Knowing and Them

It was still early in the afternoon when Mika arrived home.

Click!

She opened the gate slowly and stepped inside.

The house was big.

Two floors, clean white walls, wide windows and warm lights that already turned on inside.

“…I’m home.”

The smell of food immediately reached her.

From the kitchen.

Step…! Step…!

She peeked inside.

Her mother was there wearing an apron while cooking.

Long black hair tied up and sleeves folded a little.

“Oh, Mika. You’re home early today.”

“Yeah…”

Her mother smiled.

“That’s rare.”

Mika took off her shoes and walked closer before placing her bag on the chair beside the dining table.

“You’re early too, mom.”

“I only had one class today.” Her mother flipped something on the pan. “So I went home immediately.”

Mika sat down.

Her mother glanced at her.

“So?”

“Hm?”

“How was school?”

Mika paused for a second. “Good...”

“Just good?”

“Really good, I think."

Her mother smiled a little after hearing that.

“That’s nice.”

Mika quietly watched her cook.

“Mom...”

“Yes?”

“You’re a professor too, right? At a different university?”

Her mother laughed softly.

“Of course I am. Did you suddenly forget?”

“Ah... no! I mean…”

Mika quickly looked away.

“I just thought about it.”

“Hmmm…”

Her mother narrowed her eyes jokingly.

“You’ve been acting strange lately since yesterday.”

Mika’s shoulders stiffened a little.

“Really...?”

“A little.”

Then her mother smiled again.

“But maybe college is just changing you.”

“Yeah..."

Her mother turned off the stove and brought the food to the table.

“Come help me.”

“Okay.”

Mika stood up and helped prepare the plates.

After that they finally sat down together.

“Eat well okay?”

“Yes.”

Mika quietly prayed first before eating.

“Mhm...”

The food was good.

Very good.

“So?” her mother asked again while eating. “How’s your third week?”

“It’s fun.”

“Oh?”

“I met people.”

“Friends?”

“I think…”

Her mother laughed softly.

“That means yes.”

Mika smiled awkwardly.

“Maybe they are."

Her mother took a sip of water.

“You know, you usually come home late.”

Mika froze. “Late...?”

“Mhm.” Her mother nodded. “You always stopped by at that coffee shop near your university.”

“Coffee shop…”

“You studied there almost everyday.”

Mika slowly nodded pretending she remembered.

“Ah… right.”

“You were always studying.” Her mother sighed playfully. “Sometimes I wondered if you loved your laptop more than me.”

“Mooom…!”

“I’m serious!” she laughed. “You barely rested.”

Mika smiled a little.

“I'm sorry...”

Then her mother suddenly remembered something.

“Oh right.”

“Hm?”

“The System Development club.”

Mika blinked. “What about it?”

“You really wanted to join that club you told me last week."

“Ah...”

“So? Did you join?”

Mika nodded.

“Yeah. I already joined.”

Her mother’s eyes brightened.

“Really?”

“Mhm.”

“That’s good!” she said happily. “I’m glad you’re finally trying things aside from studying.”

“Aside from studying…?”

“Yep.” She pointed her spoon at Mika. “College life isn’t only about grades.”

Mika quietly listened.

“I think I understand that now...”

Her mother smiled softly after hearing that.

Then suddenly...

“So…”

Mika looked up. “What?”

“Third week of college.”

“Yeah...?” she said before taking a sip of water.

“Do you have a boyfriend now?”

“PUWAH!!!"

Mika almost choked.

“M-Mom?!”

Her mother burst into laughter.

“Hahahaha!”

“I don’t have one!”

“That reaction says different.”

“It doesn’t!”

Her face became red.

“I’m studying first!”

“Ahhh yes yes.” Her mother grinned teasingly. “The classic student answer.”

“It’s true!”

“Mhm.”

Mika immediately drank water.

Her mother rested her chin on her hand.

“So who is he?”

“There’s no one!”

“There has to be.”

“There isn’t!”

