Iris's POV
The afternoon breeze brushed lightly against my face as I stepped out of the house, adjusting the strap of my bag over my shoulder.
And almost immediately,
"Look at you."
Anya's voice came from the front gate as she walked toward me with crossed arms and a very suspicious smile.
I sighed already.
"What now?"
She stopped dramatically in front of me, looking me up and down as if she had just discovered something unbelievable.
"You're literally going to your future in-law's house."
I nearly choked on air.
"Anya."
"What?" she said innocently. "I'm just saying. Practice sounds much cuter when you realize whose house you're going to."
"It's not like that."
"Mhm."
"It's genuinely not."
"Mhm."
I stared at her.
She grinned wider.
"You're nervous."
"I am not."
"You adjusted your dress three times while walking out."
My expression froze.
"…You count these things?"
"I observe."
"You need hobbies."
"I have one," she replied proudly. "Annoying you."
I rolled my eyes, but my heartbeat still felt annoyingly uneven as we walked toward the neighboring house.
Why was I even nervous?
It was just practice.
Just Kaizer.
…
That thought did not help at all.
Anya rang the bell.
A few seconds passed before the door finally opened.
Lux stood there.
His hair was messy, his eyes half-open, and he looked like someone who had been forcefully dragged out of sleep against his will.
He blinked once.
Twice.
Then suddenly his expression changed.
"Oh."
He pointed at us dramatically.
"Practice people."
Iris nodded quietly. "Hello."
"Welcome," he said grandly, stepping aside with an exaggerated bow. "Please enter this humble residence."
Anya walked past him..
then immediately stopped and covered her nose.
"Why do you smell like expired noodles?"
Lux looked offended instantly.
"Excuse me? That's a personal attack."
"You literally stink."
"I woke up ten minutes ago!"
"That explains everything."
"You're overreacting."
"You're under-bathing."
I left them arguing near the entrance and quietly stepped further inside.
And the first thing I noticed,
was the silence.
Not the uncomfortable kind.
Not empty either.
Just…
lonely.
The house was neat. Surprisingly neat.
Nothing looked scattered or chaotic like those dramatic boys' apartments in television shows.
The only actual mess was the sofa.
A blanket was thrown there carelessly, slightly hanging from the edge.
Probably Lux.
My eyes wandered slowly around the room.
A single bed.
A two-seater sofa.
Television.
Large window.
And beside that window,
a guitar.
My steps slowed unconsciously as I walked toward it.
Then my gaze shifted outside through the glass.
My house.
Visible from here.
I immediately looked at the closed window and silently thanked the universe that nothing could be seen through it when the curtains were shut.
Otherwise…
I would genuinely pass away from embarrassment.
Footsteps approached from behind.
I turned.
And saw Kaizer walking out from the hallway carrying two bowls of noodles.
Our eyes met for a second.
Then another.
I smiled awkwardly before my courage disappeared.
"Hello…"
He looked at me quietly, almost like he had not expected me to already be standing there.
Then after a brief pause,
"…Hello."
Right then Lux and Anya entered the room again, still mid-argument.
Lux casually grabbed the blanket from the sofa and threw it aside.
Anya immediately sat down.
Lux dropped beside her with one of the noodle bowls.
"You should let guests sit on the sofa," Anya complained.
Lux pointed toward Kaizer and me.
"They're not guests. They're performers."
Then he added dramatically,
"Sister Iris must practice with emotional dedication."
"It's okay," I said softly before this somehow became another war.
Kaizer placed the second bowl down.
"Sorry," he said calmly. "I only made two."
"That's fine," Anya replied immediately. "I'll eat your share."
Kaizer simply nodded like that was completely reasonable.
I almost laughed.
Soon the conversation shifted back toward practice.
I adjusted my notebook slightly before looking toward him.
"How much of the song is complete?"
"The second stanza is almost done," he replied.
I nodded slowly.
"That's actually fast."
"It took time to remember the melody properly."
Somehow…
that answer made me curious.
---
Kaizer's POV
I picked up the guitar carefully, adjusting it against my lap before letting my fingers rest over the strings.
For a moment, I just stayed there silently.
Then slowly,
I started playing.
The melody flowed softer this time.
Cleaner.
More complete.
It had taken me almost two hours to remember the exact progression properly. Every chord had felt familiar and distant at the same time, like trying to hold onto something that kept slipping away.
As I played, my gaze shifted unconsciously around the room.
Lux and Anya were pretending to focus on the television.
Pretending.
Because every few seconds, one of them glanced here.
Then,
my eyes stopped on Iris.
She sat quietly near the window, her knees drawn slightly upward, chin resting over them while her eyes remained closed.
Listening.
Not casually.
Not distractedly.
Carefully.
Like every note actually mattered.
Something inside me softened unexpectedly.
Maybe…
she was the first person after Mom who listened to my music like this.
The thought stayed with me longer than it should have.
Slowly, I began singing the lines I had managed to write.
The room became quieter after that.
Even Lux stopped pretending not to pay attention.
The lyrics flowed naturally with the melody, carrying the warmth I still remembered but could never fully explain.
And then,
I stopped.
Silence settled for a second.
Iris slowly opened her eyes.
There was something faintly watery in them before she smiled softly.
"It's really good."
I looked away slightly.
"…Thanks."
Then suddenly she stood up.
Without saying anything,
she started dancing.
This time there were no pauses.
No hesitation.
No awkward counting.
She moved like she already understood where every emotion belonged in the song.
The soft turns.
