Thursday, 9th April 2026.
Kentarou was inside the house of Mrs. Kubo.
"Please, come in. Make yourselves comfortable," Mrs. Kubo said warmly, guiding them into the living room.
"Thank you," Kentarou's father replied as they stepped inside.
The room felt calm and welcoming, filled with soft lighting and a quiet warmth that contrasted the damp streets outside.
"Please, sit," she added.
Kentarou followed his parents and took a seat.
And then-
He noticed.
Right beside him—
Violet.
Sitting quietly.
Close enough that he could feel her presence.
His body stiffened slightly.
"…!"
His eyes shifted toward her—
And once again—
They met.
For a moment—
Everything else faded.
But this time—
It wasn't just that strange feeling from before.
It was something deeper.
Something older.
Something that had been buried in his memories.
"…No way…"
His thoughts trembled.
This feeling…
This presence…
These eyes…
A sudden realization struck him.
Like a forgotten memory forcing its way back.
Violet…
She is…
"…the same girl…"
His breath hitched slightly.
The girl I've liked since Grade 7.
His mind went blank for a second.
Years.
All those years—
The quiet glances.
The unspoken feelings.
The distance.
And now—
She was right beside him.
"…How…"
Confusion filled his thoughts.
How did I not recognize her…?
His fingers curled slightly.
Then—
Another realization came.
Slowly.
Clearly.
"…Ah…"
His eyes widened just a little.
My eyes…
Kentarou had short sight.
Without his contact lenses—
Distant faces blurred.
Details disappeared.
And earlier—
In the rain—
"…I wasn't wearing them."
The memory replayed in his mind.
The blurred image.
The unclear face.
The unfamiliar familiarity.
"That's why…" he thought.
"That's why I didn't recognize her…"
A quiet silence surrounded him, even though the adults continued their conversation.
Kentarou sat there—
Still.
Processing everything.
Beside him—
Violet remained calm.
As if nothing had changed.
But for Kentarou—
Everything had.
Because the girl he had unknowingly walked home in the rain—
Was never a stranger.
She was—
The one he had been looking at from afar…
All this time.
And now—
She was right next to him.
A soft pause settled in the room.
Then—
"Mom," Violet spoke gently.
Her voice was calm, yet clear enough to draw everyone's attention.
Kentarou's heart skipped.
He turned slightly toward her.
"…Yes?" Mrs. Kubo responded.
Violet hesitated for just a brief moment, then continued.
"The person who dropped me home today…"
A small pause.
Kentarou felt his chest tighten.
"…was him."
She looked toward Kentarou.
And just like that—
All eyes in the room shifted to him.
"…!"
Kentarou froze.
Mrs. Kubo's expression changed into surprise. "Oh? Is that so?"
"Yes," Violet nodded softly. "It suddenly started raining, and I didn't have an umbrella… he helped me."
There was a gentle sincerity in her voice.
Then—
She looked at him again.
"Thank you… for earlier."
A simple sentence.
But it carried warmth.
Kentarou's mind went blank.
"…Ah…"
He tried to respond.
Tried to say something—
Anything.
But—
No sound came out.
As if his voice had been taken away.
Muted.
His throat felt tight.
His thoughts were a mess.
All he could manage—
Was a small smile.
A very small one.
Barely noticeable.
But real.
"…You're welcome," he wanted to say.
Yet—
The words never left his lips.
—
"Oh my, thank you for taking care of her," Mrs. Kubo said warmly.
Kentarou gave a slight nod, still unable to properly speak.
"You've always been a kind boy," his mother added with a soft smile.
Kentarou looked away slightly.
Embarrassed.
Overwhelmed.
And somewhere deep inside—
Happy.
—
Right at that moment—
Light footsteps approached.
A cheerful voice followed.
"I brought coffee!"
Another girl entered the room.
Smaller.
Lively.
Violet's younger sister.
She carefully carried a tray, placing cups in front of everyone one by one.
"Here you go!"
The atmosphere softened instantly.
The conversation shifted.
Normalcy returned.
But for Kentarou—
Nothing felt normal anymore.
Because right beside him—
Sat the girl he had loved for years.
The girl who had just thanked him.
The girl whose presence alone—
Had taken his voice away.
The conversation slowly shifted.
Adults spoke.
Voices overlapped in calm, familiar tones—work, life, small memories being exchanged as if time had simply continued from where they last met.
