Chapter 1: — "The Orb"

I woke up feeling like a hollow shell. The sunlight streaming through my curtains didn’t warm me, it only reminded me how empty I felt. My limbs ached, my chest felt tight, and every thought in my head went straight to him. Haruto.

I dragged myself to the counter table where my phone sat, staring at it like it held the answers to everything. My fingers shook as I picked it up, scrolling through the contacts until I found his name. My thumb hovered over the call button, my heart thudding painfully in my chest.

Just one call… maybe he’ll pick up… maybe he’ll tell me it was all a mistake… maybe…

I pressed the call button. It rang once, twice… then went straight to voicemail. My stomach dropped. I tried again. Same result. My chest tightened as I noticed the subtle clue that made my heart slam against my ribs: he had blocked me.

I opened the messages he left, few, brief, but sharp as knives:

“I’m sorry for wasting your life.”
“I’m worthless.”
“I can’t give you anything…”

I felt my hands tremble, my phone almost slipping from my grasp. Tears blurred my vision. Anger and grief collided inside me, sharp and bitter. I couldn’t stay quiet any longer.

“WHAT?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN, HARUTO?!” I screamed at the empty room, my voice echoing against the walls. “You threw everything away! Everything we had… just because you think you’re worthless?! You... YOU’RE NOT! YOU’RE NOT WORTHLESS!”

My legs gave way, and I sank to the floor, hugging my knees as sobs shook my body. The tears kept coming, unstoppable, burning my cheeks and dripping onto the carpet. I shouted at the walls, at him, at the cruel unfairness of it all. “You didn’t even TRY! You just... just threw us away!”

Minutes passed, or maybe hours, I didn’t care. My voice grew hoarse, my body exhausted, but eventually, the storm inside me began to quiet. My sobs slowed, my breathing evened out, and I pressed my palms to my face, trying to calm the chaos in my chest.

I wiped my tears, letting the cool morning light dry the last remnants on my cheeks. I stood and staggered to the mirror, my reflection staring back at me. My hair was a mess, my eyes red and swollen. But I forced myself to lift my chin, staring at the girl I recognized, the girl who couldn’t let this break her completely.

I reached for my scarf, the one Haruto had always liked seeing me wear. Wrapping it around my neck felt like holding onto a thread of courage. I took a deep breath, steadying myself as I looked at the mirror again.

Maybe… maybe if I go out, clear my head, think about something else…

With that thought, I slipped on my coat, stepping outside into the crisp air. The city smelled faintly of rain and earth, and for a brief second, I let the outside world fill the emptiness inside me. I needed to move, to breathe, to survive this heartbreak… at least for today.

I walked aimlessly, hoping that fresh air and moving my legs would make the knot in my chest loosen. But it didn’t. No matter how many steps I took, the breakup clung to me like a shadow. Every corner of the city reminded me of him, streets we had walked together, cafés we had laughed in, the bench where he once shyly held my hand.

Stop it, Aria. Just stop thinking about him.

But my heart wouldn’t listen.

That’s when I noticed a little thrift shop tucked between two closed stores. Its old sign hung slightly crooked, paint fading, but the warm glow of the window drew me in. Anything to distract me, even for a few minutes.

I pushed open the door, the bell jingling weakly, and stepped inside. To my surprise, the place was completely empty. Rows of dusty shelves and racks filled the space, but there were no customers. No cashier. No sound except the faint hum of an old air conditioner.

“Hello?” I called, my voice echoing slightly. No response.

I sighed and walked further in, brushing my fingers across some sweaters. They were kind of cute, faded pastel colors, some with little embroidery that gave them charm. I smiled faintly. “Not bad… but I shouldn’t spend too much,” I muttered to myself. My budget was tight, and buying clothes wouldn’t fix my broken heart anyway.

As I moved toward the back, something caught my eye. On a glass shelf sat a small orb, gleaming faintly under the dim shop light. It was smooth, perfectly round, with colors swirling inside like captured starlight. A little handwritten tag was taped to the glass: “Free.”

I blinked, stepping closer. “Free? For this?”

It seemed too good to be true. My instincts told me this was the kind of thing that would normally cost a fortune in some fancy boutique. I hesitated, glancing around again. “Um… excuse me? Anyone here?” I called, raising my voice. Silence.

After a moment, I carefully opened the glass case and lifted the orb into my hands. It was surprisingly warm, almost comforting against my skin. I stared at it, mesmerized, before shaking my head. Get a grip, Aria. It says free. You’re not stealing.

I turned toward the door, orb in hand, only for a voice to cut through the silence.

“HEY!”

I froze, nearly dropping the orb. A man stepped out from a backroom, a middle-aged shop owner with graying hair and sharp eyes. His gaze locked onto me, and his voice rose. “What do you think you’re doing?! Trying to steal from me?!”

My heart leapt into my throat. “N-No! It’s not like that!” I stammered, holding the orb out in front of me like evidence. “I wasn’t stealing, I swear! Look... it said free!”

The owner stopped, frowning. “Free?”

“Yes!” I nodded desperately, pointing back toward the glass shelf. “The tag, it said free. I thought it was strange too, so I called out for someone, but no one answered. I swear I wasn’t trying to steal anything!”

