Starry Nights Pt. 2

"Ah, Noa," Mira called out. "I almost forgot—I need to tell you something."

"Huh? What is it?" I asked.

She leaned in slightly, lowering her voice. "It's a secret. For your ears only."

Yoko crossed her arms, raising a skeptical brow. "A secret? Since when were you two close enough to be sharing those?"

"Yeah, Mira," Nabi mumbled, her tone dripping with suspicion. "What's that all about?"

Mira stuck her tongue out playfully. "Oh, hush. Noa and I are closer than you think. In fact, I was the first one to meet his little sister."

"Eh?!" Suzu gasped.

Yoko exhaled sharply. "This is my first time hearing about this. Noa, is that true?"

They all turned to me, their heads twisting in eerie unison. A chill shot up my spine. Their stares were sharp—like I'd be done for if I answered wrong.

"Uh… I mean…"

"Speak clearly," Yoko demanded.

I gulped. "...Yeah, it's true."

Mira smirked triumphantly. "See?"

"B-but it was an accident! Nae wanted to go to the mall to buy a manga, so I went with her to make sure she was safe. Mira just happened to be there. That's all!"

"So it wasn't something you two planned together?" Suzu asked, narrowing her eyes.

"No, it wasn't."

She let out a relieved sigh. "Jeez, Mira, you made it sound like something way more dramatic."

Mira huffed proudly. "Fufu~ Say what you want, but I was still the first to meet her. Who else here can say that?"

A beat of silence. Then—

"Well..." Nabi mumbled.

We all turned to her, blinking. Out of everyone, I least expected her to speak up.

Wait... Is this going where I think it's going? Because if it is, then I need to stop her right now! Otherwise, they'll definitely misunderstand!

"Nabi—"

Too late.

"I was the first, and still the only one, to visit Noa's apartment," she said, as casually as one might mention the weather.

The silence that followed was deafening. Slowly, like stone statues creaking to life, their heads turned to me again, each stare more threatening than the last.

"Noa…?" Mira muttered dangerously. "What is she talking about?"

"W-why are you asking me?!" I exclaimed. "She's the one who said it! Ask her!"

"Nabi?" Yoko prompted.

Nabi poked her cheek, feigning innocent thoughtfulness. But I knew damn well she was too smart to be that blissfully clueless.

"I don't remember how long ago, but I woke up from a nap with Noa's jacket on me," she explained. "I figured he must've left it because it was cold in the rehearsal room that day. So, I decided to return it."

"But how did you know where Noa lived?!" Suzu blurted. "He didn't tell you, did he?!"

"Nope. I grabbed it off his employment files."

"W-wha—"

Suzu turned to me, utterly baffled. I could only offer a shrug.

"See, now what the hell am I supposed to do about that?" I sighed.

Suzu groaned, dragging her hands down her face. "Unbelievable… First, Mira meets his little sister, and now Nabi's been to his apartment? What's next? Yoko secretly knowing his childhood crush?"

Yoko chuckled, resting a hand on her hip. "Oh please. To be honest, Noa and I do share a small, tiny... moment, but we agreed not to talk about it. It's quite sensitive, you see. His childhood crush, though? Hehe. If I knew something like that, I would've used it against him ages ago."

"Glad to know you'd weaponize my past," I scowled.

"Oh, absolutely."

Suzu sighed dramatically, throwing her hands up. "I feel left out! Everyone has these secret Noa moments except me! What do I have?"

I opened my mouth, then hesitated. "Uh… that one time you tripped, and I caught you before you face-planted?"

"That doesn't count! That was just basic human decency!"

"Hehe~ Are you really upset about this?" Yoko chuckled. "You spend the most time clinging to him during rehearsals."

Suzu flinched. "T-that's different! That's for, um… team bonding!"

"Team bonding?" Mira scoffed.

"Yes! That's exactly what it is! I do it with everyone!"

"You sure about that?" Yoko teased. "Because I've yet to see you 'bond' with Nabi like that."

Nabi, as if on cue, scooted further down the couch. "I-I would rather not, thanks."

Suzu crossed her arms with a huff. "Fine! Maybe I'll just have to create my own special Noa moment. Just you wait."

"That... sounds ominous," I mumbled.

Yoko grinned, throwing an arm over Suzu's shoulder. "Oh, don't worry, Noa. I'll make sure it's something memorable."

That only made it worse.

What is all of this anyway? This was supposed to be a chill evening hangout, so how did it turn into a competition about who has more secret moments with me? And what's more... How do they expect me to react when I'm clearly at the center of their attention? It's making my heart beat in ways I didn't even know was possible.

"That's it..." Suzu muttered as shot up. "I don't care anymore! I'm drinking! Where's the alcohol?!"

"S-so early?" Nabi gasped. "The sun's still up, though!"

"Nope! Don't care! Where do we keep our shot glasses at again?"

