Chapter 4 - Kyosokei's Apartment Part II

The small apartment dining table had never been this full before.

Four plates sat on the table, steaming with freshly cooked food. The smell of fried rice, vegetables, and grilled meat filled the room so strongly that even the hallway outside probably smelled like dinner.

Kyosokei Tokito sat stiffly in his chair.

Across from him sat his two classmates.

Oku Ryoukichi and Gojo Suzuki.

And beside the kitchen counter, happily placing another dish on the table, was the person responsible for this entire disaster.

Soyoki Tokito.

“Alright!” Soyoki said cheerfully. “Everything is ready!”

Oku’s eyes sparkled.

“Woah… this looks amazing!”

Gojo leaned closer to inspect the dishes.

“You cooked all this?”

Soyoki nodded happily.

“Yes! Please eat as much as you like!”

Kyosokei rubbed his forehead.

Why does this feel like a family dinner…

The two boys picked up their chopsticks.

“Thanks for the food!”

They immediately began eating.

Oku’s eyes widened after the first bite.

“THIS IS SO GOOD!”

Gojo nodded rapidly while chewing.

“Seriously… this is restaurant-level!”

Soyoki clapped her hands happily.

“I’m glad you like it!”

Kyosokei quietly ate his food.

Of course it’s good.

His mother had been cooking for him his entire life.

But that wasn’t the problem.

The problem was that his mother was sitting in his apartment with his classmates.

Oku suddenly looked up.

“Oh right! We didn’t properly introduce ourselves!”

He pointed to himself proudly.

“My name is Oku Ryoukichi!”

He was tall, skinny, and had messy hair that never seemed to stay in place.

“I’m Kyosokei’s friend!” he added confidently.

Gojo raised his hand calmly.

“And I’m Gojo Suzuki.”

Compared to Oku, Gojo looked much more composed. His hair was neat, his posture straight, but there were clear dark circles under his eyes like he hadn’t slept properly in weeks.

Soyoki smiled warmly.

“Nice to meet you both!”

Oku grinned.

“You’re Kyosokei’s cousin, right?”

“Yes!”

She nodded cheerfully.

“I came to check on him.”

Gojo looked around the apartment.

“You cleaned this place up pretty well.”

Soyoki laughed softly.

“It was a little messy earlier.”

Kyosokei looked away.

I was going to clean it eventually…

Oku leaned toward Soyoki conspiratorially.

“Did you know something interesting about Kyosokei?”

Soyoki blinked.

“Oh?”

Oku dramatically pointed at Kyosokei.

“This guy is one of the top ten smartest students in the whole school!”

Soyoki’s eyes widened.

“Really?”

Gojo nodded while eating.

“Yeah. He usually ranks around top ten in exams.”

Soyoki looked at Kyosokei with visible admiration.

“That’s amazing!”

Kyosokei coughed awkwardly.

“It’s not a big deal.”

Oku laughed loudly.

“Not a big deal?!”

“Some of us are struggling just to pass!”

Gojo sighed.

“I haven’t slept properly in three days because of the last exam.”

Soyoki suddenly turned toward Kyosokei with a warm smile.

“Dear, you never told me that.”

The room froze.

Silence filled the apartment.

Oku slowly stopped chewing.

Gojo lowered his chopsticks.

Kyosokei’s soul left his body.

WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY.

Kyosokei immediately slammed his hand on the table.

“DEER!”

Everyone jumped.

“…Huh?” Oku said.

Kyosokei forced an awkward laugh.

“Deer! That’s my nickname!”

The two boys blinked.

“Nickname?”

Kyosokei nodded quickly.

“Yeah. They call me Deer.”

Soyoki blinked.

“Oh!”

Then she quickly nodded.

“Yes! That’s right!”

She placed a hand on her cheek as if remembering something.

“He was called deer because when we were kids…”

She paused dramatically.

“…he was chased by one once.”

Oku nearly choked on his food.

“YOU WERE CHASED BY A DEER?!”

Gojo stared at Kyosokei in disbelief.

“That actually happened?”

Kyosokei sighed.

“…Yes.”

Unfortunately, that part was true.

When he was younger, a deer had indeed chased him around a park for nearly five minutes.

Oku slammed the table laughing.

“HAHAHA! THAT’S AMAZING!”

Gojo wiped his eyes.

“So that’s why your nickname is Deer!”

Kyosokei stared blankly at the table.

This lie somehow became worse.

Soyoki giggled softly.

“It was a very memorable day.”

Oku laughed again.

“I’m definitely calling you Deer from now on.”

Kyosokei sighed deeply.

Great.

Dinner continued with more casual conversation.

Oku told several exaggerated stories about school.

Gojo complained about homework and exams.

Soyoki listened happily to everything.

By the time dinner finished, both boys leaned back in their chairs with satisfied expressions.

“That was the best meal I’ve had in weeks,” Gojo admitted.

Oku nodded enthusiastically.

“Seriously! You should cook for us every day!”

Soyoki laughed.

“Maybe next time.”

The two boys eventually stood up and grabbed their bags.

“Thanks for the food!”

“See you tomorrow, Deer!”

Kyosokei sighed again.

“Stop calling me that.”

The door closed behind them.

Silence returned to the apartment.

Kyosokei turned slowly toward Soyoki.