For a tense moment, he stared at me, then at the orb in my hands. Slowly, his stern expression softened into a smile. He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “Ah… my mistake. I’m sorry, young lady. Guess I jumped to conclusions.”

I let out a shaky sigh, my shoulders dropping in relief. “Oh, thank goodness… you scared me half to death!”

“Hah, I scared myself too,” he admitted with a small laugh. Then he pointed at the orb. “That thing… funny story. A customer came in weeks ago and donated it. Didn’t tell me much, just said they didn’t want it anymore. I tried putting it up for sale, but no one wanted it, even though it’s shiny and beautiful, like you said. So just yesterday, I put it out as ‘Free.’ You’re the first one to even notice it.”

I looked down at the orb again, the colors inside shifting gently, like liquid starlight. It was mesmerizing. “Nobody wanted it? That’s… weird. It looks… kind of special.”

“Special maybe,” the man said with a shrug. “But people nowadays want practical things. Clothes, kitchenware, electronics. Not strange glowing balls.”

I felt a pang of sympathy for both the orb and the shop. The store was completely empty, no customers, shelves gathering dust. Maybe his business really was struggling. I glanced at him, then back at the orb. “…I feel bad just taking it for free. Can’t I pay you something? Even just a little? A few yen?”

The owner shook his head firmly. “No need. If I wanted to sell it, I’d have kept the price tag. I’d be happier knowing someone actually wanted it.” He smiled faintly, though there was a tiredness in his eyes.

I hugged the orb close to my chest. “…Alright. Thank you. Really. I’ll take good care of it.”

He nodded. “That’s all I ask.”

I gave him a small bow. “Thanks again… and, um, sorry for the misunderstanding earlier.”

He chuckled, waving his hand. “Think nothing of it.”

With that, I headed back outside, the bell jingling as the door shut behind me. The air felt cooler now, and I looked down at the orb in my hands. The colors shifted faintly, glowing against the gray city streets.

“Why would nobody want you…?” I whispered, almost to myself. “You’re… beautiful.”

But then I shook my head, forcing a small laugh. I’m getting attached to an orb now? Really, Aria? I slipped it carefully into my pocket and continued walking home, the strange warmth of it lingering against me.

The walk home felt lighter than before, though the ache in my chest hadn’t disappeared. Haruto still filled my thoughts, his smile, his last words, the way he left me, but it wasn’t crushing me quite as much. Maybe it was because of the orb, warm in my pocket, a strange little distraction that had taken root in my mind.

When I finally stepped into my apartment, I tossed my bag onto the chair and pulled the orb out of my pocket. Under the warm glow of my living room light, it looked even more mesmerizing, the colors swirling slowly like liquid galaxies.

I cupped it gently in both hands and rubbed my thumb across its smooth surface. “Poor thing,” I whispered, my voice soft as if I were talking to a lost kitten. “No one wanted you. Left all alone in that shop… except me.”

The orb didn’t respond, of course, but its glow felt comforting, as if it understood. I smiled faintly through my tiredness.

I carried it over to the counter, placing it right beside a picture frame of Haruto and me. My chest tightened immediately when my eyes landed on the photo, his arm around me, both of us smiling as if the world couldn’t touch us. A lump formed in my throat, and my vision blurred with tears.

“Stop it,” I muttered, wiping at my face quickly. “Stop being a baby. He’s gone, Aria. He made his choice.”

I turned my head back to the orb. “Besides, I have a new friend now… don’t I?”

With that, I plopped onto my bed and crossed my legs, staring at the orb across the room. “Hmm… I can’t just call you ‘orb.’ That’s boring. You need a name.”

I started throwing out random ideas, one sillier than the last. “Glowy? Roundy? Bubblebutt?” I laughed weakly at my own nonsense, then shook my head. “No, no, no. Ugh, come on, Aria, you can do better than this.”

My eyes lit up suddenly. “Orbi. Yeah… Orbi!”

I giggled, even as my tears still clung to the corners of my eyes. “Orbi… my cute little orb for life. You’ll be here for me, right? Always.”

For the first time since yesterday, my chest loosened, and I smiled without forcing it. I hugged my pillow and looked at the glowing sphere. “It’s just you and me now, Orbi.”

To lighten my mood even more, I pulled out my phone and opened the McDelivery app. “Okay, let’s see… cheeseburger, fries, nuggets, annnnd… oh! Kawaii shake.” I tapped quickly, humming to myself. “Yes, that’s it.”

Then, grinning mischievously at Orbi, I asked, “Hey, you want anything?” Of course, the orb didn’t reply, but I tilted my head like I was waiting for it to answer. After a dramatic pause, I laughed. “Okay, okay. I’ll get you some nuggets too.” I added an extra four McNuggets to the order, shaking my head at how ridiculous I was being.

Once I paid and entered my address, I tossed my phone aside and lay flat on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. The silence in the room didn’t feel as heavy as before.

“Orbi…” I muttered softly. “Do you think I’ll ever… stop hurting like this? Do you think I’ll be okay?”

The orb glowed faintly from across the room, as if in answer, though I knew it was just my imagination. Still, I smiled faintly.

“Yeah… maybe.”