I was about to get on my cycle when I heard it.
"NAMS! NAMS! WAIT!"
I turned.
Kurumi was running toward me. Again. Same as this morning. Same frantic energy. Same wild hair. Same desperate waving.
Behind her, walking at a much more reasonable pace, was Vjaret.
Of course.
Of course they found each other.
Of course this is happening.
Kurumi skidded to a stop in front of me. Hands on her knees. Gasping.
"I—got—it—" She held up a piece of paper. Her transfer certificate. Now stamped and official-looking. "I'm—officially—a student!"
"Congratulations."
She straightened up. Grinned. "Thanks to you! If you hadn't given me a ride this morning, I would've missed the deadline and had to wait another week and probably died of stress."
"You wouldn't have died."
"You don't know that. Stress is fatal. I've done research."
Research.
Sure.
Vjaret caught up. Slightly out of breath but trying to look casual about it.
"Hey, Nams. Hey, Kurumi." He glanced between us. "So you two DO know each other."
"We met this morning," Kurumi said. "He saved my life."
"I gave her a ride."
"Same thing. Life-saving. Heroic. Very romantic."
Vjaret's eyebrows shot up. "Romantic?"
"NO." I said it too fast. Both of them looked at me.
Kurumi tilted her head. "I meant the gesture was romantic. Like in stories. Hero helps damsel in distress. You know."
"Right." Vjaret nodded slowly. "The gesture."
Why are they both looking at me like that?
What did I do?
---
Kurumi broke the silence first.
"So! Are you guys heading home? Can I come? Not to your homes—that would be weird—but like, along the way? I have no idea how to get back to my apartment from here. I just followed the crowd this morning."
"You followed the crowd?"
"Yes. It seemed logical at the time."
I looked at Vjaret. He looked at me.
"I'm going toward Chensa," I said. "My village."
"I'm going toward Millbrook," Vjaret said. "Other direction."
Kurumi's face fell. "So no one's going my way?"
"Where's your apartment?"
"The blue building. In Chensa. Near the river? The south side? I think? There's a bridge?"
The blue building.
South side.
Near the river.
Past my home.
Past everything.
"I'm going that way," I said. "You can ride with me."
Her face lit up. "Really?!"
"Again."
"AGAIN! Yes! This is great! We're ride buddies now! Official! Nams and Kurumi, ride buddies for life!"
Ride buddies for life.
Because of two cycle rides.
This girl.
Vjaret cleared his throat. "I'll just... go my way. Alone. On my cycle. By myself. Totally fine with that."
Kurumi grabbed his arm. "Wait! You're Nams's friend, right? We should all ride together! At least until the fork! That's a thing people do, right? Ride together? Be social? Make friends?"
Vjaret blinked. "I... yes? That's a thing?"
"Great! It's settled! Let's go!"
She was already climbing onto the back of my cycle.
Vjaret looked at me.
I shrugged.
This is my life now.
---
[3:00 PM - The Road From School]
Three cycles.
Me and Kurumi on mine. Vjaret on his. A third cycle that belonged to no one, carrying nothing but the wind.
We rode slow.
Not because we were tired. Because Kurumi kept talking.
"So Vjaret, where are you from? Not Chensa, right? You said Millbrook? What's Millbrook like? Is it big? Small? Does it have good food? I love food. Food is my favorite thing. Well, one of my favorite things. I also like sleeping. And talking. Obviously."
Vjaret glanced at me. Help.
I shook my head. You're on your own.
"Millbrook is... fine," he said. "Smaller than Chensa. Fewer people. Less chaos."
"Less chaos sounds nice! But also boring? Is it boring? I feel like it would be boring. No offense."
"None taken?"
"Good! So what do you do for fun in Millbrook? Besides studying? Please tell me you have fun. Everyone needs fun. Life without fun is just... suffering."
Vjaret opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.
"I... read?"
"Reading IS fun! What do you read? Fiction? Nonfiction? Poetry? I love poetry. Well, some poetry. The short kind. The kind that rhymes. Long poetry is just... why? Why would you do that to yourself?"
"I don't know? I just read whatever?"
"VALID! Reading whatever is valid! Nams, what do you read?"
I hadn't been expecting the question.
"I don't... read much."
"WHAT?! Everyone should read! Reading is essential! It builds character! Expands the mind! Helps you fall asleep when the books are boring!"
Helps you fall asleep.
That's... one reason.
Vjaret snorted. Tried to hide it. Failed.
Kurumi kept talking.
---
The road split ahead.
One path went left—toward Millbrook, toward Vjaret's home. One path went right—toward Chensa, toward my home, toward Kurumi's apartment on the south side.
Vjaret stopped his cycle.
Looked at us.
"Well. This is me."
Kurumi waved enthusiastically. "Bye, Vjaret! It was nice meeting you! We should do this again! Ride together! Be friends! Exist in each other's presence!"
