Misunderstanding and Him

The whole ride home felt strange for Mika.

Not a weird one but somehow a warm strange for her.

Her fingers lightly touched her own sleeve while remembering what happened earlier.

“It’s okay.”

Ken’s voice replayed again inside her head.

Then the feeling of his hand patting her head.

Her face slowly became red again.

“Why am I remembering it again…”

She covered her face a little while walking toward their house gate.

Click!

She opened the gate quietly and stepped inside.

The lights were already on.

“Mom probably got home already…”

She removed her shoes near the entrance.

Then she suddenly heard voices from the dining area.

“I still think there are some minor revisions here.”

Mika froze. “Mom...?"

Another familar voice answered nervously.

“Y-Yeah…”

Mika slowly peeked and it was Eron sitting at the dining table with his laptop open.

Her mother sat across from him wearing glasses while reading something on the screen.

Eron looked exhausted like he hadn’t rested properly.

His hair was slightly messy then her mother noticed her first.

“Oh? Mika.”

Eron immediately looked behind him and froze in shocked.

“M-Mika?!”

“You—?!”

Mika pointed at him in complete confusion.

“What are you doing here?!”

Eron looked still shocked.

“I-I should be asking that too!”

Her mother blinked.

“You two know each other...?”

Silence.

Then both of them pointed at each other.

“She’s my junior.”

“He’s my senior.”

Again silence.

Then her mother suddenly laughed softly.

“Oh my…”

Mika slowly walked closer.

“Mom… what’s happening?”

Her mother closed the laptop gently.

“I forgot to tell you.”

“Huh?”

“I do part-time editing for publishing companies sometimes.”

Mika blinked.

“Editing…?”

“Mhm.”

She smiled calmly.

“Novels mostly.”

Then she pointed at Eron.

“He’s one of the writers assigned to me right now.”

Mika slowly looked at Eron again.

“You write novels...?”

Eron scratched his cheek shyly.

“A little...”

“A little?!”

Her mother chuckled.

“He’s actually pretty good.”

“M-Mom…”

“I’m serious.”

Mika stared at him in disbelief.

“You never mentioned this…”

Eron looked away awkwardly.

“It’s embarrassing...”

Then her mother suddenly paused.

“Wait...”

She slowly looked between the two of them.

Then her eyes slightly widened in realization.

“So this is the Eron you were talking about before?”

Mika froze instantly.

“Huh...?”

Eron froze too.

“What?”

Her mother smiled knowingly.

“The second year student.”

Mika’s face turned red.

“M-Mom!”

“What?” her mother laughed. “You mentioned him during dinner yesterday."

Eron immediately sat properly.

“N-No! I mean...! It’s not like that!”

Her mother suddenly became serious.

Very serious.

She adjusted her glasses slowly.

“So.”

Eron stiffened.

“You know my daughter.”

“Y-Yes...”

“How close are you?”

“MOM!”

Eron quickly shook his head repeatedly.

“N-No! We’re not! I mean... She’s just my junior!”

“Just junior?”

“Yes!”

“Only that?”

“Y-Yes!”

“Hmm…”

Her mother narrowed her eyes slightly.

Mika covered her face.

“This is so embarrassing…”

Then her mother suddenly smiled again.

“I’m only joking.”

Eron sighs in relief. “Haa... I almost died.”

“Hahaha!”

Mika sighed deeply.

“Mom…”

“What? He’s cute when nervous.”

“MOM!!!”

Eron looked like he wanted to disappear from existence.

Then her mother stood up.

“Well, I’ll make a coffee first for the three of us.”

Before leaving, she looked back at Eron.

“Revise chapter three and four too.”

"Is this a punishment, ma'am?"

"Maybe," She said with a teasing grin. "Also fix the dialogue pacing.”

“Y-yes, ma’am…”

Then she left toward the kitchen.

Mika slowly sat down beside him.

“You really write novels.?”

“Yeah...”

“What kind?”

“Mostly mystery and drama…”

“That fits you somehow.”

“Huh?”

“You look like someone who writes sad stories.”

Eron stared at her.

“Is that a compliment?”

“I don’t know.”

He let out a small laugh.

Then Mika quietly looked at him.

“You never told me...”

“I don’t really tell people.”

“Why?”

“Because it feels embarrassing to tell them that I'm a novelist.”

“But your novel got accepted by a publishing company.”