Kentarou sat quietly.
Listening—
But not really listening.
"…It's been a while since we last met," Mrs. Kubo said with a smile.
"Yes, it has," Kentarou's father replied. "Work has been keeping us busy."
"And the move to Seoul must have been tiring," Violet's father added.
"It was," Kentarou's mother nodded. "But we're settling in."
The conversation continued naturally.
Smooth.
Comfortable.
Then—
Something caught their attention.
"…Oh?" Mrs. Kubo looked to the side.
Everyone's gaze followed.
Violet was sitting quietly—
Focused.
In her hands, a thick thread moved carefully, looping and weaving through a metal needle-like tool. Piece by piece, she was creating something delicate… a patterned cloth forming slowly under her fingers.
"…You're still doing that?" her father said with a light chuckle.
Violet nodded softly without looking up.
"It's beautiful," Kentarou's mother said.
"Thank you," Violet replied gently.
Her movements were precise.
Calm.
Almost mesmerizing.
Then her father laughed lightly.
"Actually, these two were quite excited yesterday," he said, glancing at both his daughters.
"Hmm?" Kentarou's father looked curious.
"They even set alarms on their phones at night so they wouldn't wake up late," he continued. "But in all that excitement, they forgot to bring their phones here."
Violet's younger sister pouted slightly. "It's boring without them…"
"So they've been trying to keep themselves busy," he added.
"I see," Kentarou's mother smiled.
Then—
She turned slightly toward Kentarou.
"Well, Kentarou has a good collection of books," she said casually. "I've even borrowed one from him before."
A small pause.
And then—
Without thinking—
"…I can give you some to read."
The words left Kentarou's mouth instantly.
No hesitation.
No filter.
The room fell quiet for a brief second.
"…Huh?" even he seemed surprised at himself.
But it was already said.
Violet's hands stopped.
Just for a moment.
She slowly looked up.
Her eyes met his.
There was something there.
Soft.
Bright.
A quiet happiness that appeared for just a second—
As if she wanted to say something.
As if she wanted to tell him something more.
But—
She didn't.
"…Thank you," she said softly.
And just like that—
She looked back down.
Continuing her work.
Thread moving again.
Pattern forming again.
But the air between them had changed.
Subtly.
Quietly.
And for Kentarou—
That one moment—
Stayed.
Kentarou sat there—
But his mind was nowhere near calm.
Thoughts kept running.
One after another.
Say something…
Just say anything…
From the moment he had entered the house—
He had been trying.
Trying to talk to her.
Trying to find even a single proper word.
But every time—
Every single time—
He looked at Violet—
She looked back.
As if she was waiting.
As if she wanted to know something about him.
Her eyes met his again.
Clear.
Gentle.
And dangerously attractive.
Kentarou immediately looked away.
"…!"
His heartbeat quickened.
Why…
Why can't I say anything…?
He clenched his fingers slightly.
Then again—
Without realizing—
He looked at her.
And again—
She looked back.
No hesitation.
No awkwardness.
Just that calm, curious gaze.
As if she was quietly observing him.
Trying to understand him.
And that—
Made it even harder.
"…This is bad," he thought.
Because those eyes—
He couldn't resist them.
Not now.
Not ever.
—
"…Anyway," Kentarou's father suddenly spoke, breaking the quiet tension.
Everyone's attention shifted.
"We were thinking…"
He smiled politely.
"Why don't you all come over to our house for an afternoon meal?"
A brief silence followed.
"Oh?" Mrs. Kubo looked pleasantly surprised.
"That sounds lovely," Violet's father added.
"We'd be happy to have you," Kentarou's mother said warmly.
Violet's younger sister immediately brightened. "Really?!"
Violet remained quiet—
But her eyes shifted slightly.
Toward Kentarou.
Just for a moment.
And Kentarou—
Noticed.
"…!"
He quickly looked away again.
His heart refusing to stay calm.
And just like that—
The distance between their worlds—
Began to shrink even more.
The atmosphere in the room had just begun to settle—
When the door opened again.
"Ah, I'm home—"
A cheerful voice echoed from the entrance.
Footsteps followed.
Then—
She appeared.
Shikimori.
A young nurse from Japan.
Warm.
Energetic.
And someone who had been close to Kentarou's family for a long time.
To Kentarou—
And Kenta—
She was like an older sister.
