Back at the complex, the siblings headed for Ayaka’s flat, while Ocean quickly disappeared in his place with the excuse of excessive work. With a slight disappointment that her friend wouldn’t join them, Ayaka, once in the flat, threw her keys and luggage on the floor and hurled herself on the couch with a loud sigh. 

The flat itself was quite small and simple. The main living area was connected to the kitchen in the shape of capital L, while the bathroom and the bedroom completed the narrow rectangular.

“I really hope you don’t have any more surprises for me, Také,” said Ayaka, her voice muffled by the couch pillows. 

“No, I don’t think I do,” Takehiko mumbled as he shuffled his way to the kitchen, slammed his bag on top of the counter and buried his face in. “Huh, Ma did put a cake in.”

“What cake?” Ayaka asked loudly, her head popping up. Every single sign of her exhaustion was gone from her shimmering eyes.

Takehiko chuckled at his sister’s reaction. “Matcha! Want some?”

“All of it,” Ayaka said, feeling her taste buds getting wet. She got up and hurried behind her brother. She shoved her head under his armpit to take a better look at the cake, her mouth already filling up. “That smells so yummy!”

“Where do you keep the plates then?”

“Above your head.” Her eyes were locked on the glass container. “Cutlery in the drawer next to the stove.”

“Cool. Want to get your head off me and make some tea while I cut and serve it?”

She did and with a generous amount of dessert in their plates and plenty of tea in their mugs, the siblings sat at the small kitchen table. It was about time to enjoy their mother’s baking and, of course, gossip.

“So what’s that guy’s deal?” Takehiko asked, his mouth overloaded with a massive piece of cake.

“Who?”

"Ocean. Weird guy, definitely not your type. Way too tall for you. And you couldn’t stop yelling at him."

"That’s… true,” Ayaka said and sighed, poking her piece with a fork. “I was a bit mean to him, wasn’t I? Well… He might be a huge asshole and all, but, deep inside, he's got a heart of gold. Kinda like... a Ferrero Rocher but the other way around. You just have to scoop out the nuts to get the good stuff.”

“I’m having a hard time believing that. He helped us both out today without even asking why. Assholes don’t do that.”

“Yeah, I was surprised myself. He’s just… He has a very bad reputation among the girls in uni. Sleeping with them, never calling them back… And the way he treats himself… Oh, Takehiko,” she squeezed his hand in hers, “I hope you never get to see him dragging himself drunk on the stairs like I have. It makes me so upset just thinking about it! I'm… I’m concerned about him. He’s such a nice guy and so charismatic, I really don’t understand why he’s doing all that crap! The man’s an idiot. Maybe...” Ayaka said and paused before continuing with a giggle, “maybe I’ll manage to yell the idiot out of him."

"You can try. It never worked for me that’s for sure," Takehiko scoffed. "And what's with his accent? I'm having a very hard time understanding what he's saying. How can you keep up?"

"He's Irish. It used to be much much worse when I first met him. You'll get used to him in no time."

"Do I really have to?"

"Whether you like it or not.” She took a long sip of her tea to wash down the cake, gulped and wiped her mouth delicately with a paper towel. “He’s my neighbour, your neighbour soon as well. And, honestly, he’s the only one I can rely on for everything. You’ll see, in no time at all, you won’t be able to live without him."

❦

The next few days flew by very quickly. Along with his sister, Takehiko visited the university and toured around the campus grounds. It seemed enormous and he could hardly remember how to get from one place to another. On the other hand, the teen felt that it was quite nice to see so many people hanging out and about, even though it was supposed to be a break. Young people around his age were having loud chats, playing with their friends or lying under trees with their eyes closed, even studying at every possible place. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t even a tiny bit jealous. Uni life intrigued him so much, he couldn't wait to graduate and move out to what looked like a haven for his troubled mind.

Friday night found both siblings sitting on the couch in silence. Neither of them had the energy or the will to go somewhere and do something, nevertheless keeping each other company was more than they could ask for. Takehiko was deeply focused on his brand new comic (kindly sponsored by his sister), while Ayaka, lying down with her feet on Takehiko’s lap, was browsing the web on her phone, idly scrolling through pictures of friends and famous people. To their surprise, her phone suddenly began vibrating and loudly ringing in the girl's hands, interrupting the comforting silence between them.

"What does he want now?" Ayaka complained in a low voice and brought the small device next to her ear. "Aya speaking!… All good, just hanging out. Everything’s alright with you? Done with your work?... Of course, please, do drop by!... Oh, yeah, I'm sure he'll be glad to see you again... Okay, but don't be too late. Oh, can you please bring some takeaway? I'm starving but I'm too lazy to move… Pizza?" Ayaka said and lightly kicked her brother’s outer thigh.

 "No pineapple," Takehiko mumbled behind his comic.

"Yeah, pizza sounds good. Get whatever you like but get at least one with pepperoni. No pineapple. See ya soon!"

Ayaka got off the phone and looked at her brother. "It was Ocean. He says he'll come over to hang out once he’s finished with work." Takehiko hummed indifferently, turned a page in his book and continued reading. "Is your comic super interesting?"

"Super. "

"Wow, so much enthusiasm Také, try not to shit yourself," said Ayaka, got up and disappeared out of the room.

Takehiko remained in his seat reading unbothered, barely moving any muscles other than his hands. Not before long, the doorbell rang. The boy sprung up from the couch, comic always on hand, and dragged himself towards the door. It was Ocean, a wide smile stubbornly stuck on his face and a small stack of pizzas pleasantly warming his arms and his heart.

"Are y’all up for a movie?"

"Sure," Takehiko muttered and turned around to go back to his seat.

Ocean reluctantly closed the door behind him. He left the stack of pizzas on a counter and joined the boy. "So… Is Aya here?" 

Takehiko remained silent but his eyes seemed concerned as if he was holding his breath to listen. He really had no clue. Then a stream of water falling was heard and the boy sighed with relief. "She's having a shower, I suppose."

A few minutes of dead silence later, Ayaka came out of the bathroom, with a towel wrapped around her small body. When her eyes met Ocean’s, she turned on her heels and dashed into the bedroom screeching.

"Hello to ye too, wee tits," Ocean said loudly, chuckling at Ayaka's embarrassed reaction. "Guess I came too early, that’s a first… Right! Now. What kind of movies do you like?" he asked and scooted closer to Takehiko. "Got any preference?"

"I don't care," Takehiko said, put his book away and crossed his arms in his chest.

"How about we stare at each other until someone blinks?"

Takehiko let out a puff of air and snickered to the blond's suggestion. "Crime’s good, I guess."

"Grand! With guns, cars, mafia, all that?"

"That and a good plot is always appreciated," the boy replied and paused to think. "Something like ‘Scarface’, y'know? I've been told ‘The Usual Suspects' is great. Have you seen that?"