Not a So Harmonious Visitor

The two of them sat side by side on the couch, watching TV. The only sounds in the room were Hana’s reactions and the crinkling of the snack bag she held over the blanket on her lap. Both were glued to the screen.

That day’s episode of Flowers of Tomorrow was slower and more emotional, but even so, they couldn’t take their eyes off it, completely hypnotized by what was unfolding in front of them.

In the scene, the protagonist held the hand of a wounded friend, refusing to let her go. Beside Shinya, Hana was fully focused on the story. And he was fully focused on her.

It was something he couldn’t help. From time to time, he felt the urge to look at her. Maybe it was to see if she was uncomfortable in some way… or maybe it was something else. He didn’t understand why he reacted like that. He only knew that, before he realized it, his eyes were fixed on her delicate face, watching those blue eyes.

When he turned his attention back to the TV, he studied the scene as if attending a lecture, trying to understand the meaning behind every gesture. He didn’t know why the man was holding his friend’s hand like that, but it seemed to convey a sense of care or comfort.

He looked to the side, at Hana’s hand resting on the blanket. And, as if wanting to experience it for himself, he reached out and held her hand, mimicking the scene. He felt the warmth of her body and the soft touch of her well-cared-for skin.

“When someone’s hurt… is it normal to hold their hand like this?” he asked.

Even he was surprised by the sudden gesture. He hadn’t thought much before acting. By the time he realized it, their fingers were already entwined.

Hana’s cheeks flushed almost instantly. Her mind screamed at her to pull her hand away, but her body didn’t respond. It was like some part of her didn’t want that contact to end.

“Well… it depends on the moment. You can’t just do that out of nowhere…”

“But you didn’t pull your hand away,” Shinya noted.

Time seemed to stop as their eyes stayed locked. Shinya got lost in the sparkle of Hana’s eyes, and she in his.

The silence was broken by the sound of the doorbell. Like a trigger, the chime made them let go of each other’s hands immediately. Hana stood up, looking away, while Shinya adjusted his posture on the couch.

The doorbell rang again, insistently. Already walking toward the door, Hana called out, “Mayu, can’t you wait a little?”

The girl who entered the apartment had brown hair, not as long as Hana’s, and carried a light, carefree energy, like someone who had just walked out of a café after laughing for hours, even if no one else had been there.

“Wow,” she said with a smile, scanning the room. “So this is where the lovebirds live?”

“Mayu!” Hana protested.

“What? I just wanted to see for myself if this guy’s treating my Hana right.”

She slipped off her shoes with the ease of someone who’d done it a hundred times before. Her playful smile and genuine sparkle in her eyes met Shinya’s gaze. He watched her with his usual neutral expression, trying to figure out this energetic being who had just burst in.

“So you’re the guy. Honestly, I thought you’d be older. Or weirder.”

Mayu stepped closer, sizing Shinya up like she could read his soul just by looking. A drop of sweat trailed down his neck under her gaze.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Mayu, Hana’s best friend. And just a heads-up, the dating line for me is full.”

“I’m Shinya.”

“One name, huh? Very mysterious drama guy vibe,” she said, raising an eyebrow. Then she turned to Hana with a sly grin. “So is he here because he had nowhere else to go or because he wanted to be close to you?”

“Mayu!” Hana nearly choked, grabbing her friend’s arm, her face as red as a tomato.

“What? I just asked a totally innocent question,” Mayu said with a laugh.

Her eyes wandered around the room, the snack bag on the couch, the TV still playing the drama. Then she looked back at Hana.

“I didn’t interrupt anything romantic, did I?”

Realizing what her friend had picked up on, Hana dashed to the couch and, in seconds, snatched the snack bag, fluffed the pillows, and turned off the TV, like someone trying to erase every trace of a crime scene.

“Nope! Nothing at all!” she said, stumbling over her words.

Mayu stepped closer to Shinya. “So it wouldn’t be a problem if I tried to get close to your friend here, right, Hana? I mean, all this beauty shouldn’t go to waste.”

