Keith and Akira

“Hey… Keith,” 

He looked at her, a flustered expression etched across his face. Her immaculate beauty mesmerized him. One look at her face was enough to make his heart skip a beat.

"......Yes.”

He replied after hesitating for a few seconds, as he tried his best to hide his attraction for her. Oblivious to his love struck expression, Akira continued, her face overly curious.

“Sorry in advance if I'm being nosey but,” She said, her tone elegant. “what were you doing out in this weather?”

Having heard her question, Keith's expression transitioned from flustered to thoughtful, as if reliving a terrible memory. 

“Of course she's curious, who wouldn't be… It's not everyday you find someone lying on the sidewalk, claiming that they've lost their house keys… Should I tell her? Should I lie? No, there's no point.” 

He pondered silently as he looked away from her, while she still looked at him, her curiosity undeniable.

“I… I can't tell you that… I'm sorry.” He stammered, his expression saddening. 

“Please don't apologize… you didn't do anything wrong.” She reassured him. 

For a moment there was silence between them, an awkward silence that made Keith uncomfortable. He shivered slightly, feeling guilty regardless of her reassurance.

After walking for a while the two of them made it to a traffic light, the light was on red so they waited. 

While they were waiting a swarm of cars passed by, the sound of their engines breaking the silence between them.

Akira noticed him looking into the distance. He looked troubled and somewhat bewildered, completely different from the shy demeanor he was showing before. 

She then purred, as if trying to make him feel better.

“You don't talk much, do you?” She paused, a radiant smile appearing on her face. Keith looked at her as she continued.

“You keep to yourself, and you're very cautious of others, you probably don't like being around people too, I can sort of tell because of the way you talk. But even though you're cautious, you're incredibly considerate… that's pretty cool of you, Keith.” 

As she said that, it left him stunned. He looked surprised, seeing as she just summed up his entire personality in moments notice. 

“How did she... she saw right through… my hollow, insignificant self.” He murmured to himself, his sad expression faltering.

“Listen, I know that we just met but… you don't need to worry about me being a bad person… Yes, there's a lot of awful people out there but—I'm not one of them,” Akira said as she smiled nonchalantly.

“From my point of view, it seems as if you have trouble trusting people, especially strangers like me, and that's understandable, but I don't think you should judge a person based on your past experiences, just as the saying goes 'Don’t judge a book by its cover' and I quote.”

The cold air suddenly lost its momentum as it gradually started to feel warm to Keith while listening to her. 

He was in awe, because in his eyes this girl wasn't just beautiful, she was also thoughtful and wonderful. 

The ice around his heart gradually melted although not entirely, it was too frozen to be melted right away, but the short amount of time they spent that night was enough to melt his iceberg of a heart, even if it only melted slightly.

“I… I wasn't… trying to make you feel bad or anything I just—” 

Before he could finish his sentence Akira interrupted him with a soft murmur.

“It's okay, I get it… sometimes there are just somethings you can't say, regardless of how you feel towards someone, I've been in a similar situation before myself.” She said softly. 

For a moment her expression took a nose dive from her cute and gentle nature to a sad and reflective picture, but only momentarily as she reverted back to her original friendly outlook. 

As they were conversing the traffic light turned yellow, then after a few moments it turned green. They saw that it had turned and crossed hastily.

At that moment Keith was silent, not because he wanted to, but because he was still thinking of her touching words.

They took him by surprise since he was not expecting her to be so perceptive. In his entire life he had never met anyone who treated him the way she did.

She made him feel seen and heard, a feeling he was not accustomed to, in fact not even his so-called parents ever treated him in such a caring way.

His entire body felt warm, like hot chocolate or rather like a cup of cappuccino that was freshly prepared in the morning as her words reverberated in his head. For a while he was immune to the cold and the unforgiving snow.

“My house is just a few blocks away from here,” She chattered.

“Wait… What!!!” He thought, a surprised expression appearing on his face.

“Hehehe… I'm just kidding, why do you look so surprised, hahaha."

 She laughed without hesitation.

"My house is right over there, it's the one with the massive painting of a flower on the gate.”

She gurgled as she pointed at a house that had a peculiar mural on its gate. It was a pink flower with a purple center, to her it looked dazzling, but to Keith it looked,

“What a horrendous looking flower, was it her who painted it there.” He wondered. “I sure hope not.”

Having thought that, Keith noticed that Akira’s neighborhood looked way better than his own, since the Tokyo Metropolis government building loomed above the beautiful neighborhood, a symbol of the district's dynamic mix of business and entertainment.