"…Oh," she noticed him instantly. "Kentarou!"
Without hesitation, she walked over and sat right beside him.
"So? How's school been?" she asked casually. "Still quiet as always?"
"…It's normal," Kentarou replied.
"'Normal,' he says," she sighed dramatically. "You should enjoy your school life more, you know."
Kentarou didn't respond.
As usual.
Just a small nod.
—
Right then—
Violet's younger sister came over again.
"I brought coffee!"
She carefully placed a cup in front of Shikimori.
"Thank you," Shikimori smiled.
Before she could reach for it—
Kentarou picked up the cup instead and handed it to her.
"Here… Shikimori Aunt."
The room paused for a second.
Shikimori's eye twitched.
"…How many times have I told you not to call me that?"
Despite her reaction—
This was normal.
Kentarou had always called her "Shikimori Aunt"—
Even though she was only 28 years old.
It had simply… stuck.
"…It suits you," Kentarou said calmly.
"It does not suit me," she shot back.
A small, light tension formed—
But it wasn't serious.
It was familiar.
Comfortable.
Then—
Shikimori leaned slightly closer.
"Hey," she whispered. "Could you lend me your ear for a moment?"
Kentarou looked at her.
"…Don't forget to return it, okay?"
A pause.
Then—
"Oi!" she whispered angrily. "Don't tease me in front of other children!"
Her tone was half-serious—
Half-embarrassed.
Kentarou simply looked away.
Unbothered.
—
From across the room—
Violet watched.
Quietly.
A small smile formed on her lips.
They're close…
The way they talked.
The way they argued lightly.
It felt natural.
Like real siblings.
And for some reason—
That made her happy.
—
"Anyway," Shikimori said, picking up the cup of coffee.
Then she paused.
"…Ah."
She looked at it.
Steam still rising.
"…Too hot."
Without hesitation—
She turned to Kentarou.
"Drink this for me."
"…What?"
"Just do it."
Kentarou looked at the cup.
Then at her.
Then—
Without questioning further—
He took it.
And drank.
One sip.
Two.
More.
He drank more than half the cup.
—
"…!"
A sharp heat spread across his tongue.
It burned.
Badly.
But—
His expression didn't change.
Not even a little.
He placed the cup down calmly.
"…It's fine."
As if nothing had happened.
Shikimori blinked.
"…You're weird."
Kentarou didn't respond.
—
Across from him—
Violet watched again.
This time—
Her smile was softer.
More curious.
Because the boy sitting beside her—
Was even more interesting than she had thought.
Time passed.
Conversations slowly came to an end, laughter faded, and one by one—
Everyone began to leave.
"Thank you for having us," Mrs. Kubo said warmly.
"It was our pleasure," Kentarou's mother replied.
Violet stood quietly beside her family.
For a brief moment—
Her eyes met Kentarou's again.
No words.
Just a small, silent exchange.
Then—
They left.
The door closed.
And just like that—
The house returned to silence.
—
Night fell.
The world outside grew quiet, the faint glow of streetlights slipping through the window.
Inside his room—
Kentarou walked back and forth.
Again.
And again.
And again.
"…This is bad."
His thoughts refused to settle.
His mind was full—
Completely filled with one person.
Violet.
"How am I supposed to…?"
He stopped for a second, running a hand through his hair.
"…Make her fall for me…?
"
The words came out quietly.
Almost like a confession to himself.
He started walking again.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Thinking.
Overthinking.
Replaying every moment.
Her voice.
Her eyes.
Her smile.
"…There has to be something…"
Across the room—
A small figure watched him.
Rockie.
The cocktail parrot tilted its head slightly, its eyes following Kentarou's movements as if trying to understand what was going on.
Kentarou stopped again.
"…Hmm…"
A thought sparked.
Small.
Sudden.
But clear.
"…Wait."
His eyes widened just a little.
"…I got it."
Without another second—
He turned and jumped straight onto his bed.
Thump.
A rare burst of energy.
Rockie flapped its wings lightly, startled for a moment before settling again.
Kentarou lay there, staring at the ceiling.
A faint smile formed.
"…This might actually work."
He turned his head slightly.
Looking at Rockie.
The bird stared back at him.
Quiet.
Curious.
As if it understood everything—
And was waiting for what would happen next.
Kentarou smirked faintly.
"…Let's see."
—
And just like that—
A plan was born.