[26 September 2025]
[Friday]
Keith opened the door and entered as Sophia followed. He closed it while she took off her shoes; then the two of them entered the sitting room as Keith said,
"You can sit wherever you like, I'll be back in a few."
"Sure…"
Walking out of the sitting room, Keith's footsteps disappeared to his room as he entered and immediately—took his phone and dialed a number.
Emily's phone rang in her pocket while she ambled down a bustling street—a street that hummed with the sound of car engines that slowly passed by—and the sound of pedestrians going about their normal everday mundane.
Some chatting about long hours at work while others simply listened to music with their headphones, earphones, you name it.
The scent of perfume and deodorant wafted through the air alongside the smell of skewers being prepared by street vendors.
She pulled the phone from her pocket and immediately she recognized the caller ID. His number was registered as Kiddo; while the call background was a photo of the two of them on Keith's sixteenth birthday. She chuckled, a mischievous look on her face as she answered.
"Hey, kiddo?"
"Hello, Aunt Emily. Sorry for calling so suddenly, although, I'm pretty sure you know why I'm calling."
"It's about Sophia, right?"
"Yes, why is she staying here of all places?"
"I'm doing her parents a favor."
"Why does this favor involve her staying here, though?"
"Because her parents needed to head back to London so that they could sort out a few things at their job."
"Okay, but why didn't they just leave her at the house they'll be staying in?"
"Sophia can't cook, that's why, but luckily you can, thanks to yours truly."
"Seriously, but—"
"They asked me if I could stay with her, but as you know, I'm out of the country right now, so you'll have to take care of her instead."
"Why me?"
"She's your childhood friend, isn't she?"
"But what does that have to do with anything?"
"You're the only other person she can trust. 'She doesn't want to stay anywhere she's not comfortable at,' that's what her parents said. It seems she was the one who proposed that you two stay together, and I don't see any problems with that."
"Well, I do." Keith let out a sigh. "Just how long will she be staying here?"
"Oh, don't worry, she'll only be there for two or three days."
"Right, well then where will she be sleeping?"
"Let her sleep in the extra room."
"But didn't you lock that room?"
"The keys are on top of the shelf in the kitchen."
Keith sighed again visited his window, looking out at the neighborhood. There were towering skyscrapers and a ton of apartments in his line of sight.
To put it simply, he saw nothing but large buildings all around his neighborhood—nothing new, nothing special, same old, same old.
"Right, I guess I'll be staying with her then."
"I'm glad you understand. Now, Keith?"
"Yes?"
"Don't get her pregnant, alright?"
"I wasn't gonna—"
The call cut off, leaving him holding the phone to his ear while still trying to speak. Irritation washed over him; the sheer fact that she did this to him yet again truly sent the wrong signals to his young heart and mind—which were fueling with annoyance.
Keith threw his phone on his bed while leaving his room as he returned to Sophia, who was using hers. He then stated,
"If you want to bathe, the bathroom is at the end of the hall."
"Are you telling me that for the sole reason of wanting to spy on me while I bathe?" She muttered with a disgusted look on her face. "You pervert."
"Of course not, oh forget it." Keith went to the kitchen, took the keys from the shelf, went back to Sophia, and handed the keys to her. "These are the keys to that room, it's where you'll be sleeping. If you need anything else then knock on my door."
Keith murmured as he went to his room and lay on his bed. Then he sighed as he thought sarcastically,
I'm supposed to stay with her for a few days, that's just super wonderful now isn't it?
Having thought that, he got off his bed, exited his room, and sauntered to the bathroom. And by sheer luck he found it empty, so he began bathing.
After taking his bath, he returned to his room and took one of his manga volumes. With ease slowly settling in his breathing, he began immersing himself in his favorite volume.
*****
[3 hours later]
Akira sat at her table, holding her pen as she scribbled on her exercise book. She was writing math and cleverly getting through the problems with ease. As she finished it, her ears caught the sound of her mother calling, "Akira, dinner's ready."
She tensed up, having heard her mother's voice. For some reason, the mere sound of her voice made Akira uncomfortable, so mich so that she wished they leaved in different houses. She stood up and went out of her room, walked down the stairs, and finally got to the dining room.
She found her father sitting at the head of the table—eating his dinner, while her mom brought in her food from the kitchen. She sat down as Mr Kurosawa inquired,
"How was school?"
