The danger next door

After school, Ayan Shouta took a different path than most of his classmates.

Instead of heading straight home, he wandered into a quiet side street lined with small shops and cafes—until he found what he was looking for.

A bright sign above a cozy store read:

Pixel Point – Games & Goods

He stepped inside, browsed a little, and picked up the new game he had been eyeing for weeks—just released in Japan.

As he exited the store, the game in a small paper bag, a voice called out to him.

“Mister! Mister! Is that the new game?!”

Shouta looked down.

A middle schooler stood in front of him, eyes wide, practically sparkling with curiosity.

His schoolbag dangled from one arm, and his face was flushed with excitement.

Shouta nodded. “Uh… yeah. It just came out today.”

The boy’s eyes lit up even more.

“I really wanted to play that too, but my parents won’t buy it! They said I already have enough games…” he muttered with a pout.

Shouta glanced at him.

He’s really into it.

He paused, then remembered—this game supported two-player mode.

Normally, he played alone… mostly because White, his dog, didn’t let anyone near enough to sit beside him.

But today?

He smiled faintly.

“Wanna try playing it together?”

The boy blinked. “R-Really?!”

“Yeah. Why not?”

The boy’s grin stretched ear to ear.

“I’m Shin Haruna! Nice to meet you!”

Shouta gave a polite nod. “Ayan Shouta. Nice to meet you too, Haruna-kun.”

As they walked together down the block, Shin looked up at him.

“You don’t look like you’re from around here,” he said, tilting his head.

Shouta smiled a little. “My mom’s from India. My dad’s Japanese.”

“Cool! So you're like… half and half? That’s awesome!”

Soon, they arrived at Shin’s house—a two-floor building next to a small flower shop that was still open, the sweet scent of petals floating into the street.

The front door had a little bell, and potted flowers lined the step. Colorful, peaceful, and full of warmth.

Shin led him to the door, pulled it open, and called, “I’m home!”

From inside, a voice replied, “Welcome back.”

A woman peeked from the flower counter—short hair, apron dusted with pollen, and gentle eyes that turned surprised when she saw Shouta.

Her brows lifted slightly.

“Ah… Shin? Who’s this?”

“This is my new friend!” Shin beamed. “He said we can play the new game together!”

The woman looked at Shouta, clearly noting the age difference.

He gave a small bow.

“Excuse me for intruding.”

There was a pause… then a soft smile.

“Well, a friend of Shin’s is welcome here. Come in.”

In the corner of the cozy living room, the television glowed brightly with vibrant fantasy colors.

Onscreen: pixelated dragons, glowing spells, and flashing swords.

“Dungeon Master — The MMORPG”

Japan’s latest hit game where players teamed up to conquer dungeons, fight monsters, and earn loot.

Shin Haruna gripped the controller tightly, eyes locked on the screen.

His character — a broad-shouldered warrior — swung a massive sword, charging headfirst into a mob of skeletons.

Beside him, Shouta, calm as ever, tapped button combos with practiced ease.

His chosen avatar? A female mage in crimson robes, raining fireballs down from a cliff above.

“You take aggro, I’ll blast from behind,” Shouta said casually.

“On it!” Shin yelled, voice full of excitement.

Time passed.

The outside light faded slowly, twilight creeping into the windows.

From the nearby kitchen, Shin’s mother peeked in.

“Dinner will be ready soon.”

Neither of them responded. They were far too immersed.

The only sound was the game music and Shin yelling, “Ultimate Slash—YES!!”

Then—

The front door creaked open.

The hallway filled with familiar footsteps.

A voice called out, slightly tired, slightly irritated.

“I’m home.”

Shin perked up, eyes still on the screen.

“Welcome back, sis!”

From beside him, Shouta added politely, “Welcome home.”

The voice called back again, flatly. “Yeah…”

The footsteps continued for a second…

Then stopped.

Silence.

Then—quick footsteps returning, hard and fast.

Shouta looked up from the screen.

Standing in the hallway, eyes wide, mouth parted, frozen like someone had just hit pause on her life—

Was Yuzuki Haruna.

She stared at him in disbelief.

“You?!”

Shouta blinked, calmly pausing the game.

He looked back at her.

“…It’s you.”

Yuzuki pointed dramatically.

“W-What are you doing in my house?!”

“I was invited,” he replied, cool and completely unbothered.

Shin turned his head in surprise. “Huh? You two know each other?”

