The smell reached me before I even made it halfway down the stairs. It was warm and familiar, the kind of scent that settled into your chest without asking permission. Food. Real food, not something grabbed on the way out or eaten half-asleep in my room.
"You're up early."
My mother's, Fujiko, voice drifted from the kitchen, calm as always.
I stepped into view and found her standing by the stove, flipping something in a pan like she'd done it a thousand times before. Her hair was loosely tied back, a few strands falling around her face. There was nothing particularly special about the moment, and yet she looked completely composed, like mornings had never been anything but easy.
At the table, my father, Genki, sat with his usual setup: newspaper in one hand, coffee in the other. He didn't look up right away. When he finally did, his eyes lingered on me for a second longer than expected.
"You're really up early."
That made me pause. "What do you mean?"
My mom let out a small laugh as she glanced over her shoulder. "What he means is you usually stay in your room until the last possible second. Sometimes I wonder if you're even awake up there."
I frowned a little. "I wake up."
"You exist," my dad said, taking a slow sip of his coffee. "Not the same thing."
"…Thanks."
He shrugged like it wasn't even meant as an insult. With him, it rarely was. He just said things the way he saw them—straightforward, a little blunt, but never with any real malice behind it.
That was just who they were.
If I had to explain them… they weren't the overly affectionate type. No loud laughter filling the house, no dramatic conversations. But there was something steady about them. Quiet. Consistent.
They didn't ask too many questions, but they noticed things anyway.
And… they cared.
Just not in a way that demanded attention.
I pulled out a chair and sat down. The sound alone seemed to draw both of their attention again, like I'd just done something unexpected.
"You're eating with us?" my mom asked.
"I was going to."
There was a brief pause. Not uncomfortable, just noticeable. Like something had shifted slightly, even if none of us said it out loud.
Then she smiled and set a plate down in front of me. Eggs, toast, something still warm enough to let off steam.
I stared at it for a moment.
It had been a while since I'd sat here like this.
"What's the occasion?" my dad asked, folding his newspaper just enough to see me more clearly. "You don't just wake up early, come downstairs, and act normal for no reason."
"I'm always normal."
He gave me a look that said otherwise.
I looked away first.
"I just woke up early," I said.
My mom hummed softly, like she didn't fully buy it but wasn't going to push too hard. "Did something happen this morning?"
"No."
"A test?"
"No."
"Someone confess to you?" she added casually.
I choked slightly, even though I hadn't been eating yet. "…No."
My dad raised an eyebrow. "That reaction says otherwise."
"It doesn't."
"It does."
"It doesn't."
My mom laughed under her breath, clearly enjoying this more than she should have.
"Then what is it?" she asked, a little more gently this time.
I hesitated. Just for a moment.
"I don't know," I said.
That seemed to throw them off more than anything else I'd said so far.
"You don't know?" my dad repeated.
I shook my head, my eyes drifting back to the plate in front of me. "I just… had energy today."
It wasn't a lie. It just wasn't the whole truth either.
Because the real reason sat somewhere in the back of my mind, quiet but persistent. A message. A streak. The way someone replied almost instantly, like it actually mattered.
My dad leaned back slightly, studying me for a second before nodding once. "Well, whatever it is, keep it."
I looked up. "What?"
"That," he said. "Whatever made you come down here."
I didn't have an answer for that, so I didn't try.
My mom smiled, softer now, and turned back to the stove. "Eat before it gets cold."
So I did.
It wasn't anything special. Just breakfast. Just sitting at the table like any other day.
But somehow, it didn't feel empty.
For a while, the only sound was the quiet clink of utensils and the faint rustle of the newspaper.
It was peaceful.
Normal.
And that's when I noticed it.
Or rather… what I had noticed.
I blinked once, my gaze drifting up—just slightly, just enough.
Nothing. No numbers.
No glowing countdowns hovering above their heads.
Just… empty space. Like it had always been.
I lowered my eyes quickly.
It had always been like this.
For some reason, I couldn't see their timers.
I never could.
Not my mother.
Not my father.
Not anyone connected to me like that.
I didn't know why.
I stopped trying to understand it a long time ago.
Maybe it was a limitation. Maybe it was mercy.
Or maybe… it meant something I didn't want to think about.
I pushed the thought away and took another bite.
Because if I thought about it too much—
I'd start asking questions I didn't want answers to.
And I already had enough of those.
Still…
As I sat there, in that quiet kitchen, with two people who felt so steady they almost seemed untouchable—
I wondered. If I can't see their time…
Does that mean I don't have to be afraid of it?
Or does it just mean…
I'm blind to it?
I exhaled slowly.
Didn't chase the thought any further.
And without really meaning to, my thoughts drifted again, settling on one person.
I found myself wondering what she was doing right now.
After breakfast, I went back to my room.