Her mother kept smiling.

“Then who are these ‘people’ you met?”

“Just classmates.”

“Boys?”

“And girls.”

“Aha. So there are boys.”

“Mooom…!”

Her mother laughed again.

“Okay okay. I’ll stop.”

Mika sighed in relief.

But then...

“So tell me about them.”

“Huh...?”

“Your classmates.”

Mika looked down at her food for a second.

“There’s Ken.”

“Ken?”

“He’s my classmate.”

“What’s he like?”

“He’s…” Mika thought for a moment. “Really chill.”

“Chill?”

“He doesn’t think too much about problems in life.”

“Hmmm...”

“He just wants a peaceful life.”

Her mother nodded slowly.

“That kind of person is surprisingly rare.”

“Mhm.”

“And the other one?”

Mika blinked.

“Other one?”

“The one making you blush earlier.”

“I DIDN’T BLUSH!”

“You did.”

Mika looked away immediately.

“There’s just another guy...”

“Oho?”

“His name is Eron.”

Her mother leaned forward slightly.

“Tell me more about it.”

“He’s a second year.”

“Ohhh so a senior huh?”

“Mom...”

“What? Second years are scary for first years.”

“They’re not scary.”

“Mhm?”

Mika quietly poked her rice with the spoon.

“He just feels… experienced.”

“Experienced?”

“Like…” she tried to explain. “Even if he’s tired, he still keeps going.”

Her mother listened quietly.

“He feels like someone who already went through a lot in engineering but still didn’t give up.”

“I see...”

“And he talked with me earlier.”

“That’s sweet.”

“It’s normal!”

Her mother smiled teasingly again.

“Did he walk you home too?”

“No!”

“Hold your hand?”

“NO!”

“Pat your head?”

Mika froze. "W-what...?”

Her mother’s eyes widened immediately.

“Oh my god he did.”

“MOM!!!”

“Hahahahaha!”

Mika covered her face.

“It was just once!”

“So he really did!”

“It wasn’t like that!”

Her mother could barely stop laughing now.

“My daughter is growing up…”

“MOM STOP SAYING IT LIKE THAT!!!”

“Okay okay.”

She calmed down a little.

Then she looked at Mika with a grin again.

“So…”

Mika already knew.

"Please no....”

“Who do you prefer more?”

“Mom…”

“Ken or Eron?”

“MOMMMMM!!!”

Her mother laughed so hard she had to hold the table.

Meanwhile Mika’s entire face was completely red.

“Maybe I should start coming home late again.”

After dinner mika ascended towards the stairs and then entered her room, she immediately closed the door behind her.

Click

“…Okay.”

She leaned against the door for a second and let out a small sigh.

Her room was quiet compared to the noisy campus earlier, this place felt calm.

The aircon was already on low temperature, and the soft yellow light from the ceiling made the room feel warm.

She slowly looked around.

Yesterday, she only checked the important things such as her schedule of classes, apps that are used by the university and basic information about her.

But now…

“I need to know more about myself…”

Or to be precise...

“About the old Mika.”

If she kept acting without knowing enough, sooner or later someone would notice. Like her mother earlier.

“She already noticed small habits earlier…”

Mika walked toward the study table near the window.

Books were neatly stacked there.

Very neat and too neat that made her amazed.

“Wow...”

She slowly picked one up.

“Introduction to C++ Programming.”

Then another.

“Java Programming…”

Another one.

“Data Structures…”

Her eyes widened slightly.

“She already studied these…?”

These weren’t even part of their current first year subjects yet.

She opened one of the books and there were highlights everywhere.

Not just highlights but also some sticky notes too.

Small handwriting was present in some pages.

“Review recursion.”

“Fix syntax habit.”

“Practice loops again.”

“She’s serious…”

Mika sat on the chair quietly.

In her past life, she fought for rallies, protests, speeches, and movements.

Meanwhile this Mika…

“She fought with coding.”

It felt strange.

They have very different lives.