Yuzuki’s face twitched. She opened her mouth—then closed it—then opened it again.

“This can’t be happening.”

She was this close to collapsing on the spot.

—

Yuzuki stood silently in the hallway, watching Shouta and her little brother, Shin, casually playing video games on the living room floor.

He was just sitting there. Comfortable. Relaxed. Acting like this was his house now.

He knows.

He found out everything—my apartment, my lies…

Her hands trembled slightly at her sides.

It’s over. He’s going to expose me. He’ll ruin everything.

In her mind, she saw the worst.

Her classmates laughing.

Girls whispering behind her back.

Her popularity collapsing like a house of cards.

She pictured Shouta, now sitting on a golden throne in the classroom, smugly pointing at her.

“Everyone, look at this liar! She doesn’t even own a mansion!”

“Bow to your new popular king!”

Beside him, even Miyako was laughing, arm-in-arm with him.

And Yuzuki?

Mopping the classroom floor in shame.

“I’ll get your lunch, Your Highness…” she muttered in her fantasy.

“Yuzuki?”

She snapped out of it.

No. This isn’t the end. I won’t go down that easily!

She took a breath and listened as Shin casually chatted with Shouta.

“I didn’t know you and Sis are in the same year at school!”

Shouta nodded, half-focused on the screen. “Yeah. Kinda a coincidence.”

“You know, I always wanted a big brother like you,” Shin grinned.

Yuzuki’s eyebrow twitched.

Oh no. Not him too…

Then their mother walked in with a warm smile. “Shouta-kun, would you like to stay for dinner?”

Shouta stood politely and shook his head. “Thank you, but I should head home. It’s already late.”

Shin tugged on his sleeve. “Come on! Just one meal!”

Yuzuki stared at the scene like it was some twisted soap opera.

He’s taking my brother. My mother. First Miyako, then the class, now my family…

He’s playing a long game.

I have to act before he makes his next move.

As Shouta picked up his game case and walked to the door, Shin ran after him.

“Come back again soon! We’ll finish the next dungeon!”

Shouta gave a faint smile. “Sure.”

Once he stepped outside, Yuzuki followed him and closed the door behind them.

She crossed her arms, standing beneath the soft glow of the porch light.

“Alright,” she said sharply. “What are you plotting?”

Shouta turned, confused. “Huh?”

“Don’t play dumb. I know you’re planning to expose me in front of everyone.”

“…Why would I do that?” he asked, genuinely puzzled.

She blinked.

Wait… does he really not know?

Her mind raced.

That’s right… I never said I lived here. He never saw my post about the dog. I… might still be safe!

She straightened up and brushed it off.

“W-Whatever! Just… don’t cause trouble.”

Shouta shrugged and turned away.

She narrowed her eyes. “Hey, wait—where are you going now?”

He pointed toward the side.

“To my place. I live next door,” he said, nodding to the giant five-star apartment building next to her flower shop.

Yuzuki’s face dropped. “Huh?!”

She stared at the building, then back at him.

“You’ve been living next to me this whole time?!”

He casually pulled out a card key, held it to the scanner, and the sleek glass door opened with a quiet ding.

“Yep. Top floor,” he said.

Without another word, he walked inside, disappearing behind the doors of the luxury tower.

Yuzuki stood there, completely still.

Mouth slightly open. Hair swaying in the wind.

“…This guy…”

He’s literally living the life I pretend to have?!

—

The classroom buzzed as usual with morning chatter. Students filtered in, and desks clicked into place.

At her seat, Yuzuki Haruna sat with her signature grace, fixing her hair by the window while Miyako Airi stood beside her.

But today… there was an intruder.

Ayaka Kanazaki.

The gossip queen. The rumor-spreader. The girl who could destroy reputations before lunch break.

She leaned against Yuzuki’s desk with a smug smile.

Yuzuki narrowed her eyes. “Why are you sitting with us?”

Kanazaki gave a playful smirk. “What? Can’t I hang out with my new friends?”

Miyako tilted her head. “Isn’t it nice, though? The more the merrier.”

Easy for you to say, Miyako! You’re safe. I’m the one on a time bomb!

Yuzuki subtly glanced toward the back of the room where Shouta was already at his desk, calmly reading something.

He didn’t say anything yesterday. Not to anyone. So maybe I’m still safe…

But tomorrow…

Tomorrow was Saturday.

