The beginning of a journey.

My name is Yoshi Minoru, I'm sixteen years old.

At first glance, I'm just another student, but I carry an old fear of approaching girls.

During recess, I sat in the courtyard next to my best friend, Shion Kenzo. I'd already noticed the way he looked at a certain girl.

"I noticed you're into her, Kenzo. You even drew Mao in art class," I teased lightly.

He scratched the back of his neck, laughing awkwardly.

— Mao is very beautiful, kind, she greets everyone... unlike her friend Momoko , she chooses who she greets. I think I'm in love with Mao. — said Kenzo

"And you, Mino , do you like anyone? Forget this trauma... not all girls are like Yuuki ." Kenzo asked me.

The name went through me like a cold wind.

When I was just twelve, I summoned the courage to ask a classmate out. I thought she understood my world, that she liked the same things I did.

Her response was cruel:

"Why would I date you? By the way, stop making up lies, because I've never seen that shitty anime!"

That day, my confidence was shattered. Since then, I've lived with the fear of falling in love and being humiliated again.

At night, I received an unexpected message from my mother:

"Son, I talked to a friend of mine. She was thinking about hiring a private tutor for her daughter. I suggested you, and she accepted. If you can improve her grades, you'll earn 100,000 yen."

I sighed, staring at the phone screen.

Teaching a girl? Just thinking about it made my chest tighten. Still, that money would be very useful.

— From what my mother said, classes will be on the weekends… from nine in the morning until nine at night… — I muttered to myself.

I sighed, trying to convince myself:

—At least she's not a girl from my school. Much less from my class. — I thought.

The following Saturday, there I was, backpack on my back, standing in front of an unfamiliar door. I took a deep breath, rang the doorbell, and waited.

The door opened, revealing a girl with long straight hair, a firm gaze and a somewhat cold expression.

— Hello, welcome. My name is Momoko Izumi . — introduced the girl.

My heart raced.

— Y-you're my student?! — I exclaimed , almost choking.

Her eyes widened, equally surprised.

"You're… my teacher?!" Izumi also exclaimed.

The astonishment was mutual.

We are students at the same school, worst of all, we are classmates.

She and I entered her house.

Momoko Izumi is a very talented girl for modeling and acting, but she is terrible at school studies.

Izumi crossed her arms and looked at me ironically.

— I bet your mom is embarrassed to say her son is an otaku . Besides, you're a weirdo who doesn't talk to any of the girls in class… and you're late, too — he said . Izumi .

I held back my irritation.

"Since when are your mother and mine friends? She never told me about you." I asked.

She was silent.

"I hate otakus . There's only one otaku I like…", Izumi muttered, but not enough for me to hear clearly.

I clenched my fists.

"This is why I hate stuck-up girls," I muttered.

I took her notebook.

—It seems you have difficulty with history and math. The problem is that you only provide the result and not the formula.

Momoko bit her lower lip.

— I see… the teacher might think I'm copying. That's why my grades are so low.

Deep down, I realized she wasn't just stuck up. There was insecurity there.

Hours later, she stretched.

"Phew, it's already nine o'clock. You can go now," Izumi said with relief.

— Okay. See you tomorrow. — I said goodbye to her.

I stepped out into the street, but the dark sky was lit with lightning. Thunder echoed, and my body froze. I ran desperately.

I tripped and fell. Momoko ran after me.

"Idiot! I understand you're afraid of thunder, but you don't need to run like that!" she said.

I lowered my head, ashamed.

—I'm sorry… I've been afraid of thunder ever since I heard my old neighbor died that way. — I said.

Her gaze softened for the first time.

Momoko called her mother and came back serious.

"She said she'll be late. She doesn't know if she'll have time to take you home today," he said. Izumi .

I swallowed hard.

“So… I’ll have to sleep here?” I asked.

She nodded.

— I'll make dinner for us to eat, — she said.

Fate seemed determined to play with me.

In the end, Momoko tried to cook, but got all her clothes soaked.

— I messed up… I rarely cook because I don’t have time. — he said Izumi .

“Leave it to me. I'll make something,” I said, grabbing the ingredients.

As I was chopping vegetables, I heard the sound of running water in the bathroom. She was relaxing in the tub, thinking to herself:

"A boy is going to sleep here... and he's still making dinner for me. How embarrassing... I just wanted to see that boy I saw every New Year's Eve."

Shortly after, I served the meal.

"How did you manage to prepare all this in such a short time?" Izumi asked in surprise.

"I only used the ingredients I had. Plus, you can taste it so I can see how it turned out," I said.

She tried it and blushed.

"Wow... how wonderful! Minoru, please prepare lunch and dinner for me every day!" Izumi said.

My heart raced.

"It can't be… She called me by my first name!"

Suddenly, I entered Momoko 's room . I looked around and noticed an old painting on the wall.

"This child… I've seen it before… but I don't remember meeting Momoko as a child."

The pieces didn't match.

The room was silent, Momoko then entered the room.

"I'll prepare the futons so we can sleep on the floor. I don't think it's fair that I sleep on a bed while you sleep on the futon . I also don't want to share the same bed with you," he said. Izumi .

I nodded, still confused.

But fear grew within me:

"Living with Momoko can be dangerous. I could end up creating a bond of friendship that would turn into something more... like what happened with Aki Yuuki ."

Momoko stared at me.

"You've been quiet since you came in. Are you embarrassed to be in a girl's room? Or because I called you by your name?" he asked. Izumi in an ironic tone.