She looked at the shelves again and noticed folders stacked at the side.

“Hm?”

She grabbed one.

Inside were papers.

Certificates like her being an honor student and some best in precalculus and general chemistry during her grade 11 days.

Then...

“Grade 11…”

She slowly opened the report card.

Her eyes widened.

“Highest honors...?”

She flipped another.

Grade 12.

Still very high grades.

Especially in math and science subjects.

“She really is an academic achiever…”

Mika leaned back slightly.

No wonder her mother talked proudly about her earlier downstairs.

“She worked hard…”

Very hard.

Mika looked around the room again.

Everything suddenly felt heavier.

This room wasn’t just pretty or clean.

It was built from effort.

Long nights.

Stress.

Expectations from the others.

“I wonder if you were happy.”

She quietly muttered that to herself.

Then her eyes went on another small box near the cabinet.

She stood up and opened it.

Pictures and family pictures.

“Oh…”

One picture showed Mika beside her mother and father during Christmas.

Another one during her birthday.

Another one at the airport with her father before he returned to Japan.

Brown short-haired Mika in the pictures smiled softly.

“You loved them...”

Mika stared at the pictures quietly.

Her chest felt a little warm.

In her past life, she barely spent time with her own family anymore after joining groups and organizations.

Most days were spent outside. All about meetings, protests, debates, and planning. To her back then it was all about for the justice and this country.

Meanwhile the old Mika still kept memories like this carefully.

Mika slowly returned the pictures back into the box.

Then she grabbed her phone.

"I need to check her social media too.”

She opened Facebook first.

There are some posts like about coding memes, school announcements from her previous school, programming videos like tutorial.

Then her messenger is all about her classmates mostly asking for help.

“Can you help me with this problem?”

"We need representative for our math quiz bowl, Mika!"

“Thank you for helping earlier!”

“You’re so smart!"

Mika blinked slowly. “She helped a lot of people…”

Then she opened another conversation.

A classmate from last year in grade 12.

“I still haven’t started the project.”

Meanwhile Mika’s old messages were:

“I already finished my part so do your parts or ask me if you need help."

“I’m reviewing Java right now. I'll chat again later.”

“I’ll probably sleep late again. I need to finish my general chemistry practice problems."

Another message.

“I forgot to eat earlier because of our group project research.”

Mika stared quietly.

“You pushed yourself too much too..."

Similar from her past life.

Both of them kept chasing something.

One chased justice too much while another chased for achievements too much.

Neither of them stopped or rested.

Mika slowly placed the phone down beside her.

The room became quiet again.

She leaned back on the chair and looked at the ceiling.

“In the end…”

A small smile formed on her lips.

“We’re both kind of stupid, huh?”

One ruined her life fighting too hard.

One stressed herself too much studying too hard.

Different lives.

Different paths.

But both forgot to slow down.

Mika looked around her room.

All proof that the old Mika tried her best.

“Don’t worry.”

She softly whispered.

“I’ll live this life properly.”

Not wasting her effort or destroying it.

Not running toward death again.

This time...

She will live for her and will aim for the balance.

Study, friends, family, peace, and a normal life.

Something simple and real then her phone suddenly vibrated.

Bzzzzt!

“Hm?”

She grabbed it.

Sys Dev.

[Eron]: Good evening everyone.

[Marco:] OHHHHH HE CHATTED FIRST.

[Neil]: Rare moment.

[Jace]: Screenshot this guys.

[Camille]: Stop bullying him.

[Eron]: I literally just said good evening…

Mika laughed softly. “…They’re noisy.”

Then another message appeared.

[Eron]: Mika, did you already rest?

Her fingers paused for a second.

Then slowly... She smiled.

Maybe… This new life really wouldn’t be that bad after all.

[>>>>>>>>>>>]

Rain poured heavily outside the university gate.

SHHHHHHH!!!

Eron stood there breathing hard.

His uniform was soaked and his hair stuck to his forehead.

