I was sitting on the floor now, leaning back against the frame of her bed, staring up at the ceiling. Ichika was sprawled out on the mattress above me, lazily hugging a worn-out stuffed bear to her chest. I didn't ask about the bear.
"...I'm sorry for dumping all that on you..." I murmured, my voice still slightly raspy. "I didn't mean to ruin the mood..."
"Stop apologizing, Kenji," Ichika said softly, "I told you, I want you around. Even when you're being a gloomy idiot."
I let out a weak, genuine chuckle. "I guess.."
We lapsed into a comfortable quiet. The chaotic energy of the pillow fight was gone, replaced by a slow, easy rhythm. For the first time all week, the knot of anxiety in my stomach had completely uncoiled.
"You know," Ichika mused, staring at her ceiling fan. "I don't think we've ever just... sat and talked like this. all of that stress from the new school took all of our time.."
"Yeah," I agreed, closing my eyes. "It feels nice."
"You're basically as much work as my little brother, anyway," she teased.
I cracked an eye open. "You have a little brother?" I completely forgot about that.
"Yeah." she smiled warmly, her voice full of affection. "He's super cute, but he's a menace. Last week he tried to ride his scooter down the stairs. I barely caught him before he broke his neck."
"Sounds like an absolute terror," I said, a small smile tugging at my lips.
"He is. He steals my snacks and makes these weird, goofy faces when he's mad so you can't even yell at him," she laughed softly. "Do you have any siblings?"
"No. Only child," I replied. "It's... quiet at my house."
"Well, you have me to annoy now," she pointed out, tossing her stuffed bear so it hit me square in the face. "And trust me, you're doing a great job at it."
I pulled the bear off my face. "I'll try to keep up the good work."
"Good." She leaned over the edge of the bed, her eyes meeting mine, upside down. The warmth in her eyes was unmistakable. "We should do this more often, Kenji."