Kousuke slowly rolls his chair away from his computer, unable to fully process the mistake he had just made. After circling once, he thinks aloud.
Well…
He rolls back to his computer, opens a new tab and quickly searches for next flights out of the country.
After a few, deafeningly silent moments with his thoughts, Kousuke can no longer stand his guilt.
“WHAT HAVE I DONE?!”
He yells, falling to the floor, smacking his face with his sweaty hands.
“It’s already too late, she’s gonna see it, if only I had saved my money with that less sensitive mouse Hiroshi was convincing me to buy-”
Like a rice cake on a pan, Kousuke begins frying around on the floor unable to cope with his fate.
After a few moments of exerting his anxiety, he calmly gets up.
Walking over to his computer, he pathetically unlikes the photo, knowing it’s too late anyway.
He closes his computer, his sweaty hand leaving a print on the top half.
“I’ll just go to bed now.” He groans. “My chances with her are finished anyway.”
He flops onto his bed, his mattress practically sucking him in.
Keeping his phone in his hand, he disappointingly drifts off to sleep.
Kousuke finds himself in a room he doesn’t recognize, Sayuri, lying provocatively on a bed decorated with flowers, dawned in short, black, kimono lingerie. Red stick on her already luscious lips.
“Miss Sayuri? What are you doing here?” Kousuke asks nervously.
She yawns elegantly,
“Oh no reason, just for you I suppose.”
Her delicate fingers run up her leg, almost allowing the skirt to ride up, revealing more of her bare legs.
“Do you like what you see Kou-chan?” She asks, blowing him a kiss. Her voice is as smooth as the lingerie she wears.
“Of course I do! But uh- this is taking things a bit fast isn’t it?”
She waves him to come closer, “Aww don’t be like that Kou-chan…” She purrs.
Unable to contain his excitement, he begins walking closer, only to find himself at the entrance to the room again.
Huh, weird…
He begins taking longer steps to reach her.
Ah here we go, it’s finally time!
Landing his feet one step closer, he finds himself at the entrance to the room again.
“Sorry miss Sayuri, I’ll be there in a second.” He nervously laughs.
He begins running.
He breaks out of whatever was keeping him back, tripping and landing face first into her breasts.
“You know it’s creepy to stalk people on the internet.” He hears in an all too familiar voice.
He looks up to see Haruka looking down at him disgustingly.
“YOU! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?” Kousuke protests In anger and disappointment.
She crosses her arms, “Keeping you in check that’s what!”
She smacks his face and he wakes up.
GASP
He finds himself in his bed, the morning rain as his natural alarm clock.
That was such a scary dream. He reaches to feel his racing heart through his chest.
He promptly gets out of bed and grabs his cell phone, the texture cold and slippery from his panic the night before.
“Oh man, I can’t believe what happened yesterday.” He reflects, bobbing his head.
He thinks for a moment, a lightbulb going off a moment after.
“I got it!” he exclaims while getting into the shower, the steam fogging up the mirrors and glass as he monologues.
“I’ll just act like nothing happened! Surely she gets a lot of notifications! She wouldn’t be able to tell one from the couple hundred she probably gets daily!”
He dries himself off, the cool chill of his apartment stinging him, while he dresses.
Okay, today’s plan, visit her with the gift, and avoid Haruka.
He takes a deep breath and opens his door to leave, grabbing the bag of goods for her on the way out.
At least the weather is familiar,
Kousuke walked to the stairs, the metal beneath him making a clang sound as his heart began to race.
Kousuke checks his phone on what feels like the longest walk ever.
9:00 huh? I hope she’s awake.
Arriving at her door, and seeing her nametag on the door, he places the gift bag on the ground.
He nervously gives the door a couple knocks.
Huh… is nobody home? I don’t hear any footsteps.
Kousuke tries to drown out the sound of the rain with his concentration.
He knocks once again, the cold steel of the door stinging his knuckles.
“Ms. Sayuri!” He calls. “You’re probably busy, I’m gonna come by later!”
He sighs and takes the bag with him, dragging his feet to the nearest coffee shop.
The rain hummed with his stride
Upon entering his local coffee shop, he ordered a black coffee, and took a seat at a booth in the corner.
The rain lashed against the coffee shop window, and Kousuke stared at the rivulets running down the glass, his thoughts far from the storm outside.
He stirred his coffee absently, the spoon clinking softly against the ceramic cup.
It wasn’t like him to sit here so long, but then again, nothing about the past twenty-four hours had gone like it was supposed to.