In front of him were his friends.

The same friends he entered engineering with.

The same people he reviewed with until 3 AM.

The same people who once laughed and said,

“First year engineering? This will be easy because we're helping each other.”

But now none of them were laughing anymore.

One of them looked at his phone again.

“So it’s real...”

Another forced a smile.

“You passed, idiot.”

Eron shook his head immediately.

“No… no, that’s wrong…”

He quickly walked closer.

“We all failed earlier.”

“Not anymore.”

“But we took the same completion exam!”

“Yeah,” his friend laughed weakly. “And somehow you survived.”

Eron’s chest hurt.

72.2

That number kept repeating inside of his head.

Just enough to pass and stay while the others like his friends failed.

One of them suddenly grabbed Eron’s shoulder.

“You really didn’t check the updated announcement earlier?"

“I didn’t know…”

“You’re really an idiot.”

But his voice sounded sad.

Another one smiled weakly.

“I can’t do this anymore, bro.”

Eron froze.

“Huh…?”

“I’m tired.”

The rain got stronger.

Cars passed outside the gate.

“I thought I could survive engineering.”

His friend laughed quietly.

“But Differential Calculus destroyed me.”

“Don’t say that,” Eron said quickly.

“But it’s true.”

Another one spoke.

“My parents already told me to shift if I failed one subject.”

“Mine too.”

“I think I’ll stop.”

Each word hit Eron harder.

“No…”

One of them looked at him and smiled.

“But you…”

Eron looked up.

“You can still continue.”

His throat tightened.

“I don’t want to continue alone...”

Silence then one of his friends suddenly laughed softly.

“You remember what happened in Grade 12?”

“Yeah...”

“You were always the quiet one but somehow always had that potential."

“And now you’re the only one left.”

“Stop saying that…”

Eron’s voice cracked.

The rain kept falling harder.

Then one of them stepped closer and suddenly pulled Eron into a hug.

“Do it for us.”

Eron froze completely.

“Huh...?”

“You passed.”

“So don’t waste it.”

His vision blurred immediately.

“No…”

“We’re serious.”

Another one smiled sadly.

“Reach second year.”

“Not just second year but third year too.”

“Then graduate for us too.”

Eron shook his head repeatedly.

“Don’t say it like goodbye…”

But none of them answered.

Because it was.

One by one they slowly stepped back.

And Eron finally understood.

They were leaving.

“Guys…”

One of them wiped his eyes.

“You know what’s funny?”

“What...?”

“We were jealous of you sometimes.”

Eron widened his eyes.

“Huh…?”

“You always survived somehow.”

“But I—!”

“You worked hard.”

Another one laughed weakly.

“You even helped us review before exams.”

Eron bit his lip.

His chest hurt badly.

Because he remembered those nights too.

Drink coffee together then review and complain together at the same professor.

Everything from the start and now it was ending.

One of them smiled at him.

“You know…”

“What...?”

“You’re really kind, Eron.”

That broke him.

Because he didn’t feel kind at all.

He felt guilty.

Very guilty.

“I’m sorry…”

His voice shook.

“I’m very sorry I passed…”

His friends immediately froze.

Then one of them suddenly grabbed both of Eron’s shoulders.

“Don’t apologize for surviving.”

Eron’s eyes widened.

“You hear me?” one of them added.

Tears started falling harder from Eron’s eyes.

“But you guys—!”

“We’re happy for you.”

“No…”

“We really are.”

The rain became louder.

SHHHHHHHH!!!!

Then one of them smiled again.

“Go become an computer engineer.”

Eron cried harder.

“I can’t…”

“Yes, you can.”

Then slowly they started walking away.

Step!

Step!

Step!

Step!

Step!

Eron stood there shaking.

“Wait…”

But they kept walking.

“WAIT!!!”

Eron immediately ran after them.

Step!

Step!

Step!

Step!

Water splashed everywhere as he ran through the rain.

“WAIT!”

His breathing became messy.