Vjaret blinked. "I... yes? Sure?"
"Nams, say goodbye to your friend!"
"Goodbye, Vjaret."
He grinned. That familiar grin. "See you tomorrow, Nams. Try to survive."
"Always."
He pedaled away.
Kurumi watched him go.
"He's nice," she said. "Nervous. But nice."
"He is."
"You should keep him."
Keep him.
Like a pet.
But also... not wrong.
We rode into the village.
Familiar sights. Familiar sounds. Farmers in fields. Kids running. Old people on porches.
Kurumi's head swiveled constantly, trying to see everything at once.
"This is your village? It's so pretty! So peaceful! So green! I love it! I love everything about it!"
"You've been here one day."
"AND I ALREADY LOVE IT!"
We passed the first houses. Then more. The road wound through the heart of Chensa, past the small shops and the old tree where kids played.
"Your home is here somewhere?" Kurumi asked.
"Middle of the village. A few minutes more."
"Can we see it? Not go inside—that would be weird—but just... see it? From outside? So I know where my ride buddy lives?"
Ride buddy.
Again.
"Sure."
We stopped in front of the house.
The modern six-room mansion. Clean lines. Large windows. Standing at the edge of the village center like it belonged and didn't belong at the same time.
Kurumi stared.
"This is... your home?"
"Yes."
"This whole thing?"
"Yes."
"It's huge!"
"It's adequate."
She turned to look at me. "You live here alone?!"
"With my maids."
Her eyes went impossibly wide. "You have MAIDS?!"
Here we go.
"It's a long story."
"I LOVE LONG STORIES! Tell me! Tell me everything!"
"Another time."
She pouted. Actually pouted. Then sighed dramatically.
"Fine. But I'm holding you to that."
---
[4:15 PM - Through the Village]
We kept riding.
Past my home. Past more houses. Past the vegetable plots and the old woman who always waved.
The village thinned out as we went south. Fewer houses. More open space. The river coming into view ahead.
"Almost there," Kurumi said. "I recognize this! The river! My apartment is just past it!"
Past the river.
South side.
Where the village ends and the wild begins.
We crossed the second bridge. Smaller than the main one. Older. Wooden planks that creaked beneath the cycle.
Kurumi held tighter.
"Don't fall don't fall don't fall—"
"We won't fall."
"You don't know that! Anything could happen! The bridge could collapse! A bird could attack! The cycle could—"
"Kurumi."
"Yes?"
"We're across."
She opened her eyes. Looked down. Solid ground.
"Oh. Good. Great. Awesome. I was totally calm the whole time."
Sure.
---
[4:30 PM - Kurumi's Apartment]
The blue building appeared ahead.
Standing alone near the river's edge. Modern. Clean. The only tall structure on this side of the village.
Kurumi tapped my shoulder. "This is me! Stop stop stop!"
I stopped.
She jumped off. Straightened her uniform. Grinned.
"Thanks again, Nams! You're officially my favorite person in Chensa! Well, my only person in Chensa. But still! Favorite!"
"You're welcome."
She paused. Looked at me.
"Hey, Nams?"
"Yeah?"
"We're friends now, right? Like, real friends? Not just ride buddies?"
Friends.
Another one.
Another person who wants to be near me.
Another person who might—
I stopped the thought.
"Yeah," I said. "Friends."
Her face lit up. "Good! Great! Awesome! Okay, I'm going inside now. Before I say something embarrassing. Bye, Nams!"
She ran toward the building.
Waved once before disappearing inside.
I sat there for a moment.
Kurumi.
Red eyes.
Talks too much.
Lives on the south side.
Past the river.
Past my home.
Past everything.
But still here.
Still... here.
I shook my head.
Started pedaling back through the village.
Past the river. Past the houses. Past my home. Past everything.
Toward the north.
Toward tomorrow.
---
[5:00 PM - Home]
I walked through the door.
Angy appeared instantly. "HOW WAS THE EXAM?! DID YOU PASS?! DO WE NEED TO CELEBRATE OR MOURN?!"
Shenhe appeared behind her. Silent. Waiting.
I looked at them.
"It went well," I said. "I think."
Angy squealed.
Shenhe's eyebrow twitched.
"Also," I added, "I made a friend. Another one. She talks a lot. Lives on the south side."
Angy's eyes went wide. "Another friend?! A GIRL friend?! Young Master has a GIRL friend?!"
"She's just a friend."
"A GIRL friend!"
"Angy."
"THIS IS AMAZING! Shenhe, did you hear?! Young Master has a GIRL friend!"
Shenhe's expression didn't change. But her eyes—her eyes were definitely laughing.
I sighed.
This is my life now.
Two maids.
A judging cat.
A friend who talks too much.
Another friend who also talks too much.
A village I'm learning to call home.
And an exam I might have passed.
Not bad.
Not bad at all.
---