He should never have been on her profile in the first place. That was the core of it—the part he couldn’t shake. It wasn’t just the accidental like, though that had been humiliating enough. It was the fact that he’d let himself get carried away at all, scrolling through someone’s carefully curated life like it was his business. She wasn’t just some random person online; she was real. Right next door.
His chest tightened at the memory of her profile picture: that effortless smile, her hair catching the light like some actress in an old Showa movie. And that photo—the one he’d liked—was something else entirely. Revealing swimsuit, bright beach, and confidence that felt galaxies away from anything he’d ever known.
He scrubbed a hand over his face and leaned back in his seat. What the hell were you even thinking, Kousuke?
He wasn’t. That was the answer. Just like he hadn’t been thinking when he hovered outside her door earlier, debating whether to knock. The weight of his own stupidity had been too much, and yet the thought of doing nothing felt worse.
But what could I possibly say?
He leaned forward again, elbows on the table, staring at the coffee. A note might work. Short, apologetic, and vague enough to avoid outright admitting what had happened. Something like, Sorry if I made you uncomfortable, though even that felt like it might make things worse. What if she hadn’t noticed until the note brought it to her attention?
Sorry for liking your photo like a creep. I promise I’m not stalking you. Yeah, that would go over well.
No. He couldn’t go there. No knocking, no notes, no more digging himself deeper into this already awkward hole.
It wasn’t the like itself that haunted him, though—it was the bigger picture.
It was the way he’d lost control of himself for even a moment, letting curiosity and loneliness get the better of him.
She probably wasn’t even thinking about it.
Meanwhile, here he was, a third-year university student stewing in a coffee shop, obsessing over a mistake that was probably invisible to her.
HE was invisible to her, A girl like that? Hell, she probably found it funny if she even did see it.
Grow up, he thought bitterly, taking a sip of his bitter coffee. But the knot in his chest didn’t loosen.
His hand twitched at his anxiety, almost a comedic situation.
Kousuke was halfway through his mental scolding when a tray clattered onto the table in front of him, jolting him out of his thoughts.
“Kousuke. You look like you’ve been hit by a truck.”
He blinked, caught off guard as he looked up to see Saki—a friend of a friend he knew from a few group hangouts.
Saki had a striking presence with her sharp features framed by a messy, layered wolf cut. The shorter strands at the top of her head fell just above her cheekbones, while the longer layers grazed her shoulders. Her outfit was simple but stylish, fitting the cool, rainy weather.
She wore a fitted black turtleneck under a long, oversized green raincoat that fell to mid-thigh, with the sleeves slightly rolled up.
Dark, slim-fit jeans hugged her legs, tucked into sleek ankle boots that added a touch of refinement.
She didn’t care about making an impression, even though she undoubtedly did.
Cheeks red slightly from the rain, and an expression that was equal parts nosy and amused.
She slid into the seat across from him, setting down a coffee and a pastry.
“Oh, Saki,” he muttered, sitting up straighter. “Hey.”
She pointed at him with her coffee cup. “What’s with the ‘uh, hey’? You look like someone canceled your favorite anime mid-season.”
She took a sip, raising an eyebrow as she studied him. “Seriously, you okay?”
Kousuke hesitated. He barely knew her—not well enough to unpack this. “I’m fine. Just... thinking about school stuff.”
Saki snorted. “Liar. No one looks that depressed over school unless they bombed finals. And it’s not finals season, so—spill.”
He gave her a look, part incredulous, part exhausted. “Do you always barge into people’s lives like this?”
“Pretty much,” she said cheerfully, tearing off a piece of her pastry. “Besides, you’re the one who’s sitting here looking like a moody loser from a light novel. You can’t blame me for being curious.”
Kousuke sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s nothing, really.”
“Nothing’ doesn’t put that look on your face,” she pressed, leaning forward slightly. “But whatever. If you don’t wanna talk about it, that’s cool. Just thought I’d check before I left you to your brooding.”
Her bluntness was disarming, and Kousuke found himself almost smiling despite himself. “It's just girl problems... You don’t have to babysit me.”
“Good, because I’m terrible with kids.” She grinned, leaning back and picking up her coffee again. “Anyway, are you heading to the study meet-up tomorrow? Hiroshi’s bringing lunch, which, knowing him, means bento for six people.”
Kousuke blinked. “There’s a meet-up tomorrow?”
Saki frowned. “Didn’t Hiroshi tell you?”
“Nope.”
“Typical.” She rolled her eyes. “Well, now you know. Same spot as last time. Don’t flake; we might need your notes.”
“Got it,” Kousuke said, his voice quieter now. “But apparently Hiroshi didn’t tell YOU he’s out of town.”