“DON’T LEAVE YET!!!”

They stopped for one second.

Then turned around.

Rain covered their faces.

But Eron still saw their smiles.

“Eron...”

His chest trembled.

“Thank you for everything."

Eron froze.

Just like that.

Thank you and not blame just gratitude.

And somehow for eron that hurt the most because he loved them too.

“Guys…”

But they turned away again.

And kept walking.

Farther.

Farther.

Farther.

Until the heavy rain swallowed them completely.

“WAIT!!!!!”

Eron ran harder.

But he couldn’t reach them anymore.

No matter how much he ran.

No matter how much he cried.

They were already leaving his life.

And he couldn’t stop it.

Then the darkness swallowed him completely.

Then eron suddenly opened his eyes.

“Hah!!!”

He sat up quickly from his bed.

His breathing was uneven.

Tears were still falling from his eyes.

The room was dark and only the sound of rain outside remained.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

Eron slowly grabbed his phone.

2:30 AM

“Ah…”

His chest still hurts even after all this time.

“I’m sorry…”

His voice sounded weak. Very small and broken.

“I’m still here… And I still don’t know if I deserved to pass.”

[>>>>>>>>>>>]

Saturday morning.

The clock already showed 10:00 AM.

Mika walked down the stairs wearing civilian clothes instead of her university uniform.

A simple oversized white shirt with black skirt, white shoes and her small sling bag.

Her mother looked at her from the kitchen while cooking.

“Oh?”

“You’re going out?” her mother asked.

“Yeah,” Mika replied. “I’ll go to the mall for a bit.”

Her mother smiled.

“That’s rare.”

“Mooom…”

“What? The old you would stay in your room and study the whole weekend.”

Mika awkwardly laughed.

“Hehe…”

“Well, that’s good too,” her mother said warmly. “Enjoy your youth while you still can.”

Mika smiled a little.

“Yeah.”

Her mother pointed the spatula at her dramatically.

“But take care.”

“I will.”

“And don’t go home late.”

“Yes, mom.”

“And don’t suddenly register an upcoming coding competition without sleeping again.”

“MOM...! I won't!”

Her mother laughed loudly.

“Okay, okay.”

“I’m leaving!”

“Take care!”

Click.

The door closed.

Outside, the sunlight felt warm.

Mika slowly looked around.

“Freedom...”

No class.

No gunshots.

No rallies.

Just a normal weekend.

And somehow that alone already made her smile.

She walked through the streets while looking around quietly.

Students for weekend class, families and couples.

Everything felt peaceful for her compared from her old life as Lira.

Eventually after the jeep ride she arrived at the mall.

The cold air immediately greeted her once she entered.

“Whoa…”

People everywhere.

Some were shopping at the department store.

Some were eating in some fast food restaurants.

Some were just walking around.

“This feels nice…”

Mika slowly explored.

Clothing stores.

Bookstores.

She even stopped by an arcade on the second floor just to watch some kids and high schoolers play. She wanted to play but she thinks she's bad at playing arcade games so she only just watched at their gameplay.

Then eventually...

“I’m thirsty…”

She went down to the first floor and looked around.

And saw a coffee shop nearby.

But the moment she looked through the glass window she saw something.

“Huh...?”

Her steps stopped.

Inside the coffee shop she saw Eron.

“Eron...?”

He sat at a table with notebooks spread around.

And beside him was a girl.

Short black hair with glasses and same age as him probably.

The girl looked frustrated while staring at her notebook.

“Wait… I don't understand."

“Okay… so look.”

Eron moved his notebook closer to Leira.

“If you separate the variables first, it becomes easier.”

Leira leaned forward a little.

“Ohhh… wait…”

She adjusted her glasses while the silver watch on her wrist reflected the light.

“So this one moves here?”

“Yeah.”

“And the dx goes there?”

“Mhm.”

She smiled.

“I finally get it.”

Eron scratched the back of his head shyly.

“I-It’s not really hard once you get used to it.”

