodles."
"No."
"They're in the cupboard."
"No."
"I can make them."
"No."
"You haven't even seen the noodles."
No-Ah put down the stack of papers she was holding.
"Kei."
"What?"
"You've eaten instant noodles for almost a week."
"They're efficient."
"They're depressing."
"They're delicious."
"They're sodium."
Kei looked personally attacked.
As he should.
"No noodles."
"Dictator."
No-Ah ignored him.
Instead heading toward the kitchen.
The fridge situation had improved slightly.
Which wasn't saying much.
Still.
There was enough.
Rice.
Eggs.
Vegetables.
A few ingredients.
Simple.
Nothing fancy.
Behind her, Kei watched suspiciously.
"What are you doing?"
"Cooking."
"Oh."
A pause.
Then—
"Oh."
No-Ah glanced over her shoulder.
"What?"
"Nothing."
Which clearly meant something.
But she let it go.
For once.
The apartment gradually filled with the smell of food.
Rice sizzling.
Vegetables cooking.
The quiet sounds of a normal kitchen.
Oddly peaceful.
When she finally placed the food on the table—
Kei stared at it.
Then at her.
Then back at the food.
"..."
"..."
"Eat."
"I'm observing."
"Eat."
Eventually he did.
One bite.
Then another.
Then another.
Suspiciously fast.
No-Ah noticed.
Naturally.
"Well?"
Kei continued eating.
Thinking.
Evaluating.
Pretending to evaluate.
"It's edible."
No-Ah narrowed her eyes.
"Edible?"
"Mostly."
"Mostly?"
"Seventy-five percent."
"Get out."
"It's my apartment."
Unfortunately.
A valid point.
Still.
He kept eating.
Quickly.
Very quickly.
Which completely destroyed his argument.
No-Ah decided not to mention it.
Mostly because she wanted to maintain some level of dignity.
As she returned to cleaning, she heard another bite disappear.
Then another.
Then—
"You're good at everything, No-Ah."
The words arrived without warning.
Casual.
Effortless.
Like he'd forgotten to think before speaking.
No-Ah froze.
Just slightly.
A compliment.
From Kei.
An actual compliment.
Not disguised as an insult.
Not immediately followed by a joke.
Just—
A compliment.
She looked over.
Kei seemed entirely focused on his food.
Apparently unaware he'd said anything unusual.
So:
"Hm?"
Kei glanced up.
"What?"
"Nothing."
And she went back to cleaning.
Because pretending she hadn't heard him was significantly easier than dealing with it.
Behind her, Kei frowned.
Looking mildly confused.
Then returned to eating.
Several minutes later, No-Ah carried a box of miscellaneous items toward the bathroom.
The cabinet under the sink was open.
Probably because Kei had been looking for something earlier.
She crouched down.
Searching for spare storage space.
Then stopped.
A bottle.
Small.
White.
Familiar.
No-Ah picked it up.
Melatonin.
She blinked.
Then reached further inside.
Another bottle.
Nearly empty.
And another.
Used.
Not new.
Used.
The smile slowly disappeared from her face.
For a moment, she simply stared.
The dark circles.
The exhaustion.
The constant schedules.
The way he'd looked when she arrived.
The way he sometimes replied to messages at ridiculous hours.
One by one—
The pieces clicked into place.
Silently.
Slowly.
Uncomfortably.
No-Ah looked down at the bottles in her hands.
Then toward the living room.
Toward Kei.
Who was still sitting on the couch.
Still eating.
Still completely unaware.
The apartment suddenly felt much quieter.
"Kei."
His head lifted immediately.
"What?"
No-Ah stepped into the doorway.
Holding up one of the bottles.
Silence.
A long silence.
For the first time all afternoon—
Kei stopped looking relaxed.
Not guilty.
Not embarrassed.
Just...
Caught.
And somehow—
That was worse.