“It’s still embarrassing.”

Mika looked at the laptop screen.

There were paragraphs after paragraphs written there.

“Amazing...”

Eron scratched his cheek again shyly.

“It’s not that amazing…”

Then Mika remembered something.

The coffee shop and him talking with Leira.

Her chest suddenly felt weird again.

“Eron...”

“Hm?”

“About that girl earlier…”

“Huh?”

“At the coffee shop.”

“Oh…”

“Leira.”

“Mhm.”

Mika looked away slightly.

“Are you two close?”

Eron blinked.

“Close?”

“Yeah...”

“We’re friends.”

“Just friends?”

“Huh?”

Eron looked confused.

“Yeah...?”

Mika quietly stared at the table.

“Oh...”

Eron tilted his head slightly.

“Why?”

“N-Nothing.”

“You’re acting weird...”

“I’m not.”

“You are.”

“I said I’m not!”

Eron stared at her for a few seconds.

Then suddenly...

“Are you jealous?”

Mika froze completely.

“H-huh...?”

Eron’s eyes widened too after realizing what he just said.

“I-I mean... Wait! That sounded wrong—!”

Mika immediately stood up.

“I-I’m going upstairs!”

“H-Huh?! Mika wait—!”

“No!”

She quickly grabbed her bag.

Her face completely red.

“I’m not jealous!”

Then she immediately ran upstairs.

Step!

Step!

Step!

Step!

Step!

Eron sat there frozen.

“I’m so dead...”

Meanwhile upstairs...

Mika closed her bedroom door loudly.

Bang!

Then she covered her burning face with both hands.

“Why did I react like that?!”

Eron stayed frozen on the chair for a few more seconds.

“I’m really dead...”

Then Mika’s mother came back carrying three mugs of coffee.

But when she saw the empty seat upstairs and only Eron there she sighed.

“You really aren’t good at handling girls.”

Eron looked down in shame.

“I'm sorry...”

She placed the coffee down on the table and sat again.

“I mean it honestly,” Eron defended himself weakly. “I just asked her if she's jealous or not… I didn't think that—!"

“That’s exactly the problem.”

“Huh...?”

She adjusted her glasses.

“You engineers are really good at solving Math and science problems."

Eron quietly listened.

“But solving a woman’s heart?”

She shook her head slowly.

“Hopeless.”

"...."

She opened his laptop again.

“Hmm.”

Then her eyes narrowed.

“You still haven’t revised chapter three and four.”

Eron immediately stiffened.

“I-I was distracted...”

“Mhm.”

“By your daughter.”

“That’s worse.”

Eron lowered his head.

“I'm sorry...”

She sighed but smiled a little afterward.

“You know…”

Her tone became softer.

“Mika has been different these past two days.”

Eron blinked slightly.

“Different...?”

“She’s more expressive now.”

She leaned back on her chair.

“She starts to go out like earlier where she went to the mall.”

Eron looked away awkwardly.

“Yeah...”

“She seems like she’s trying to explore things she missed before.”

Eron quietly listened.

Then her mother looked directly at him.

“And then she sees you there with another girl.”

Eron immediately waved his hands.

“N-No! It’s not like that!”

“Oh?”

“She just asked for help in Differential Equations!”

“Mhm.”

“And I only helped her because she was struggling!”

“Mhm.”

“And then Mika came at the exact wrong timing…”

Her mother slowly smiled.

“So you understand your situation now...?”

Eron slowly lowered his head again.

“Yeah...”

“You’re doomed.”

“Yeah.”

Silence.

Then her mother suddenly pointed upstairs.

“Go.”

“Huh?”

“Talk to her.”

“Now?!”

“Yes, now.”

“But what do I even say...?”

“The truth.”

“That’s difficult...”

“Then suffer. The pain of misunderstanding.”

“Ma’am…”

She crossed her arms.

“If you don’t fix this misunderstanding...”

Eron gulped knowing the next words will cook him.

“I’ll cancel your series.”

"WHAT?!”

“No more chapters and publications."

Eron immediately stood up.

“I’LL FIX IT, MA'AM!”

“That fast?”

“I WILL TRY MY BEST, MA'AM!”

She laughed softly.

“Good.”

Then she pointed upstairs again.

“Then go.”

Eron took a deep breath.

“Okay...”

He clenched his fists slightly.

"I need to trust myself... and tell her the truth."