“It is hard,” Leira immediately replied. “You’re just too used to engineering suffering already.”

Eron laughed quietly.

“That’s true…”

Mika stood near the entrance of the coffee shop holding her bag.

“Eron?”

Eron looked up.

His eyes widened a little.

“Mika?”

Leira turned around too.

“Oh?”

Eron quickly sat properly.

“U-Uhm… Mika. What are you doing here?”

“I was just walking around the mall…”

“Oh…”

He looked awkward for some reason.

Then he quickly looked at the girl beside him.

“Ah… this is Leira.”

The girl smiled kindly.

“Hi.”

“I’m Leira Torres. Second year Chemical Engineering.”

Mika blinked.

“Second year too…?”

“Yeah,” Leira replied.

Mika slowly sat down on the empty chair.

“I’m Mika Aizawa. First year Computer Engineering.”

“Ohhh,” Leira nodded. “Freshman.”

Then she looked at Eron with a teasing smile.

“So this is the new member from SysDev?”

Eron almost choked.

“L-Leira…”

Leira laughed harder.

“You’re so easy to tease.”

Mika smiled awkwardly.

For some reason… Her chest felt weird.

Leira looked back at the notebook.

“Anyway. Continue teaching me, great professor Eron.”

“I’m not a professor…”

“You explain better than our professor.”

“That’s impossible.”

“It’s true.”

Eron sighed.

“Fine…”

He pointed at the notebook again.

“Look here first.”

Leira moved closer beside him so she could see better.

Their shoulders almost touched.

Mika quietly watched them.

“See this equation?” Eron asked.

“Mhm.”

“If the variables are separable, you move everything involving y to one side then x on the other.”

Leira stared for a few seconds.

“I’m lost again...”

“Huh?! Which part?”

“This.”

She pointed at one line.

Eron blinked.

“Oh…”

He grabbed another paper.

“Wait. I’ll redo it slower.”

Leira smiled a little.

“You really don’t get annoyed easily.”

“I do.”

“No, you don’t.”

“I literally do.”

“You still explain it again though.”

Eron looked away shyly.

“Because if I don’t, you’ll fail.”

Leira gasped dramatically.

“So cruel.”

“You said it yourself.”

“That’s true…”

Mika watched them continue talking.

To her, seeing them It felt like they were too natural and compatible to each other.

Leira suddenly looked at Mika.

“Engineering is hard, right?”

“Ah… yeah.”

“You’ll suffer soon too.”

Mika laughed awkwardly.

“I’m already suffering in Precal.”

Leira immediately pointed at Eron.

“Then use him.”

“Huh?”

“He’s good at math.”

Eron looked embarrassed again.

“I-I’m not that good…”

“You passed Differential Calculus in one take.”

“That was just pure luck…”

Leira stared at him flatly.

“You literally studied until 3 AM everyday before.”

“Don’t expose me...”

Mika quietly listened.

The way they talked and the way that they understood each other so easily it's like they already went through the same hardships together.

Leira sighed dramatically again.

“Engineering really destroys your sleep.”

“True,” Eron replied immediately.

“And your mental health.”

“True.”

“And your social life.”

“Also true.”

Mika watched them nod at each other seriously.

Then both of them laughed a little after.

It felt like… There was a space between them that she couldn’t enter.

A space only engineering students who survived first year could understand.

Leira suddenly looked at Eron.

“Hey.”

“What?”

“Thanks.”

“Hm?”

“For teaching me.”

Eron looked surprised.

“It’s nothing...”

“No, seriously.”

She smiled softly.

“I was actually panicking earlier.”

“Don't worry you’ll pass.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah.”

“You sound confident.”

“Because you’re trying.”

Leira stared at him for a second then smiled.

“You really say nice things naturally.”

Eron immediately looked away.

“I-It’s not like that...”

Mika lowered her eyes quietly.

Her chest hurt a little.

Why?

She didn’t understand.

Leira looked at the clock.

