Chapter 7 – A Day Off
Brook woke to sunlight pouring through his bedroom window.
He frowned.
That never happened.
Rolling onto his back, he stared at the ceiling for a few seconds before remembering.
Today was his day off.
He let out a quiet sigh and pulled the blanket over his face.
Someone knocked on the door.
Three quick knocks.
Brook smiled without moving.
"Come in, Sera."
The door opened a crack.
"How do you always know it's me?"
"You knock too fast."
Sera folded her arms.
"I knock normally."
"No."
"You knock like you're afraid the door is going to disappear."
She laughed as she stepped inside.
His apartment looked exactly the way she expected.
Books stacked neatly on the table.
A pair of boots beside the door.
His Watchman uniform hanging on a hook near the window.
Everything had a place.
Everything except the pile of books covering half the dining table.
"You've been reading again."
Brook sat up.
"I always read."
"I know."
"You also forget to eat."
"I ate yesterday."
She stared at him.
"…That isn't helping your case."
Brook scratched the back of his head.
"I was going to make breakfast."
"When?"
He looked at the clock.
"Eventually."
Sera sighed dramatically before walking toward the tiny kitchen.
"Move."
Brook blinked.
"What?"
"I'm making breakfast."
"You don't have to."
"I know."
She opened one of the cupboards.
"You have almost nothing in here."
"I've got bread."
"It's stale."
"I've got eggs."
She picked one up.
"It's cracked."
Brook looked genuinely confused.
"I thought they were supposed to look like that."
Sera laughed so hard she nearly dropped the egg.
"You'd starve without Mrs. Hana."
"I'd survive."
"Barely."
Within minutes, the apartment filled with the smell of frying eggs and toasted bread.
Brook leaned against the doorway, watching her move around the kitchen as if she'd lived there for years.
"You've done this before."
She didn't look up.
"I have."
"When?"
She smiled.
"When you worked overtime last winter."
"You brought me food."
"I also cleaned your apartment."
Brook looked around.
"…That explains a lot."
She raised an eyebrow.
"You thought it cleaned itself?"
"I was hoping."
She laughed again.
"You really are hopeless sometimes."
Brook couldn't argue with that.
After breakfast, they stepped outside together.
The streets of Shinokuni-01 were busier than usual.
Tomorrow was the Founding Festival.
Colorful banners stretched between buildings.
Children carried paper lanterns through the streets while musicians practiced near the central square.
Shop owners decorated their storefronts with flowers and ribbons.
Brook watched quietly.
"You know," Sera said, "this city looks different when you're not rushing to work."
"I guess it does."
"You miss a lot."
"I probably do."
They walked through the market district.
Mrs. Hana waved the moment she spotted them.
"Brook!"
He smiled.
"Morning."
"You actually look awake today."
"I had help."
Mrs. Hana looked at Sera.
"You made him breakfast, didn't you?"
Sera nodded proudly.
"I did."
Mrs. Hana laughed.
"Good."
She reached beneath her counter and handed Brook a small paper bag.
"For later."
Brook accepted it.
"You really don't have to keep feeding me."
"I know."
"Then why do you?"
Mrs. Hana's smile softened.
"Because your mother used to feed half this neighborhood."
Brook looked down at the bag in his hands.
He hadn't heard someone mention his mother in weeks.
"She always said nobody should eat alone," Mrs. Hana continued.
"So whenever I see you…"
She gently tapped the paper bag.
"…I remember."
Brook swallowed.
"…Thank you."
Mrs. Hana nodded.
"Now go enjoy your day off."
As they continued walking, Sera noticed Brook had become unusually quiet.
"You alright?"
He nodded.
"Just thinking."
"About your parents?"
"…Yeah."
Sera didn't press him.
She knew him well enough to understand that sometimes silence was better than questions.
They crossed the old stone bridge that overlooked one of the city's narrow canals.
Brook rested his arms on the railing.
The water below reflected the towering Wall in the distance.
Even from here, it dominated the skyline.
"You ever wonder what life was like before the Walls?" he asked.
Sera joined him at the railing.
"Sometimes."
"What do you think people did?"
She smiled.
"They probably complained about work."
Brook laughed.
"They definitely complained about work."
"They probably had neighbors they liked…"
"And neighbors they didn't."
"They probably argued over silly things."
Brook nodded.
"They probably thought the world would always stay the same."
The smile slowly faded from both their faces.
Brook looked toward the Wall again.
"It's strange."
"What is?"
"We only know the world after it broke."
Neither of them noticed the elderly man sitting quietly on a nearby bench.
He had been feeding breadcrumbs to a flock of pigeons while listening to their conversation.
As Brook and Sera started walking again, the old man watched them disappear into the crowd.
Then, almost to himself, he murmured,
"Some people are born asking the questions everyone else is afraid to ask."
A faint smile crossed his weathered face.
"The boy's finally starting to look in the right direction."