Chapter 12: See You Next Stream!

The familiar clang of weights echoed through the gym.

Sweat dripped down my temple as I racked the bar and let out a slow breath. Same routine. Same place. Same mirror reflecting a guy who looked… strangely okay with himself.

“Oi, Nagano.”

I turned to see Yuto-san leaning against the counter, arms crossed, wearing that annoying grin he always got when he smelled gossip.

“You’ve been smiling more lately,” he said. “What’s up? You get a girlfriend or something?”

I nearly dropped the dumbbell.

“W-What?! No!” I said way too fast. “Absolutely not. Negative. System error.”

Yuto raised an eyebrow. “That wasn’t a denial. That was a panic response.”

I coughed and looked away. “I’ve just been… enjoying life lately, that’s all.”

He hummed. “That so?”

“Yeah,” I said, quieter now. “Back then, I didn’t think I’d ever feel like this again.”

As I went back to my set, my thoughts drifted—uninvited, but welcome.

Thank God I saved Akari-senpai that day, I thought, gripping the bar tighter. Everything changed after that.

I finished my reps, wiped my hands, and reached for my phone—

Buzz.

A message.

Akari:
Are you free this weekend?
Want to hang out?

My brain shut off.

I stared at the screen.

Hang out?
That’s casual. Right?
Totally normal.
Definitely not a—

“…Date?” I whispered.

No. No no no. That’s impossible. She didn’t say date. This is just senpai being nice. Calm down. Be normal.

I was still mentally spiraling when—

“Ohhh?” Yuto suddenly leaned over my shoulder.

I froze. He read the screen. Then his grin widened to villain levels.

“EVERYONE!” he shouted. “KATSU’S GOT A DATE!”

The gym exploded.

“LET’S GOOO KATSU!”
“ABOUT TIME!”
“OUR BOY’S LEVELING UP!”
“INVITE US TO THE WEDDING!”

My face went nuclear.

“I-IT’S NOT A DATE!” I yelled, waving my arms. “YOU’RE ALL MISUNDERSTANDING—”

Yuto laughed so hard he had to hold the counter. “Relax, man. We’re just happy for you.”

I pointed at him, shaking. “YUTOOOOOOOO—!”

The cheering only got louder.

And somewhere between the embarrassment, the laughter, and my still-buzzing phone…

I realized. Yeah.

Things really had changed.

I swallowed hard and looked back down at my phone.

After a full five seconds of overthinking—typing, deleting, typing again—I finally sent it.

Me:
Yeah. I’m free.

Simple. Casual. Totally normal human behavior.

My heart still tried to sprint a marathon. Later that evening, I stood in my room staring at my closet like it was an unsolvable boss puzzle.

Shirts.
Hoodies.
More hoodies.

“…I own nothing,” I muttered.

I picked up a shirt, held it in front of the mirror, then immediately put it back.

Too plain.
Too try-hard.
Too “background character who dies early.”

I groaned and flopped onto my bed. There was only one option left. The nuclear option.

I stepped out into the hallway. “Saori-nee…?”

Almost instantly, a door slid open.

“Yes?” Saori-nee answered sweetly.

“I, uh… need advice,” I said. “On clothes.”

There was a pause.

Then—

From behind her, another head popped out.

Shiori.

They looked at each other.

Grins spread across both their faces.

“Onii-chan got a date?!” Shiori gasped, clapping her hands. “Yay!”

“I told you it’d happen!” Saori-nee said, her eyes already glossy. “My little brother… all grown up…”

“Stop crying!” I said immediately. “It’s not a date!”

“Mhm,” Saori-nee nodded, wiping a tear. “Sure, sure.”

“Definitely not a date,” Shiori added with a smirk.

I sighed deeply. “Not you two too…”

Saori-nee placed a hand on my shoulder, her expression suddenly serious.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “I’ve got you.”

She snapped her fingers.

“Shiori, operation: Make Katsu Presentable.”

“Yes, Captain!”

Thirty minutes later, I stood in front of the mirror wearing an outfit I would never have chosen myself—simple, clean, comfortable, but somehow… right.