— I'm just tired and sleepy. That's all. — I replied.

But it was a lie. It was fear.

The next morning, the aroma of fresh coffee wafted through the air. Momoko went down to the dining room, still drowsy, but as soon as she sat down, she blurted out:

— Why didn't you tell me that my tutor was going to be my classmate?! — he asked Izumi to her mother.

His mother, calm, smiled as if it were something unimportant.

— Hi, how was your first day of school with Yoshi ? — Izumi 's mother asked .

Momoko crossed her arms, sulking.

It was at that moment that I appeared, adjusting my improvised clothes from the night before.

— Hello, good morning. — I greeted them.

Momoko looked away.

— I won't be able to have class with you today, I'm going to a theater rehearsal. — he said Izumi excited.

— What?!!! — I exclaimed, surprised.

Her mother added, smiling:

"Since I have to work today, I called Yoshi 's mom and asked him to accompany you to the theater," Izumi 's mom said .

My heart stopped for a moment.

Momoko 's mother added as if it were the most natural thing in the world:

— Yesterday I went to a store and bought some clothes for Yoshi . — she said.

I almost choked.

“Do I have to shower right here?” I asked.

"And I'm going to have to go alone with him to theater rehearsal?!" Momoko snapped, equally indignant.

The mother just smiled, ignoring our reactions.

— Daughter, it's time to take a bath so you won't be late.

Momoko snorted and went upstairs.

As soon as Momoko disappeared down the hallway, Mom closed the door and fixed me with a firm gaze.

"Now that my daughter has gone to take a bath, I need to talk to you about something serious," she said seriously.

I swallowed hard.

"What does she want to talk to me about?"

Upstairs, Momoko was changing, but she couldn't concentrate. She stared at the mirror, restless.

"What are he and my mother talking about?"

She bit her lower lip, torn between curiosity and insecurity.

Momoko 's mother looked at me with a cold smile, but her words were like a blade:

"Your late father was an assassin… and your mother was a spy. Or am I wrong?" she asked.

I felt my heart freeze. My mind was flooded with memories I wanted to forget.

She continued calmly:

"Don't worry. Your mother and I are friends, so I asked her to lend you the phone. I feel like they're plotting something against my daughter at the theater," she said.

He paused and narrowed his eyes.

—But I already warned her: if you refuse, I'll forget we're friends… and tell her everything I know, — she said.

I sighed deeply, defeated.

— Since I have no choice, I can only accept it. — I replied.

“I’m glad you accepted,” she said, satisfied.

— Now, I'm going to take a shower, — she added.

There was something that didn't make sense, but I'll let things move at their own pace.

On the other side of the house, Izumi heard the bathroom door open.

— Who is it? — he asked. Izumi .

— It's Mommy — her mother replied.

—You can use the bathtub if you like, I'll use the shower. — she continued .

Izumi relaxed a little, but she was still restless.

As she undressed for the bath, her mother thought to herself:

"I still can't tell her that Minoru is the boy from my childhood… or the truth about his parents."

Momoko 's mother asked the question that was on her mind:

"So, daughter... what do you think of Minoru Yoshi ? Does he seem like the kind of otaku boy you like?" her mother asked .

Izumi blushed, but soon closed her expression.

— Why are you asking me this question? Minoru is nothing like the otaku I knew. — he replied Izumi .

Silence echoed in the bathroom, but the truth was already clear:

Izumi still kept in her heart the memory of that mysterious boy she met at the end of every year.

My heart was pounding as I stood in front of the bathroom doors. Miss Shinomiya had said the shower was already open, but she'd forgotten to tell me which door was the right one.

"Damn… what now? If I open the wrong one I'll end up…"

Before I could think of anything else, I heard the sound of water running. The doorknob turned. The door slowly opened.

It was at that moment that I froze.

Momoko emerged wrapped only in a white towel, drops of water running down her neck and shoulders until they were lost in the fabric. Her face was flushed, perhaps from the heat of the bath, perhaps from the unexpected situation.

" W-wait … you were just standing here this whole time?" She clutched the towel to her body, looking at me with a mixture of surprise and indignation.

I swallowed hard.

"Don't worry… I wasn't peeking. Your mom told me the shower was already open, but I made the mistake of not asking which door it was. I'm sorry for the inconvenience," I told her.

She looked away, her green eyes flashing.

"So you're saying you waited here outside to use the bathtub after me?" Izumi asked.

“I… was just trying to follow instructions,” I replied , trying to sound calm, even though my face was burning.

For a moment, the silence between us seemed louder than any words. The closeness, the awkwardness… everything weighed heavily.

"Damn… why do these things only happen to me?"

She turned her face away, still holding the towel tightly, and hurried down the hallway, leaving only the scent of soap in the air.

I stood there, breathing heavily, trying to regain control.

"I need to be more careful... every day I spend here, it seems like my life gets even more complicated."

After we finished our conversation, Mrs. Shinomiya took the car keys and said firmly,

"I'll drive you. This way you can check the route calmly and not be late," she said.

I got into the backseat next to Momoko . During the ride, I sat in silence, watching the scenery pass by outside the window. My heart felt heavy.

"She trusts me so much... but can I really help her? Won't I end up getting in her way even more?"

Mrs. Shinomiya broke the silence, speaking calmly as she drove:

— Trust each other. That's the most important thing, — she told us.

I didn't answer. I just clasped my hands lightly in my lap. Beside me, Izumi was also silent, but she seemed to be thinking about the same weight that was crushing me.