Shinya felt the warmth of her breath. Just like his first encounter with Hana, his body froze. Hana rushed over and gently pushed Mayu back.

“Stop it, Mayu! Why do you have to flirt with everyone?”

She turned to Shinya. “I’m sorry. She has this habit… and sometimes she takes it too far.”

“Oh, it was just a joke, my sweet Hana. But fine, I got the message,” Mayu said, still grinning mischievously, her eyes catching the color in Hana’s face.

Still a bit confused, Shinya turned to Hana. “Is she always like this?”

“Worse. She’s actually being kind of calm today,” Hana sighed.

Mayu simply smiled, satisfied. As much as she teased, there was something in her gaze, a subtle glimmer, like there was more behind the provocations.

“Mayu, please. Sit down and behave while I make us some tea,” Hana said, heading to the kitchen.

Mayu sat on the far end of the couch, throwing Shinya a few glances as she turned the TV back on.

“Sorry about that, Shinya,” she said, sounding sincere, though her eyes said something else. “Seeing how Hana reacted, I’ll stop teasing you guys. For now.”

She got comfortable, and Shinya just tried to recover from the little scene he’d witnessed. He figured the two were really close, maybe even more than he had imagined.

“It’s okay…” he replied.

“You seem pretty at home here, huh?”

There was something in her tone that felt heavier than the words themselves. Still, he answered, “Well… Hana does everything to make me feel welcome, so I can’t complain.”

“You two seem pretty close,” she said with a slight smirk, head tilted.

“You could say that. We live together, so we’re always around each other.”

Mayu burst into laughter. The blunt response caught her off guard.

“I think this is going to be interesting,” she said. But Shinya didn’t quite understand what she meant.

Hana returned with the tea and sat between the two of them on the couch. Mayu noticed and shot her a knowing look.

“Not that I wanted to interrupt, because it was very entertaining,” Hana said, glaring at Mayu. “But here’s your tea. And Flowers of Tomorrow is still on.”

“All good,” Mayu replied, amused.

Mayu’s arrival had been sudden, but not entirely unpleasant. Shinya felt that, despite her teasing nature, she genuinely cared about Hana. Maybe her jokes were just a way to protect someone she held dear.

The three of them watched the drama for a while, each reacting in their own way. Hana made quiet comments, trying to hide her shyness when an intense scene came on. Mayu let out discreet laughs whenever she caught Shinya sneaking glances at Hana. As for him, he tried to understand the meaning behind each emotion, both on and off the screen.

When the credits began to roll, Mayu stretched dramatically, like someone announcing it was time to leave.

“See you another day, Hanabug,” said Mayu. “Nice meeting you, Shinya.”

“Nice meeting you too…”

“Come by more often, Mayu. But give me a heads-up next time, so I can prepare,” Hana said.

“Prepare? Sure,” her friend replied.

“Okay, enough with those ideas,” Hana said, nudging Mayu toward the door. “Shinya, I’m walking her down. Be right back.”

Hana shut the door behind them, and the two disappeared. Alone, Shinya had a moment to reflect on everything that had happened that day.

Mayu seemed friendly, if a bit intrusive. But there was something about her that sparked reactions in Hana he had never seen before. When she showed up, when Hana sat between them, even while they watched the drama, everything revealed a new side of her. One that was even more fascinating.

And then, there was that moment when he held her hand…

Shinya’s face warmed. It was a moment hard to put into words. All he knew was that it felt special, and not unpleasant at all.

Trying out things he had seen on TV seemed to work. He was able to provoke different reactions in Hana. But the more he tried, the more confused he became. Like when she talked about the cake, it seemed like she liked it, but her voice had come out as a whisper, almost hesitant.

Even so, Shinya felt like he should keep trying. That, in time, the answers would come. Even to those new questions starting to surface. Questions about how he felt whenever he was near Hana. 

That strange thing that made his heart race and his hands sweat.