Finally his expression became serious.

Very serious like he was about to face a final boss in engineering.

Mika’s mother watched him walk toward the stairs.

Then she quietly sipped her coffee.

“Young love really is fun to watch… It reminds me of us, doesn’t it, my love?”

She smiled softly.

“He really looks like you,” she added.

Meanwhile in the second floor Eron stood in front of Mika’s bedroom door.

“Why am I more nervous here than a quiz in Differential Equations?”

He stared at the door for a few seconds.

Then finally...

Knock!

Knock!

Knock!

“Mika...?”

No answer.

“Mika, can we talk?”

Still silence.

Eron sighed softly.

“I know you’re there…”

“Just go away.”

“You answered.”

Silence again.

“I’m sorry...”

“For what?”

“For making you misunderstand.”

“I didn’t misunderstand anything.”

“You did.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“You’re jealous.”

“I SAID I’M NOT!!!”

Eron flinched outside the door.

“Okay... I'm sorry.”

Silence.

Then Eron slowly sat on the floor outside her room.

“Leira is really just my friend.”

Inside the room Mika quietly sat on her bed while hugging her pillow.

“Then why were you two so close?”

Eron blinked outside.

“Close...?”

“You looked comfortable together.”

“Oh…”

He lowered his eyes a little.

“That’s because we survived the same subjects already like integral and diff cal.”

Mika stayed quiet.

Eron continued softly.

“She was asking for help and honestly… I understand her.”

“Because engineering is hard...?”

“Yeah.”

Silence again.

Then Eron looked at the door quietly.

“But that doesn’t mean I like her.”

Mika’s grip on the pillow tightened slightly.

“Really...?”

“Really.”

“Then why were you smiling so much?”

Eron froze.

“Did I...?”

“Yes.”

“Ah...”

He scratched the back of his head.

“She’s just easy to talk to.”

“Oh....”

“But…”

He looked at the door.

“I also like talking to you.”

Mika’s eyes widened slightly.

Outside Eron realized what he just said.

“Wait..."

Inside Mika’s face slowly became red again

Outside Eron panicked immediately.

“N-No! I mean... not like THAT—!”

Too late as Mika buried her face into the pillow completely.

“This guy really says dangerous things naturally…”

Two hours passed by and Eron slowly lowered his head against the wall beside Mika’s door.

“I’ll just stay here for a bit…”

The whole house was quiet already.

Only the faint sound of the aircon and the clock downstairs could be heard.

TICK!

TICK!

TICK!

Eron sighed tiredly.

Today felt too long.

Studying together with Leira, letting his manuscript checked by his editor and Mika getting jealous.

Not just that but her mother threatening his writing career if he couldn't fix this misunderstanding.

“Engineering is easier than this…”

Little by little his eyes slowly closed.

Then eventually… He fell asleep outside her door.

Meanwhile downstairs Mika’s mother finished washing the mugs and stretched lightly.

“Hm…”

Then she noticed it was too quiet upstairs.

“Did he fail fixing the problem?"

She walked upstairs slowly.

Step!

Step!

Step!

Step!

Then she stopped.

“Oh my....”

Eron was sleeping while leaning beside the wall near Mika’s room.

His arms crossed awkwardly.

His head tilted slightly down.

Still wearing his white polo shirt and pants.

Mika’s mother covered her mouth slightly to stop herself from laughing.

“This boy really stayed here....”

She crouched down a little.

“Eron.”

No response.

"Eron."

No response again.

“He’s completely asleep.”

She sighed softly then carefully pulled him a little closer near the wall so he wouldn’t suddenly fall sideways.

“There.”

Then she knocked on Mika’s door softly.

Knock!

Knock!

Knock!

“Mika?”

Silence for a few seconds then the door slowly opened.

Mika peeked outside.

“Mom?”

Her mother pointed at the sleeping Eron.

“He fell asleep outside your door.”

“Huh...?”

Mika’s eyes widened slightly.

“He really stayed there…?”

“Mhm.”

Her mother entered the room while Mika looked once more outside at Eron.

Then she slowly closed the door.

“Why did he actually stay…”

Her mother sat beside her on the bed.

Then immediately she started grinning again.

“Moooom…”

“What?” she laughed softly. “This is cute.”

“It’s not!”

“Mhm sure.”

Mika grabbed a pillow immediately.

“I’m not even jealous.”

“Still denying?”