“…You almost ruined everything.”

Soyoki blinked innocently.

“I did?”

“Yes!”

“You called me ‘dear’!”

“Oh.”

She tilted her head.

“That’s a problem?”

“Yes!”

Soyoki laughed softly.

“Well, we solved it, didn’t we?”

Kyosokei rubbed his temples.

“You’re way too relaxed about this.”

A few minutes later, the dishes were cleaned and the apartment lights dimmed.

Kyosokei pointed toward his bedroom.

“You can sleep there.”

Soyoki blinked.

“Huh?”

“My room.”

“But it’s your room.”

“Yes.”

“So you should sleep there.”

Kyosokei shook his head.

“I’ll sleep on the couch.”

Soyoki crossed her arms.

“No.”

Kyosokei frowned.

“…No?”

“You’re the one who has school tomorrow,” she said firmly.

“You need proper rest.”

“So do you!”

“I’ll take the couch.”

“No.”

“You’re not sleeping on the couch.”

“Yes I am.”

“No you’re not.”

“Yes I am!”

“No!”

The argument continued for several minutes.

“You take the room!”

“No, you take it!”

“I insist!”

“I refuse!”

Eventually—

Both of them became too stubborn to give in.

So they reached a completely ridiculous compromise.

Kyosokei grabbed a blanket and laid down on one couch.

Soyoki grabbed another blanket and laid down on the other couch.

The perfectly good bedroom remained completely empty.

Kyosokei stared at the ceiling.

“…This is stupid.”

Soyoki giggled from the other couch.

“Good night, Kyosokei.”

“…Good night.”

A moment of silence passed.

Then Soyoki added softly—

“I’m proud of you, you know.”

Kyosokei stared quietly at the ceiling.

“…Go to sleep.”

Soyoki smiled in the darkness.

The apartment was quiet.

Outside, the city lights flickered faintly through the window as night deepened. The soft sound of distant traffic occasionally passed by, but inside the room everything was peaceful.

Kyosokei lay on the couch with his blanket pulled halfway up to his chin.

Across the room, Soyoki slept comfortably on the other couch.

The bedroom door remained slightly open.

Completely unused.

Kyosokei stared at the ceiling for a while longer.

This is stupid…

We argued for ten minutes and still ended up sleeping on couches.

His eyes slowly grew heavier.

The long, chaotic day had drained him completely.

Eventually—

He fell asleep.

Kyosokei stood in a large hall.

Bright white lights filled the room.

Soft music played in the background.

Rows of chairs lined both sides of a long red carpet.

People filled the seats.

Kyosokei blinked in confusion.

“…Where am I?”

He looked down.

He was wearing a formal suit.

A black tuxedo.

A bow tie.

Kyosokei’s stomach sank.

At the front of the hall stood a priest.

And behind him was a large decorative arch covered in white flowers.

Kyosokei’s eyes widened.

This is…

A wedding ceremony.

The doors at the back of the hall slowly opened.

The music grew louder.

Everyone turned toward the entrance.

Kyosokei felt his body freeze.

Walking down the red carpet—

Was Soyoki Tokito.

She wore a beautiful white wedding dress.

A veil covered part of her face as she smiled warmly.

Kyosokei’s brain stopped.

“…Mom?”

The guests began clapping.

Kyosokei looked around desperately.

Sitting in the audience were familiar faces.

Oku Ryoukichi sat in the front row, clapping loudly.

“Congratulations, Deer!”

Next to him was Gojo Suzuki, wiping tears from his eyes.

“I can’t believe it… this is beautiful…”

Kyosokei’s face turned pale.

“Wait… wait wait wait—”

Then something strange happened.

Oku’s face suddenly changed.

His face slowly turned into Soyoki’s.

Gojo’s face also began changing.

Soon every person in the audience had the same face.

Soyoki.

Soyoki.

Soyoki.

Rows and rows of Soyoki clapping and smiling.

Kyosokei felt terror crawl down his spine.

“WHAT IS THIS?!”

The priest spoke calmly.

“Kyosokei Tokito.”

Kyosokei slowly turned forward.

Soyoki stood beside him now.

In a wedding dress.

Smiling brightly.

“Do you take this woman to be your—”

“NO!”

Kyosokei screamed.

“I DON’T!”

All the Soyoki-faced guests gasped dramatically.

“Deer…”

“Deer…”

“Deer…”

They all began chanting his nickname.

“Deer… Deer… Deer…”

Kyosokei backed away in horror.

“STOP CALLING ME THAT!”

Soyoki grabbed his arm.

“Dear.”

Kyosokei screamed again.

Kyosokei suddenly sat up on the couch.

“NOOO—!”

His heart pounded rapidly.

He looked around the apartment in panic.

The living room.

The couch.

The table.

Everything was normal.

Across from him, Soyoki was still sleeping peacefully on the other couch.

Kyosokei breathed heavily.

“…Just a dream.”

He looked toward the window.

Soft morning light was beginning to shine through.

He grabbed his phone from the table.

The screen read:

5:00 AM

Kyosokei fell back onto the couch.

“…What kind of nightmare was that…”

From the other couch, Soyoki shifted slightly in her sleep.

Kyosokei stared at the ceiling again.

My life is definitely cursed now.

And the sun slowly began rising on another chaotic day.