I stared at my reflection.

“…I look normal,” I said.

Saori-nee smiled proudly. “You look like yourself.”

Shiori nodded. “The kind of guy someone would want to hang out with.”

My ears burned.

“…Thanks,” I muttered.

As I went back to my room, heart still racing, one thought echoed in my head.

It’s not a date.

Probably.

…Right?

Finally, the day arrived.

I woke up way earlier than necessary, stared at the ceiling for a solid ten minutes, and mentally ran through every possible outcome like I was preparing for a season finale.

Calm down, I told myself. This is just hanging out. Not a confession arc. Not a date. Just… an episode with unusually high budget.

After getting ready—triple-checking my outfit, my hair, and whether my soul was still inside my body—I headed out.

And arrived thirty minutes early.

Of course.

I stood at the meeting spot, hands in my pockets, pretending to check my phone while absolutely checking nothing. My leg bounced nonstop.

“So this is what waiting feels like,” I muttered. “I should’ve brought background music.”

Every couple that passed by felt like they were judging me. Every passing second felt longer than the last.

Then—

I noticed the atmosphere shift. Murmurs spread quietly through the area.

“Whoa…”
“She’s really pretty…”
“Is she a model or something?”

I looked up. Akari had arrived.

She walked toward me calmly, sunlight catching in her hair. She was wearing a simple white dress—nothing flashy, but elegant in a way that made my chest tighten. People kept glancing her way, some slowing down just to look.

And then—like it was the most natural thing in the world—she stopped in front of me.

“Hi, Katsu.”

My brain blue-screened for half a second.

“…H-Hi,” I managed.

I stood there like an NPC who forgot his dialogue until one thought finally escaped my mouth.

“Wow… you look great.”

Akari blinked. Then her cheeks flushed pink.

“T-Thank you,” she said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “You… you look really cool too.”

Now it was my turn to feel my face heat up.

Around us, the whispers grew louder.

“That guy’s so lucky…”
“What is this scene? It’s too wholesome…”
“Is this real life or an anime?”

I cleared my throat, trying to regain control of my limbs.

“Um,” I said, forcing myself to smile. “Shall we… go?”

Akari nodded, smiling back.

“Yeah.”

And just like that—

We stepped forward together. We walked side by side, not too close, not too far—like two people who hadn’t quite decided what this moment was yet.

“So,” I said, clearing my throat, “where to first?”

Akari tilted her head, thinking. “Um… there’s a shopping street nearby. We could… look around?”

“Roger that,” I replied seriously. “Casual hangout mission, phase one.”

She laughed, that soft, genuine laugh that always made things feel lighter.

The shopping street was lively—music spilling out of stores, vendors calling out deals, the smell of fried snacks in the air. We wandered without any real destination. She stopped to look at accessories; I pretended not to panic when she asked my opinion.

“Which one do you think looks better?” she asked, holding up two hair clips.

My brain screamed.
Quick. Say something supportive but not weird.

“…The one on the left,” I said. “It matches you. Calm, but kind of sparkly.”

She blinked. “…You’re surprisingly good at this.”

“Pure instinct,” I said. “Definitely not luck.”

We grabbed drinks from a vending machine and sat on a bench, talking about random things—school, food, the gym, her clumsy attempts at cooking. It was easy. Too easy. The kind of conversation where silences didn’t feel awkward, just comfortable.

At some point, we passed a cat café.

She stopped instantly.

“…Can we?” she asked, eyes shining just a little.

Five minutes later, I was being judged by a cat sitting on my lap while Akari quietly laughed at me.

“He likes you,” she said.

“I feel like he’s evaluating my life choices.”

The cat yawned.

“…Yeah, that checks out.”

Next was the arcade. Lights flashing, music blaring, pure chaos. Akari hesitated at the crane games, eyeing a teddy bear inside.

“Do you want to try?” I asked.

She shook her head. “I’m really bad at these.”

“I see,” I said, rolling up my sleeves dramatically. “Then stand back.”