“Ah, crap.”

“Hm?”

“I still need to buy something important later.”

Eron nodded.

“Then let’s finish this quickly.”

“Mhm.”

They went back to solving again.

Mika sat there quietly.

Watching them talk.

Watching them laugh sometimes.

Watching how Eron looked calmer here than in school.

And slowly… She felt left behind like she didn’t belong there.

“I think I’ll go now...”

Both of them looked at her.

“Huh?” Eron blinked. “Already?”

“Yeah…”

“You just got here though,” Leira said.

“I still want to explore the mall.”

Eron looked like he wanted to say something.

But he only nodded.

“Oh… okay.”

Mika stood up slowly.

“Good luck with your studying.”

“Thanks,” Leira smiled.

Eron looked up at her.

“See you on Monday?”

“Yeah...”

She smiled a little.

Then turned around and walked away.

Step.

Step.

Step.

Step.

As she left the coffee shop…

Her chest felt heavy.

“…Why do I feel like this?”

She held her bag tighter.

“They’re just friends…”

Then why did it hurt a little seeing them together?

Why did she feel jealous?

“I don't understand myself."

Why?

She walked through the mall quietly.

People passed by and voices everywhere.

But her mind kept remembering their conversation.

“You really say nice things naturally.”

“Don't worry you’ll pass.”

“So this is the new member from Sys Dev?”

Mika stopped walking for a second.

“Why am I thinking about it so much...?”

She let out a small sigh and continued walking.

“I should just go to the bathroom first.”

She walked deeper into the mall.

Then as she turned the right corner

She suddenly bumped into someone.

“Oh—!”

She looked up quickly.

Long hair and face mask with those calm black eyes wearing an oversized hoodie with black pants and shoes.

“Ken...?”

He looked surprised too.

“Mika...?"

They stood there for a few seconds in the middle of the hallway near the bathroom.

People kept passing by them boys and girls going different ways in the bathroom.

Ken tilted his head slightly.

“What are you doing here?”

“Just looking around…” Mika answered. “You?”

“Same.”

Still wearing his face mask and oversized hoodie, Ken looked relaxed like always.

No pressure.

No rush.

Just calm.

Mika looked down at her small sling bag.

“I didn’t expect to see someone from school here…”

“Me too.”

Silence again.

But somehow it wasn’t awkward with him.

Then Ken suddenly spoke.

“Do you want to play arcade games?”

“Huh?”

“Second floor.”

He pointed upward casually.

“There.”

Mika blinked.

“Arcade…?”

“Yeah.”

“But I think I’m not really good at games…”

“It doesn’t matter.”

He shrugged lightly.

“We’re just killing time.”

Mika hesitated.

“I don’t have enough money.”

That was the only reason she could come up with to avoid playing arcade games.

Ken looked at her for a second.

“I’ll pay.”

“Huh?! No, you don’t need to—!”

Before she could finish, he lightly grabbed her wrist.

“Let’s go.”

Not rough just enough to pull her along.

“W-Wait, Ken—!”

He already started walking.

Step!

Step!

Step!

Step!

Step!

Mika followed behind him while her heart strangely beat faster.

“Why is he like this…?”

A few minutes later…

They arrived at the arcade.

Bright lights with hame sounds everywhere and music blasting loudly.

Students and kids running around.

“Whoa…”

Mika looked around in surprise.

Ken walked straight to the cashier.

“One card.”

The cashier nodded.

“How much load, sir?”

Ken pulled out a few bills from his wallet.

“A lot…”

“₱1,000?!”

Mika’s eyes widened a little.

“Ken, that’s too much—!”

“It’s fine.”

The cashier handed him the arcade card.

“Thank you, sir.”

Ken nodded once.

“Keep the change.”

The cashier smiled politely.

“Thank you.”

Mika stared at him.

“You really spent that much...?”

Ken looked at her lazily.

“You said you didn’t have money.”

“That’s not what I meant!”