“Yes!”

Her mother only smiled knowingly.

Then after a few moments she suddenly looked quieter.

“You know…”

“Hm?”

“I was like that before too.”

Mika blinked.

“You...?”

“Mhm.”

She leaned slightly back on the bed.

“When I was younger.”

Mika listened quietly.

“Back then your father was already working in Japan.”

“Dad...?”

“Mhm.”

She smiled a little while remembering.

“There were times I’d visit him there.”

“And?”

“I saw him talking to other women sometimes.”

Mika blinked.

“Japanese women?”

“Yes.”

"And?”

Her mother laughed softly.

“I got jealous immediately.”

“MOM!”

“What? It’s true.”

Mika stared at her in disbelief.

“You too?”

“Of course.”

Then her mother lightly poked Mika’s forehead.

“That’s why I understand you right now.”

“I said I’m not jealous.”

“Mhm.”

“I’m serious.”

“Mhm.”

“Mom!”

Her mother laughed again.

Then Mika slowly hugged her pillow tighter.

“I just don’t understand myself.”

Her mother’s smile softened a little.

“Because this is probably your first time feeling this.”

Mika looked down quietly.

Then another face suddenly appeared inside her mind.

Ken.

The way he hugged her earlier.

The way he calmly patted her head.

“It’s okay.”

Her chest felt weird again.

“And there’s also Ken…”

Her mother immediately looked interested.

“Oh?”

“N-No! Not like that!”

“Ken, your another boy?”

“MOM!”

Her mother looked way too entertained now.

“Wow…”

“No wow!”

“So you liked them two?”

“There’s no way I will!”

“Maybe one of them?”

“None of the above!”

Her mother laughed so hard she almost leaned backward.

“Mika, your reactions are too obvious.”

Mika buried her face into the pillow immediately.

“This is so embarrassing…”

Her mother kept smiling.

“So let me understand this properly.”

“Mooom…”

“One comforts you.”

Mika froze.

“One makes you jealous.”

“Mom please stop....”

“And now you’re confused.”

“I said stop…”

Her mother gently patted her head this time.

“It’s normal.”

“Really?”

“Mhm.”

Then she smiled teasingly again.

“But honestly…”

“What?”

“I didn’t expect my daughter to have this kind of problem already on the third week of college.”

“MOMMMMM!”

An hour passed and it was 8 PM. The rain was still falling hard outside.

Dinner was already set on the table.

Mika, Eron, and her mother were eating together in the dining room.

It was quiet at first Only the sound of utensils and rain outside.

Then her mother suddenly smiled.

“You know…” her mother said.

Mika looked up. “Hm?”

Her mother looked between the two of them.

“You two really make me feel like I suddenly have a new member of the family.”

Mika almost choked. “M-Mom!”

Eron stopped eating for a second. “Ah… um…”

His face turned red. He just kept eating after that.

Mika also looked away, cheeks a bit red.

“It’s not like that…” she said softly.

Her mother laughed a little.

“Is that so?”

Silence again.

But now it felt more awkward.

Eron slowly moved his hand under the table… then gently held Mika’s hand.

It was careful. A bit shaky.

“I'm really sorry for what happened earlier…” he said quietly.

Mika looked at him.

He didn’t look up. Just kept eating with his other hand.

Mika stared at their hands for a second.

Then she slowly relaxed.

“It’s okay,” she said.

A small smile formed on her face.

Maybe… it’s fine.

Maybe she overreacted earlier at the mall.

Leira and him were just studying.

Nothing else.

They are just friends and nothing more.

“Yeah…” she thought. “I was just thinking too much.”

Her mother noticed everything and smiled wider.

“So cute…” she whispered to herself.

Mika heard it. “Mom!”

“What? I didn’t say anything.”

Eron kept quiet, but he was clearly nervous.

After dinner, the rain got even stronger.

Eron looked outside the window.

“I should probably go—!”

“No,” her mother said immediately.

Both Mika and Eron looked at her.

Her mother pointed upstairs.

“You’re staying here. Guest room in the second floor.”

“Ah... I can’t... And I don’t want to trou—!”

“It’s already decided, Eron."

Eron went silent.

“Yes, ma’am...”

Mika sighed.

Her mother stood up and stretched.

“I’ll be guarding the second floor hallway.”

Mika blinked. “Huh?”

Her mother looked at Eron.