Akira smiled faintly. "It was good, I even made a new friend."
He chuckled and offered her a relieved look. "I'm happy to hear that, but don't have too much fun. We still need you to get good grades."
"Yes, sir."
As Akira talked to him, her mother entered the dining room and placed her food on the table. "Your father's right, focusing on your studies should be your top priority, but even so, don't forget to have fun as well, okay."
Mrs Kurosawa smiled while looking at her, but as soon as Akira saw her face, a memory popped into her head—a memory that made her expression turn grave in an instant. She stood up and said, "Please excuse me."
She walked out of the dining room, but before she could reach the doorway, her mother questioned, her tone dripping with concern,
"Akira dear, where are you going?"
Akira shook slightly, her heart pounding in her chest. She turned around and faked a smile that held pain and fear behind it while she mumbled emotionlessly.
"I'm sorry but, I'm not really that hungry."
Having said that, Akira walked out of the room and ran to her bedroom, shutting the door quietly behind her. She sat down on her chair.
The grave look on her face was still there, her heart still pounding, so much so that the sound was bouncing around inside her ears. Her hands were shaking and her eyes had widened intensely.
Akira started breathing heavily as the memory from earlier flashed in her head like a flashlight being turned on and off over and over again.
She held her head with her shaking hands as the memory flashed more and more with each passing second, then she saw a paper peeking out of her notebook.
Akira took it, her hands still shaking, but the light from the lamp showed that there was something written on the back of the paper. It read:
Dear Akira
Thank you so much, Akira-san, you're such an amazing person, no words can describe how grateful I am for the kindness you've shown me, you are one of a kind. She'll probably think I'm a creep for writing this. Shit, I'm writing my thoughts, come on, cancel it you idiot. [CANCELLED]
As Akira read it, her heart's pounding subsided subtly as all the moments she spent with Keith resurfaced—his awkwardness, his laughter, his smile, his timidity, his kindness, and the moment she met him to the moment he hugged her.
It all came rushing in, replacing her haunting memory as a low heat enveloped her heart. The warmth spread across her body all the way to her face.
She smiled ever so slightly as she placed the paper on her chest. Her heart was now pounding for a new reason as she murmured, "Thank you so much, goober."
Meanwhile, her parents were still in the dining room as they sat together talking about what had happened.
"How long do you think this will go on?" Mrs. Kurosawa asked while looking quite concerned and somewhat worried.
Mr. Kurosawa looked at her as grief washed over her face. "I don't know."
"Do you think that she might still feel guilty about… what happened a little while back?" Mrs. Kurosawa questioned, her tone worried.
Mr. Kurosawa took off his glasses and slid them into his shirt pocket as he cleaned his eyes with his fingers. "I believe so. There's no doubt about it, she takes after you."
"Really?"
"Yes, you two have a sharp memory, unlike Kyotaro and me."
"I guess you're right, but what should we do, I hate seeing my daughter this way?" Mrs. Kurosawa held her shirt around her chest, her face looking pitiful.
"Don't worry, my dear, she'll be fine. We should just give her some space."
"You're right, thanks honey."
"Anytime, cupcake."
Mrs Kurosawa chuckled a bit as the weariness in her eyes settled. "I wish you'd stop calling me that, to this day it's still embarrassing."
"Sorry to say, but you're stuck with it for life, my vanilla cupcake." Mr Kurosawa said, taking another spoon of the food.
They continued eating even though they were now feeling uncertain about their roles in Akira's life, but as long as they had each other they would be able to figure it out together as husband and wife, mother and father.
In the meantime, Akira was doodling on her notebook as she drew a heart with the letters: K + A, inside it.
Below the heart—she had written 'forever' in stylish handwriting. At that moment her usual bright smile returned, but this time it was accompanied by a deeper feeling she was finally starting to accept.
She smiled while looking at her doodle and whispered, "I can't wait to go to school on Monday. I'm looking forward to seeing you, Keith. My goober-kun."
Having said that, the corners of her mouth curled up as she leaned back on her chair, holding his letter tightly on her chest. Her emerald eyes shimmering with quiet delight.
『To be continued』
Next chapter:
Chapter 12: The Boy and The Princess [1]—Learning Something New