The moment I closed the door, the atmosphere shifted. It wasn't completely silent, but everything outside felt distant, like it no longer belonged to me. The faint sounds from downstairs blurred into the background until they barely registered. It was strange how a simple door could separate two different versions of the same day.
I sat on the edge of my bed and picked up my phone. The screen lit up instantly, casting a soft glow against my face.
Her name was still there.
Hikari Tachibana.
I opened the chat, my eyes scanning over the empty space beneath our last conversation. My thumb hovered over the keyboard, unmoving.
Why am I hesitating?
I leaned back slightly, letting out a quiet breath as I stared at the screen. There was no real reason to pause. Nothing complicated about typing a message. And yet, my hand refused to move.
People adapt to patterns faster than they realize. That's something I read once, though I didn't think much of it at the time. Routine settles in quietly. What starts as a choice turns into habit, and eventually, it becomes something you don't even question anymore.
That had been my life for years.
Quiet mornings. Quiet walks. Quiet days that blended into each other without resistance. No conversations, no attachments, nothing that required effort beyond what was necessary. It was simple. Predictable.
Safe.
I used to think I liked it. No, that wasn't quite right. I knew I liked it. The absence of people meant the absence of weight. No expectations to meet, no responsibilities that lingered after the moment passed. Nothing to lose, nothing to hold onto.
It made sense.
So why did it feel different now?
My gaze dropped back to the phone in my hand.
Why does this feel… boring?
The word felt unfamiliar, like something I hadn't used in a long time. But there wasn't a better way to describe it. The quiet I once preferred didn't feel peaceful anymore. It felt hollow, like something was missing that I couldn't quite define.
And for some reason, that feeling was stronger when she wasn't around.
I exhaled slowly through my nose, slightly irritated with myself. "This is stupid."
There was no reason to overthink it. I didn't have to message her. I could just set the phone down, lie back, and let the day pass the same way it always did. That would be easier. Familiar.
Before I could decide, a soft notification sound broke the silence.
I blinked and looked down.
A new message.
Hikari: *Are you busy today?*
I stared at it for a moment, the hesitation from earlier disappearing almost instantly. My thumb moved before I had time to think.
Kazuki: *No.*
The reply was sent.
Short. Simple. Just like always.
Across town, Hikari stared at her phone.
"…He said no."
For a second, she didn't react. Then her expression brightened so quickly it was almost immediate.
"Yes—"
She stopped herself mid-celebration, quickly covering her mouth and glancing around her room as if someone might have heard. After a moment of silence, she relaxed.
"…Okay, they didn't hear that."
She flopped backward onto her bed, kicking her legs lightly in the air as she stared at the ceiling, her phone still clutched in her hand.
He's not busy…
Her fingers tightened slightly.
"Okay… just ask normally."
She sat up, forcing herself to focus, and opened the chat again. After a brief pause, she started typing.
*I'm going shopping today, do you want to come with me?*
She read the message once. Then again.
"…That's normal, right?"
A second passed.
Then her eyes widened.
"…Wait."
Her face flushed almost instantly as realization hit her.
"THAT SOUNDS LIKE A DATE—"
She froze, staring at the screen like it might change on its own.
Then her thumb moved.
The message sent.
"…Too late."
She dropped her phone onto the bed as if it had betrayed her and grabbed a pillow, burying her face into it.
"Why did I send that so fast?"
Her voice was muffled as she tried to calm herself down.
"It's just shopping… it's normal… people do this all the time…"
Her phone buzzed.
She went completely still.
Slowly, she reached for it, hesitating just before picking it up. When she finally did, she peeked at the screen.
I read her message again.
*I'm going shopping today, do you want to come with me?*
It wasn't something I expected. Shopping wasn't exactly my idea of a good way to spend the day. Still, I found myself staring at the message longer than necessary.
Then I typed.
Kazuki: *Sure. Why not.*
Sent.
Hikari read the reply.
There was a brief pause as she processed it.
"…That's it?"
She stared at the screen for another second, then let out a small laugh. It wasn't loud or exaggerated, just something quiet and genuine.
"He's so… him."
She fell back onto her bed again, smiling faintly as she looked up at the ceiling.
"No overthinking. No hesitation. Just 'sure.'"
Her fingers moved quickly as she typed another message.
Hikari: *Okay! Let's meet at Shibuya Station, Hachikō Square.*
A second later, she added:
*In an hour?*
My phone buzzed again.
I read the message.
Shibuya.
Crowded. Loud. The exact kind of place I usually avoided.
I paused for a moment, considering it.
Then I replied.
Kazuki: *Okay.*
I set the phone down.
The room fell quiet again, just like before.
But this time, it didn't feel empty.
Not in the same way.
I stood up and ran a hand through my hair, letting out a small breath.
"…Shopping, huh."
I wasn't entirely sure why I agreed. Maybe it was impulse. Maybe curiosity.
Either way, one thing was clear.
I didn't regret it.