“HUH?” She asks in a slight.
“Guess that just means you and me.” Kousuke sighs
She palms her face, “Oh great… the mediator is gone.”
“Nagoya,” He bluntly says. “I guess he didn’t get around to telling you."
“I guess I wasn’t important enough to tell…” She groans, half jokingly.
She places her head on the table and looks out the window glumly.
“Does this weather ever make you feel hopeless?” She groans, “This city is hopeless.”
Kousuke ignores her and continues to sip his coffee.
“Say, you said you were having girl problems right?” She says while grinning at him, head still on the table.
“I am, and I regret saying that, it’s none of your business.” He bluntly replies.
Saki leaned back in her seat, casually adjusting the strap of her bag, her gaze still focused on Kousuke, who was nursing his cold coffee in silence.
The tension between them felt thick—he was still lost in his thoughts, and she, well, she clearly had something on her mind.
“Okay,” she said, breaking the silence, her voice laced with a knowing tone. “I know you’re not one to ask for advice, but I’m gonna give you some anyway.”
Kousuke glanced up, startled by her directness. He opened his mouth, about to protest, but she didn’t give him a chance.
"Girls, Kousuke,”
she continued, her tone light, but the glint in her eyes suggested she was used to people taking her seriously. “If you’re trying to figure out what they want, it's not as hard as you think. You just gotta... pay attention, you know?”
He shifted uncomfortably, looking down at his phone, trying to find something to focus on other than her eyes, which were studying him carefully.
"I’m not—" He started, but Saki cut him off with a playful smirk.
“Not what? Not interested? Or not willing to talk about it?”
Kousuke’s cheeks warmed slightly. He wasn’t sure what was worse: the fact that Saki was trying to offer advice, or that she could see right through him.
"It's not—" He swallowed, trying to sound less awkward. "I’m not really looking for advice."
Saki raised an eyebrow, not entertained.
“Oh really? Because you’ve been sitting here staring into that coffee cup like it’s your therapist. Not exactly not thinking about something.”
Kousuke sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s... nothing, really. Just... dumb stuff.”
Saki laughed, a sound that felt more condecending than anything else.
“You’re telling me you’ve got nothing on your mind, and I’m supposed to believe that?”
Kousuke shook his head, still avoiding her gaze. “It’s not something I want to talk about.”
She leaned forward slightly, her voice lowering to a more serious tone.
“Well, if you change your mind, just know I’ve got some solid wisdom. Whether you want it or not.”
Kousuke met her gaze for a moment, then nodded, feeling a bit uncomfortable but appreciative in a weird way.
“Thanks, but I think I’ll pass for now.”
She shrugged, as if she’d expected that answer.
“Your loss. But hey, just remember—if you want to understand people, you’ve gotta stop overthinking so much. Girls especially.”
With that, she gave him one last look and got up to leave, leaving Kousuke to stew in his thoughts a little longer, still not entirely sure how to process what had just happened.
She's right though, He thinks to himself.
A moment passes while he finishes his coffee, the door chime of Saki leaving already finished.
The walk back felt longer, each step heavy, yet he seemed hopeful.
The sun split through the dark clouds, barely noticable, but it was there.
Each beam of sunlight he saw was strength to take one more step.
I'm going to her place,
he thought,
nothing happened.
Making it to the complex, he sets his bag full of her things down once again in front of her door,
The seconds stretched out, and Kousuke found himself knocking lightly on her door, the sound sharper than he expected.
He took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
The door opened, and she stood there, a little surprised to see him. Her hair was damp from the rain, and she wore a cozy sweater. She smiled, but it seemed reserved.
Kousuke stood outside her door, hands in his pockets. The awkwardness still lingered, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. He had to get some clarity.
"Kousuke?" she said, her voice cautious. "What’s up?"
Kousuke hesitated. "I, uh, thought I’d stop by. Was heading back to my place and saw you were home... so I figured I’d say hi."
She looked at him, waiting for him to continue.
"I didn’t know if you were busy," he added. "Just thought I’d see if you wanted to chat. But... maybe not?"
She paused before responding. "It’s not that... I'm just busy. Maybe some other time?"
As he was about to speak, he noticed movement inside. Through the small crack in the door, he saw a man standing in the background. Kousuke froze. Was that her boyfriend? He couldn’t be sure, but the guy looked comfortable.
She stepped forward, blocking his view. "I really need to go now," she said, her tone firmer. "We can talk later."
Kousuke nodded. “Sure, another time.”
The door clicked shut, leaving him standing in the rain.
ED Chapter 4.
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