He only chuckled quietly behind the mask.

“Come on.”

Then he handed her the card.

“You first.”

“Huh?!”

“Pick a game.”

Mika looked around nervously.

Everything looked difficult.

“…That one?”

She pointed at a basketball arcade game.

Ken looked at it.

“Okay.”

A few moments later...

THUNK!

The ball completely missed.

“Ah...”

Ken watched silently.

Mika threw another one.

THUNK!

Miss again.

“This game hates me...”

Ken laughed quietly.

“You’re terrible.”

“Hey!”

“You really are.”

“Then you try!”

“Okay.”

Ken grabbed a basketball casually.

Shoot.

Swish!

Shoot.

Swish!!

Shoot.

Swish!!!

Mika stared at him.

“You’re good...”

“Nah.”

“You literally haven’t missed.”

“Just lucky.”

“That’s not luck anymore!”

Ken laughed again softly.

It was the first time she heard him.

After that they played more games.

Racing games.

Shooting games.

Dance games.

Even claw machines.

In racing games,

“Ken! Left! LEFT!”

“I know.”

“You crashed again!”

“Because you’re too loud.”

“That’s your excuse?!”

Meanwhile on the shooting game,

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Whoa…” Mika blinked.

“Why are you so good at this?” She asked.

Ken lowered the toy gun calmly.

“I play sometimes.”

“You got almost everything.”

“Hm.”

Then he glanced at her score.

“You got four...”

“Stop looking!”

He laughed again.

And somehow… Mika found herself laughing too.

Time passed quickly.

Soon they were already walking side by side on the second floor hallway.

The noise from the arcade slowly disappear behind them.

“Today was fun.”

“Yeah.”

“You’re different at school.”

“Hm?”

“You laugh here.”

Ken placed both hands inside his pockets again.

“School is tiring.”

“That’s true…”

They kept walking slowly.

Then Mika’s smile slowly disappear.

“Ken...”

“Hm?”

“Can I ask something?”

“Sure.”

She looked down.

“Do you ever feel bad for no reason?”

Ken glanced at her quietly.

“Sometimes.”

“I don’t understand it.”

Her voice became softer.

“I feel happy… but sometimes I suddenly feel heavy inside.”

Ken stayed quiet and listened.

Mika continued slowly. “I don’t even know why.”

She forced a small laugh. “Hahaha! Maybe I’m weird.”

“You’re not.”

“Then why does it hurt sometimes...?”

Ken looked ahead calmly.

“Because you’re human.”

“Huh?”

“People get hurt.”

“But I don’t even understand myself.”

“That’s normal too.”

Mika stopped walking.

“Normal?”

Ken stopped too.

He looked at her silently.

Then he noticed her eyes slowly becoming watery.

“Hey...”

Mika quickly looked away.

“I-I’m not crying.”

“You are.”

“No.”

“You literally are.”

She bit her lip slightly.

“I hate this...”

Ken stared at her for a few seconds.

Then he suddenly pulled her gently closer.

Mika froze.

“H-Huh—?”

Ken hugged her tightly.

One arm around her shoulders.

The other lightly patting her head.

“It’s okay.”

Mika’s eyes widened.

Her face slowly became red.

“K-Ken…”

“Don’t cry.”

His voice stayed calm and soft.

“It’ll look bad, you know?”

Despite what he said, his hand kept patting her head gently.

Like he was calming a child.

Mika grabbed his hoodie slightly.

“I don’t understand myself...”

“It’s okay.”

“I feel weird.”

“It’s okay.”

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to feel anymore…”

“You don’t need to figure everything out right now.”

Mika’s chest tightened.

Then slowly… Tears fell from her eyes.

“Why are you so nice to me...?”

Ken stayed quiet for a moment.

Then he answered simply.

“Because you look like you need it.”

Mika cried quietly against him while Ken continued patting her head slowly.

“It’s okay,” he repeated again softly.

And for the first time since waking up in this new life Mika finally let herself cry honestly.