Three tries later—after intense concentration, whispered apologies to the machine, and one near-disaster—the bear dropped.

Akari gasped. “You got it!”

I picked it up and handed it to her. “Victory.”

She hugged it immediately, then froze.

“T-Thank you,” she said softly.

We walked on, the sun slowly dipping lower, painting everything warm and orange. Somewhere along the way, I realized something.

I was happy.

Not the fleeting kind. Not the distracted kind. Just… genuinely happy.

It felt strange. And wonderful.

After a while, I worked up the courage to ask, “Hey… can I ask you something?”

She nodded. “Of course.”

“Why did you want to hang out today?”

She slowed her steps, fingers tightening around the teddy bear.

“Well… um…” She looked away. “Because we’re… friends.”

I smiled. “That hesitation says otherwise.”

She turned bright red. “I-I mean—friends can hang out! It’s normal!”

“I know,” I said gently. “I’m just teasing.”

She pouted for half a second—then laughed. “You’re mean.”

“Only a little.”

As evening settled in, we passed a small photo booth tucked between shops.

Akari stopped.

“…C-Can we do that?” she asked, pointing at it.

I smiled. “Sure.”

Inside the booth, the curtain closed, the countdown began, and suddenly we were sitting way closer than before.

“Three… two—”

“W-Wait, I’m not ready!”

Flash.

The photos came out slightly awkward—then silly—then genuinely happy. By the last one, we were both laughing too much to pose properly.

When the strip printed, she carefully tore it in half and handed one to me.

“Here, Katsu.”

She held the other close. “Thank you so much for today. I’ll… treasure this.”

My chest felt warm. “Me too.”

At the station, we stood facing each other.

“Today was fun,” she said.

“Yeah,” I replied. “It really was.”

“See you at school,” she said, waving.

“See you,” I said.

When I got home, the moment I stepped inside—

“So?!”

“How was it?!”

Saori-nee and Shiori stared at me and I didn't answer. I just smiled. They looked at each other. High-fived.

“Mission successful.”

The next morning, the school felt… different.

Or maybe it was just me.

As soon as I stepped into the hallway, Minori and Yui spotted me.

Minori squinted. “Oi. Hold on.”

Yui tilted her head. “Nagano… you look weird.”

“…Weird how?” I asked cautiously.

Minori grinned like he’d just found a rare drop. “You look happy.”

I froze.

Yui snapped her fingers. “Oh! Did something good happen?”

Minori leaned in, smirk widening. “Don’t tell me… my boy finally reached adulthood?”

I didn’t even hesitate.

Bonk.

“OW—!” Minori grabbed his head. “What was that for?!”

“Don’t say creepy things first thing in the morning,” I shot back. “You idiot.”

He laughed anyway. “So I’m right.”

I looked away, hands in my pockets. “No. I’m just… enjoying my life lately.”

Both of them went quiet.

Yui smiled first. “That’s good.”

Minori nodded, softer this time. “Yeah. Really good.”

Something loosened in my chest.

We headed to class together, the usual noise filling the room. I slid into my seat and looked out the window, sunlight spilling across the desks.

I used to think I belonged in the background.
That being invisible was safer. Easier.

But maybe… this life wasn’t so bad either.

Even if somewhere out there, half the school probably hated me for reasons I didn’t fully understand.

Even so.

I was okay.

“Alright, everyone, take your seats.”

Our homeroom teacher clapped her hands. “We have a new transfer student joining us today.”

The room erupted instantly.

“Huh? A transfer student now?”
“Please be a cute girl.”
“Watch it be another guy—”

I barely reacted—until the teacher smiled and gestured toward the door.

“Come in.”

The door slid open.

And the moment I saw her—

My smile vanished.

“Hi, everyone,” she said gently. “Nice to meet you. My name is Airi Homura. I hope we can get along from now on.”

The room buzzed. My blood ran cold.

…What?

My fingers curled into fists under the desk.

What is she doing here?

The past I thought I’d left behind was standing right in front of me.

And suddenly—

I couldn’t breathe.

To be continued…