Life at the Tokyo Institute of Tokyo was no longer quiet for Akira.
Just a few weeks ago, his days were simple.
Wake up.
Attend class.
Eat alone.
Return to his room.
Now?
Things were completely different.
What started as a small group of three had somehow grown into seven.
Ren.
Yuuto.
Akira.
And now—
Aiko.
Nanami.
Mizuko.
Rina.
Seven people.
Seven very different personalities.
Yet somehow…
They worked.
Chaos at Lunch
Lunch in the campus cafeteria had become the loudest part of the day.
Ren slammed his tray down.
"I'm telling you, that makes zero sense."
Nanami immediately fired back.
"It makes perfect sense. Your brain is just outdated."
Yuuto sighed.
"…Why do I sit with you two every day?"
Rina was already taking pictures of the food.
Click.
Click.
Click.
Ren looked at her.
"Are you documenting our meals now?"
"For memories," Rina said proudly.
"Of what?"
"Our survival."
Mizuko calmly ate her food while watching Ren and Nanami argue like a judge watching a courtroom battle.
Aiko laughed.
Akira mostly stayed quiet.
But sometimes he joined the conversation.
And whenever he did…
Everyone noticed.
Because the quiet guy talking was always surprising.
The Group Photo
One afternoon they were sitting under a large tree near the academic building.
The sunlight filtered through the leaves.
For once, Ren and Nanami were not arguing.
Rina suddenly stood up.
"Everyone stand together."
Ren narrowed his eyes.
"…Why?"
"Group photo."
Ren groaned.
"You take photos like a professional photographer."
Rina placed her hands on her hips.
"That's because I'm the official photographer of this group."
"Who gave you that title?"
"I did."
Nanami shoved Ren forward.
"Stop complaining."
"Hey! Personal space!"
"Too late."
Rina lifted her phone.
"Three… two… one…"
Click.
Seven students.
Laughing under a bright sky.
None of them realized how important that photo would become years later.
Anime Debate
Later that evening the group gathered at the campus café.
The conversation quickly turned toward anime.
Nanami leaned forward.
"So I heard something interesting."
Akira blinked.
"…What?"
"You're the anime expert."
Ren raised his hand instantly.
"Correction."
He pointed at Akira.
"He's the One Piece propaganda department."
Everyone laughed.
Aiko nodded.
"That's true."
Akira sighed.
"It's not propaganda."
"You've been trying to make me watch it for months," Aiko said.
"Because it's worth it."
Nanami asked cautiously,
"How long is it again?"
Ren answered before Akira could.
"Long enough to change your life plans."
Rina looked shocked.
"That sounds dangerous."
Aiko crossed her arms.
"You still haven't watched Attack on Titan or Demon Slayer, though."
Nanami gasped dramatically.
"You WHAT?!"
Akira calmly sipped his drink.
"Never felt like it."
"Why?!" Nanami asked.
Akira shrugged.
"Toxic fandom."
Ren almost fell off his chair laughing.
"You rejected two legendary anime because of their fans?!"
"…Yes."
Aiko smiled.
"You're strange."
"Probably."
"But one day I'll make you watch them."
Akira simply replied,
"Good luck."
The Cooking Secret
Ren suddenly snapped his fingers.
"Oh right!"
Everyone looked at him.
He pointed dramatically at Akira.
"You all know he cooks for Mizuko almost every day, right?"
Akira froze.
"…Ren."
Aiko blinked.
"Wait… really?"
Mizuko nodded proudly.
"Yep."
Nanami leaned forward.
"You cook?"
Rina looked excited.
"What kind of food?"
Mizuko answered immediately.
"Omurice. Curry. Onigiri. Bento."
The table went silent.
Yuuto nodded slowly.
"That's impressive."
Aiko rested her chin on her hand.
"…I want to try it."
Ren slowly grinned.
"Ohhhhh."
Akira buried his face in his hands.
"…Ren."
Ren leaned closer to Aiko.
"You know the trick."
"What trick?"
"You just have to accidentally walk into his apartment."
Mizuko laughed loudly.
"Worked perfectly for me."
Akira groaned.
"Please stop telling that story."
That Evening
A few days later, Aiko was walking through the apartment building corridor.
She checked her phone.
Akira had mentioned he was cooking dinner earlier.
She hesitated in front of his door.
Should I knock…?
After a moment, she pressed the doorbell.
Ding-dong.
Footsteps approached.
The door opened.
But it wasn't Akira.
It was Mizuko.
Both girls froze.
"…Oh."
"…Oh."
For a few seconds neither of them spoke.
Aiko blinked.
"…You live here?"
Mizuko tilted her head.
"…You didn't know?"
Akira suddenly appeared behind her.
"Oh—Aiko?"
Aiko looked between them.
"…Why are you both here?"
Akira scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Well…"
Mizuko answered casually.
"I moved in."
Silence.
Aiko blinked again.
"…You WHAT?"
Akira quickly explained.
"It's not like that."
Ren's voice suddenly echoed in Aiko's memory.
"Sounds like married life."
Her face turned slightly red.
"I didn't mean— I mean— I wasn't thinking—"
Mizuko suddenly smiled mischievously.
"Relax."
She stepped aside.
"You came for dinner, right?"
Aiko blinked.
"…Dinner?"
Mizuko pointed inside.
"The chef is working."
Inside the apartment, the smell of fresh omurice filled the air.
Akira sighed.
"…I guess dinner for three is fine."
Aiko hesitated.
Then slowly stepped inside.
Dinner
A few minutes later the three of them sat around the small table.
Aiko stared at the plate in front of her.
"…You really made this?"
Akira nodded.
"…Yeah."
She took a bite.
Her eyes widened.
"…This is really good."
Mizuko laughed.
"Told you."
Akira looked slightly embarrassed.
"…It's just cooking."
Aiko smiled.
"…You're hiding a lot of talents, Akira."
For a moment, the room felt warm and quiet.
Outside, the city lights flickered through the window.
And Akira realized something.
Somewhere between late-night chats…
Anime debates…
And dinners like this…
Aiko Tanaka had become someone very important to him.
He looked away quickly.
Because his heart was beating much faster than usual.