Miyako and Kanazaki were planning to come to her house.

Her fake house.

To see her fake dog.

No. If I cancel, Kanazaki will get suspicious. She’s already sniffing around like a bloodhound in lip gloss.

Then…

The sound she dreaded.

“Shouta-kun! Shouta-kun!” Kanazaki called, waving her phone.

“Have you seen this post? It’s Haruna-san’s dog! Isn’t it adorable?”

She spun her phone around to show Shouta Yuzuki’s social media.

The photo of White — fluffy, angelic, stolen.

No no no no no—

Shouta blinked, looked at the screen, and said slowly,

“…That’s my—”

“AYAKAAA~!!”

Suddenly, Yuzuki lunged forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Kanazaki’s waist from behind, pressing her cheek to her back.

Her chest squished firmly against Ayaka’s back.

The entire classroom froze.

Ayaka’s body stiffened.

Her ears turned red… then her neck… then her entire face.

“W-W-What are you doing?!”

A comical sizzling sound could almost be heard as steam poured from her head.

Then—splat! A thin stream of blood dripped from her nose.

She stumbled forward, slapped both hands over her face, and spun around in full panic.

“Y-Y-Y-You IDIOT!! Wh-Why would you do that?! Are you out of your mind?!”

Yuzuki, keeping the brightest fake smile in existence, chirped,

“I just thought… we should be friends, Ayaka~ Don’t you think so?”

Ayaka backed away, completely flustered.

“W-Wh-What kind of sneak attack was that?! You can't just press your… stuff on someone like that!!”

Yuzuki tilted her head innocently. “Stuff~?”

Ayaka’s face lit up again. “DON’T ACT CUTE WITH ME!”

Unable to handle it, she turned on her heel and ran straight out of the classroom, shouting:

“You’re a stupid demon, Yuzuki Harunaaa!!”

The classroom was silent for a beat.

Miyako blinked. Then clapped her hands gently.

“Aww, that was sweet. You two are bonding~”

Yuzuki wiped an invisible tear and muttered, “Crisis averted.”

Meanwhile, from the back of the room, Shouta stared at the now-empty doorway.

Then back at Yuzuki.

Then at the phone.

“…What just happened?”

—

After the chaos of the morning, the classroom slowly returned to something resembling normal.

English class started.

And to no one’s surprise, Shouta was amazing at it.

When the teacher asked him to read, his pronunciation was clean, confident, and perfectly paced.

Even students who usually dozed off were listening.

When he translated the sentence flawlessly, the class actually clapped.

I folded my arms and pouted slightly at my desk.

Of course he's good at English. He’s been to ten countries.

I glanced over and watched him sit down, completely unfazed by the praise.

Show off.

But then—

Next period: Japanese language and writing.

And suddenly… the star began to fall.

The teacher, Hiratsuka-sensei, wrote a sentence on the board and asked for a written answer.

Shouta paused.

He gripped his pen with a hint of hesitation.

I peeked over.

Wait. He’s… struggling?

His kanji were stiff. Awkward. Some strokes were backward.

The teacher walked over to his desk, adjusted his glasses, and frowned slightly.

“Hm… Ayan-kun, you’ve traveled quite a lot, haven’t you?”

Shouta nodded. “Yes, sensei.”

“Thought so. Your spoken Japanese is fine, but your writing… needs improvement.”

Then he turned—and looked directly at me.

“Haruna-san, could you assist him for now? Combine desks and help him out during writing practice.”

Huh?

“E-Eh? Me?”

“Yes. You’re reliable.”

Reliable?! No—wait!

Before I could protest, Hiratsuka-sensei had already walked off, back to the board.

Shouta, as calm as always, picked up his books and began sliding his desk next to mine.

Why is he so calm about this?!

And now here we were.

Side by side. Desk to desk.

I could smell his cologne.

See the neat way he organized his pens.

Hear the barely-there scratch of his writing.

Too close! Too calm! Too polite!

“Sorry,” he said. “I’m not good at writing. Especially kanji.”

“I-I can tell,” I muttered.

He blinked. “What was that?”

“Nothing! Just—give me your notebook.”

Why is his handwriting still neater than mine even when it's wrong?!

And thus began the most frustrating tutoring session of my life.

Then, an idea struck me—a brilliant way to deal with them tomorrow.

I grinned… an evil grin.

Shouta glanced at me, confused.

“…Why are you smiling like that?”