The slower movements.
The pauses between steps.
Everything matched naturally.
And suddenly,
a faint memory crossed my mind.
"You danced so well…"
Mom's voice.
Warm.
Proud.
I blinked slowly.
And smiled before realizing it.
When Iris finally stopped, there was a faint layer of sweat across her forehead as she adjusted a strand of hair behind her ear.
Anya clapped instantly.
"The two of you are actually going great together."
Lux nodded dramatically.
"Disturbingly good."
Iris laughed softly under her breath.
Then I asked, "Do you want something to eat?"
"The noodles are over," Lux informed seriously.
Anya immediately looked at him.
"Do you only know how to cook noodles?"
Lux thought for a second.
"…Yes."
"I also don't know cooking," Anya admitted proudly.
Iris stared at both of them.
"That is not something to be proud of."
Anya rolled her eyes dramatically.
Then Iris turned toward me.
"What ingredients do you have at home? I can make something quickly."
"You should sit," I replied. "You're tired. I'll make something."
"No, it's okay. I want to."
Then suddenly,
"Pleasee…"
The word came out softer than expected.
Almost childishly.
I paused for a moment before quietly looking the other way.
"…Okay."
---
The kitchen was exactly as expected.
Minimal.
Very minimal.
Iris looked around once before sighing softly.
"You really survive like this?"
"I try."
"That's concerning."
She quickly started checking shelves while asking for basic ingredients.
Then suddenly she frowned.
"One thing is missing."
She walked out slightly and looked toward Anya.
"Can you bring it from my house?"
"Fine."
"Take Lux with you."
Anya blinked.
"Why?"
"It's on the top shelf."
Lux immediately smirked.
"Height difference."
"I will throw you off the shelf too."
While they left arguing again, Iris quietly started preparing vegetables.
I stood beside her silently in case she needed something.
And somehow,
I kept looking at her longer than necessary.
She looked delicate sometimes.
But at the same time,
there was something intimidating about her too.
Not scary.
Just…
strong.
Before I realized it, I asked,
"Why do you always wear dresses?"
She paused slightly, clearly caught off guard.
Then she answered quietly,
"I'm a little conservative, I guess."
"…Oh."
I didn't really know why I had asked that in the first place.
But somehow...
the answer suited her.
---
Lux's POV
I walked behind Anya while she unlocked the door.
Then suddenly something clicked in my head.
"Wait."
She looked back.
"Sister Iris lives here?"
Anya nodded casually.
"Adjacent house."
"Oh."
That explained a lot somehow.
But then I noticed something else.
She was unusually quiet.
Very unusual.
I narrowed my eyes teasingly.
"What happened to you suddenly?"
"Nothing."
"Suspicious."
"It's literally nothing."
But then I noticed her hand pressing lightly against her stomach.
She walked quickly into the kitchen before pointing upward.
"Take that thing from the shelf."
I grabbed it easily.
Then,
"Ow…"
I turned immediately.
Anya was gripping her stomach tightly now.
My expression changed instantly.
"What happened?"
"Nothing."
"That does not look like nothing."
"It's fine."
"Your stomach hurts?"
"It's okay."
"No, something happened."
Then suddenly she snapped,
"It's period pain, you fool !!"
…
Everything became silent.
My brain stopped functioning.
"Oh."
She looked away immediately, clearly just as embarrassed.
Then walked past me while clutching her stomach.
I stood there awkwardly for three full seconds before following her quietly.
She entered Sister Iris's room briefly while I waited near the front door like a criminal being punished.
Soon she came back out without looking at me.
She tossed the keys toward me.
I caught them automatically.
Then silently locked the door before following her outside.
Neither of us spoke the entire way back.
Which somehow felt weirder than fighting.
---
Iris's POV
I was waiting while listening to Kaizer quietly practicing the melody again when the gate finally opened.
Anya walked in first.
Quietly.
Very quietly.
Lux entered behind her and handed me the ingredient before immediately sitting beside Kaizer instead of the sofa.
And for some reason,
the atmosphere felt strange now.
Not angry.
Just awkward.
I looked between the two of them once before quietly returning to the kitchen.
Soon the aroma of food filled the room.
And right as I finished preparing everything—
Kaizer entered silently and started helping me take out utensils without even being asked.
The four of us sat down together to eat.
But something still felt off.
The two idiots were not fighting.
That alone was terrifying enough.
At one point Kaizer looked toward me briefly, silently asking what happened.
I just shook my head slightly.
No idea.
Later, when practice finally ended, Anya and I left together.
The moment we entered my house,
she immediately collapsed face-first onto the bed.
I stared at her.
"What happened?"
Her muffled voice came out from the pillow.
"Monthly birthday."
"Oh."
Then suddenly realization hit me.
"…Wait. Then why were you and Lux acting like divorced parents?"
Anya groaned loudly.
"He knows."
I gasped dramatically.
"You have a 'he' in your life and I don't know him?"
She turned instantly.
"I'm talking about that soap brand."
"…Lux?!"
"I literally got cramps in front of him," she muttered. "And that freak looked more panicked than me."
I slowly narrowed my eyes suspiciously.
"He was worried about YOU."
A pillow hit my face immediately.
"Don't even think about it."
I laughed.
"So that's why both of you became quiet…"
Anya rolled over dramatically and turned to the other side of the bed.
"I shouted that it was period pain and now I can never look at him again."
That only made me laugh harder.
And this time,
even she couldn't stop a tiny embarrassed smile from appearing.