There were towering high-rise apartments around her house, their glass facades reflecting the city's vibrant lights in the stifling cold. 

The snowy street was lined with modern shops, restaurants, and cafes, embodying Shinjuku's contemporary spirit.

As they were approaching her gate, Keith looked around, as if comparing his neighborhood with hers, then he used his left hand to pull down on his hood since his right hand was holding the umbrella along with Akira's soft left hand.

They reached her gate, then she hastily tried to unlock it while Keith stood there holding the umbrella, his thoughts spiraling out of control.

“This is… her house! Crap, it just occurred to me that this is the first time a girl invited me over to her house, sure we just met but I think this still counts, right?” He pondered. 

“I wonder… will it just be the two of us… or will there be other people… Damnit… Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! There's zero chance of that happening, you idiot… besides, this girl went out of her way to invite you over, the least you could do is to not have indecent thoughts, you cynical moron...” He reflected silently, his face steaming with embarrassment.

She opened the gate and entered, Keith following her steadily, then she stopped in front of the door and took out her key from her pocket, she inserted it into the key hole while he closed the umbrella, shaking the snow off his head and shoulders.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you earlier, my parents are currently on a business trip, and my older brother is visiting one of his friends in the hospital, so it'll just be us two tonight.” 

She announced, as she opened the door and entered, then she held it while smiling.

 “Come on in.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa… hold up, am I hearing correctly, or did she just say there's no one in the house… No, there's no way, I must be imagining it, yeah… it's just my imagination.”

His thoughts tumbled as he asked with a nervous smile. 

“Akira-san… Correct me if I'm wrong but uh… did you just say it'll just be us two in your house tonight?”

“That's right,” She said as she tilted her head while looking at him innocently, then she asked with a hushed tone. “Why?”

“You have got to be kidding me right now… what the hell is going on today!!!!”

He thought to himself. Then he answered her question.

“I… It's nothing at all, don't worry about it.” He spurted. 

Keith entered Akira's house, then she closed the door right after. She took off her boots and left them by the door as she advanced deeper into the house.

Keith did the same as he followed her, they walked through a passage that had photos of Akira, her brother and her parents.

There were photos of her as a toddler along with photos of their outings together as a family.

For some reason, looking at these photos made Keith feel sad again. It was like they triggered something within him, he then decided to look ahead instead, while Akira took a left and entered the living room.

He hastily caught up with her as she picked up the remote from the table. Then turned on the TV, after turning it on she flipped through the channels, finally landing on the weather network.

The screen flickered to life, showing a cheerful weather reporter standing in front of a graphic displaying Tokyo's forecast.

"Good evening, Tokyo!" the reporter said with a bright smile. "Let's take a look at tomorrow's forecast. Tomorrow is going to be a little sunny, with clouds clearing up by mid-morning."

Akira watched, her eyes fixed on the screen as the reporter gestured to the graphic behind her.

The forecast looked promising, and Akira felt a small surge of excitement at the prospect of a sunny day.

After seeing the forecast she gently took the umbrella from Keith and said with a concerned look on her face.

“You should go take a hot bath, before you catch a cold, the bathroom is upstairs at the end of the hall.”

“I'm sorry… What!” He blurted while taking a few steps back. his mouth parting slightly as he blushed.

“What's wrong, do you not like bathing?” She asked curiously.

“N… No… you don't understand… It's just that I don't have a change of clothes.” He stammered.

“Don't worry your pretty little head about that, I've gotcha… hehehe.” She snickered.

Keith went to the bathroom on the top floor. He took off his clothes and began taking a bath. 

The warm water washed away all the unpleasant thoughts he had in that moment. Then suddenly he heard a knock on the door.

“Y… Yes.” He replied hesitantly.

“I brought you a change of clothes, since you and my older brother are almost the same height… they'll probably fit you... Maybe.”

“Her older brother's clothes! Jeez I swear, this girl is way too nice for her own good.” He meditated.

“Oh… uhm… okay, you can put them next to the door… Hey… Akira-san,”

“Yeah?” she replied tentatively.

“Thank you… for everything...” He said as the steam from the water spread across the room.

“You're welcome.” She purred, her cheeks turning red, her emerald eyes glimmering.

Then she left, leaving him in comfortable silence. He soaked himself in the water, sinking deeper until only his eyes and the rest of his head were visible.

 After a few minutes he finished bathing and opened the bathroom door slightly and grabbed the change of clothes in ultra fast motion.