"Suzu! We need to do something at least! Ah! S-stop!"

While they flailed around in the kitchen, Yoko and Mira exchanged bland looks.

"Should probably go stop them before they make a mess," Mira said.

"Haa~ Fine." Yoko stood up after taking a sip of water. "Suzu! Nabi! Relax for a second!"

They were then joined by Yoko in a series of intelligible jabbering, but that time, Suzu had already taken two shots.

Mira, who was still next to me, let out a soft giggle. "Sorry, Noa. You must be disappointed that things turned out this way. I honestly didn't mean for Suzu to get as emotional as she did."

"It's fine," I said. "Not like it's the first time she's acted up."

I tilted my head to watch as the girls continued their back and forth. Yoko was doing her best to calm Suzu down while Nabi was holding her back.

Still... As chaotic as this situation was, I couldn't help but let out a chuckle. After all, this is what I signed up for. Can't say I expected anything less.

"What's so funny?" Mira asked.

"Nothing," I replied. "It's just... I can't believe it's been four months since I've met you guys. So much has happened—things I would never imagine in what used to be such a boring life."

"Heh. Are you now saying that your life is no longer boring?"

"Yeah. I guess so."

Mira grinned, seemingly satisfied with my answer, before turning her attention back to the chaos unfolding next to us.

Suzu had latched onto Yoko now, dramatically pleading her case. "You're always so serious, Yoko! Just one drink! Come on, let loose with me!"

Yoko sighed, placing a firm finger on Suzu's forehead to keep her at arm's length. "I am loose. However, I'm also responsible enough to not day drink."

"Boo! No fun!" Suzu pouted, then turned around. "Nabi! Back me up here!"

Nabi, who was still trying to pry the bottle from Suzu's grip, shook her head frantically. "No! You need to stop before you—"

Before she could finish, Suzu suddenly wrapped her arms around her, squeezing her tightly. "I love you, Nabi. You're so cute. Let's drink together."

"H-hey! Don't say weird things all of a sudden!"

Yoko put a hand on her forehead and sighed. "Alright, that's it. You're done."

With one swift motion, she plucked the bottle out of Suzu's hands, much to her dismay.

"Wha—hey! That's mine!"

"No, it's mine now." Yoko took the cap and twisted it back on. "And it's going back where it belongs."

Suzu slumped onto the table with a defeated groan, while Nabi let out a relieved sigh, finally free from her predator's grasp. Mira chuckled beside me, clearly entertained.

"And just like that, order has been restored," she said.

I shook my head, letting out a breath of amusement. "Yeah… for now."

The conversation drifted into lighter topics after that. They talked about upcoming events, teased each other about embarrassing moments from past performances, and debated over what to eat tomorrow. Every now and then, Yoko would sigh, Mira would throw in a snarky remark, Nabi would try to keep up, and Suzu—well, she'd make her presence known whether anyone wanted her to or not.

And me? I just sat there, listening. Watching. Taking it all in.

At some point, I leaned back against the couch, staring at the ceiling as their voices blended into the background.

Four months.

That's all it's been.

Four months ago, I was just a guy who wanted to be left alone. I didn't care about meeting new people. I didn't care about anything outside of working and making sure Nae had a good life. If someone had told me back then that I'd be sitting here, surrounded by these girls and actually enjoying their company, I wouldn't have believed them.

Yet, here I am.

I won't pretend that everything is different now. I'm still me. I still have my doubts, my regrets, and the weight of everything I've been through. But somewhere along the way… something changed.

I don't know when it happened, but somewhere between all the teasing, the bickering, and the unexpected moments of honesty… I stopped feeling like an outsider.

I exhaled, letting my eyes drift back to the girls.

Suzu was still sulking over her confiscated drink, Nabi was trying to reassure her, Mira was grinning at their antics, and Yoko was watching over them all with that usual air of quiet amusement.

This was my life now. For the first time in a long time… I was okay with that.

"Whoa, whoa! She's got a bottle!" Mira shouted. "Suzu! Drop the bottle now!"

I turned over to see Mira cautiously approaching Suzu, who had somehow retrieved the bottle that Yoko had taken away.

"Phew~ Karaoke kind of sounds nice right now, don't ya guys think?" Suzu grinned, her cheeks flushing red.

"S-Suzu...!" Nabi exclaimed in her usual quiet tone.

"Ah, come on, guys! The night's still young!"

"The night's not even here yet!"

I glanced over at Yoko, who seemed like she had given up on the situation entirely.

"Aren't you gonna stop her?" I chuckled.

"Nope," she said with her eyes closed. "It's Mira's turn to do the dirty work."

"Hah..."

Of course, I was a fool for believing the chaos would settle so soon. When it comes to these girls, there will never be a moment of peace.

And you know what? Maybe I can live with that.

Normal Days, Starry Nights: End of Vol. 1