He put them on and exited the bathroom. As it turns out, Akira was also taking a bath in the bathroom that's on the bottom floor. 

He walked across the hallway and went downstairs. Then he entered the living room and sat on the couch. He passed through the channels, up until he landed on the sports network.

He watched the 2025 World Athletics Championships that were held in the Kasumigaoka area of Shinjuku. 

He was so close to them that he could just walk there if he wanted to since they were in Nishi-Shinjuku. Meaning that it was just an hour's walk.

As that thought pondered in his head he watched the Men’s 100 meter dash, which was a repeat.

While watching he heard an excited voice echoing across the halls. It was none other than Akira, and she was sprinting toward the couch. 

She was wearing a white towel as she pressed her chest on Keith's head accidentally while shouting.

“Go ja-pan, go ja-pan, go ja-pan…” she cheered over and over, a look of excitement finding itself on her face. 

“I love athletes so much, hahaha!” She raved happily, her excitement a premature death to Keith's thoughts.

“W… Wh… What is she doing! Does she not realize that her boobs are on my head… They're… so—soft, no imbecile… get those thoughts out of your head!!!” He contemplated.

“Akira-san! Your…. Your chest!” He said while panicking.

Akira then realized and moved her chest from his head and laughed softly. Her laughter was like a sweet and gentle cacophony of sound.

“Sorry about that, I got a little too excited, hehe.” She said, pressing her hands together.

After a few minutes it was time to go to sleep. Akira had changed into her purple pajamas that had multiple hearts all around them as she said.

“Come on, let's go to sleep.” 

“Uh… Where will I be sleeping?” He asked.

“In my room of course.” She replied with a smile on her face while her eyes were closed.

“There’s no way I'm doing that!” He shouted nervously.

“Calm down… you don't need to worry, you'll be sleeping on the floor. But if you try any funny business, I'll cut it off, okay.” She murmured with a frightening smile on her face.

“hahaha… so she can be intense too, huh… how scary.” He chuckled awkwardly, trying to diffuse the tension. “I'd never do anything like that—”

“Then there's no problem.” She interjected confidently as she looked at him.

After a while he finally agreed and they went upstairs. Akira gave him a sleeping bag she found in her brother's closet. As she exited her brother's room Keith asked. 

“Why don't I just sleep in that room?” He asked while pointing at the room.

“Sure, but I just have one question… Do you still value your life?” She asked with a soft tone.

“What?” He mused to himself, as he wondered what she could possibly mean by that.

“Well… Yes… I sorta do.” He stammered while looking at her.

“Then that room is not an option for you, because if my brother found out he would kill you.” She said as she looked at him with fearful eyes.

“Jeez, is her brother a lunatic or something?” He asked himself quietly.

Then they went to her room that was next to the bathroom. They entered, Keith getting into the sleeping bag while Akira climbed her bed.

They were now ready to sleep, then Akira turned off the lights. As they were about to fall asleep Keith asked her a question.

A question he had been wondering for a while.

“Akira-san forgive me if I'm being out of line but uhm… why were you out this late at night?”

“I was actually going to a convenient store, but then I saw you… and you know the rest.” She replied to his curious question.

“So she dropped her entire reason for going out in the cold weather… for me,” His face turned deep red as he looked at her from the floor, she had already fallen asleep—snoring softly. 

"Akira, you are too nice for your own good," He turned away from her, his heart fluttering. "How am I going to repay her for all this... I'll think of something tomorrow."

As he was about to fall asleep he heard her voice, it wasn't soft but pained.

"I'm–sorry, Mom..." She said, her voice a pained melody. 

Keith turned around on the floor and looked at her, having heard her pained voice. 

He came to the conclusion that she was dreaming, and whatever the dream was, it sounded unpleasant and sad. 

He listened, his expression a mix of curiosity and sympathy, as he wondered what was troubling her. 

[To be continued...]

—-----------------------

Hey there everyone, seventeen year old Chris Zee here. I just wanted to share a few thoughts with you guys regarding this chapter, but first: thank you for reading.

 It means a lot, and if you guys comment and like, it would really boost my confidence so that I can write the next chapter. 

Now than I'm sure you noticed that I included the world athletics championships in this chapter, the reason for that is because I love athletes (⁠✷⁠‿⁠✷⁠).

I even made Akira say that exact line because of it. I know that it's inaccurate to include snow even though the championships are underway but then again this is fictional so I don't think it matters that much. Well then look forward to the next chapter because it's about to go down, hehehe (⁠✯⁠ᴗ⁠✯⁠).