“If you try to sneak into my daughter’s room…”

She smiled. “I will know.”

Eron quickly shook his head. “I won’t! I swear I won’t!”

Mika’s face turned red again. “MOM!!”

Her mother just laughed.

“Good night, you two.”

She walked away still smiling to herself.

Mika sat there, covering her face.

Eron quietly finished his food.

After a moment, he spoke softly.

“Sorry again.”

Mika peeked at him.

“Yeah..."

“Really I am, Mika…”

Mika looked at their hands still lightly holding each other.

Then she shook her head a little.

“It’s fine.”

“We’re just friends, right?” she said quietly.

Eron nodded. “Yeah. Just friends.”

Mika looked away.

Still, something in her chest felt warm in a way she couldn’t explain.

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

Ken stood in front of the club entrance.

Same look as before.

Glasses on. Long hair a bit messy like he hadn’t cut it in a while. Face mask still covering most of his face but he slowly took the mask off.

His long hair fell properly this time, loose around his neck and shoulders. A few strands fell on his face as he stepped inside.

People nearby noticed right away.

“Wait… who is that?”

“He looks… really handsome.”

A girl near the entrance tried first.

“Hey, are you alone?”

Ken didn’t stop.

He just walked past her.

The girl stayed frozen as he continued walking.

Another girl near the bar tried next.

“You can sit with us if you want.”

He already passed her too.

Not even glancing at the girl he just completely ignored her like he didn’t hear anything worth answering.

He went straight to where his friends were sitting.

They were laughing when he arrived.

“Yo, Ken!”

“Late again.”

Ken sat down like nothing happened.

His long hair moved a little as he leaned back in his seat.

One of his friends smirked.

“Man, you really show your face and suddenly everyone’s looking at you.”

Ken didn’t respond then a waiter came over.

“What would you like to drink, sir?”

“Juice.”

His friends laughed.

“Still juice?”

Ken ignored them.

“Cold."

The waiter nodded and left.

Around them, a few girls were still glancing over.

Some wanted to come closer again, but stopped when they saw he wasn’t even looking at anyone.

Ken just sat there.

Quiet and not interested to anyone.

A few minutes later, his juice arrived.

He took it and drank like it was normal.

He didn’t really like drinking much.

Across from him were his friends.

Not his university friends but his online game friends. They were all rich kids too just like him.

“Bro, you’re so quiet again,” one of them said.

Ken leaned back on his chair. “I’m fine.”

“You always say that,” another one laughed.

Ken just took a sip.

He looked calm and cold like nothing could bother him.

But inside… he was just thinking.

This life is better than his previous life.

No war.

No shooting guns and orders from the general just sitting here doing nothing.

Boring but a peaceful life then his mind went to her. Short brown haired with glasses.

Mika Aizawa.

The way she cried in the mall earlier.

The way she said she didn’t understand herself.

He remembered hugging her without thinking.

“Why did I do that...?” he thought.

He didn’t even understand it himself.

“Yo Ken, is it a girl again?”

Ken blinked. “What?”

“Five months ago you just dumped your ex-girlfriend like it was nothing.”

Another one smirked.

“And now you’re the one getting stuck over one girl?”

“Yeah, he’s right,” another friend said.

The guy laughed. “Bro, you can literally have anyone you want. Why are you stuck on one?”

Ken didn’t answer.

He just looked at him.

The friend kept going.

“Come on, man. Just move on. Or better yet—”

Ken’s black eyes turned a bit sharper.

“Stop talking.”

But the guy didn’t stop.

“Or force her a bit, you know? Some girls like to be—!”

CLINK!

Ken suddenly threw his mug on the table.

It shattered slightly on the edge.

The whole table went silent.

Ken stood up slowly. He pulled out his wallet and placed bills on the table.

“Five thousand pesos,” he said.

Then he looked at the cashier.

“Keep the change.”

His voice was calm. Too calm.

He turned to leave, but the guy still spoke behind him.

“Yo, what? You mad? Or are you just scared? Why don’t you just invite her into your place and—!”

That was it.

Ken stopped.

He turned around fast.

One punch.

Too hard, and the guy’s head snapped to the side.

Blood came from his nose immediately.

“Ahh!!!” the guy held his face.

People shouted around.

“Ken!”

“Dude, what the hell?!”

“Are you crazy?!”

“Someone stop him!”

Ken didn’t even look at them.

One of his friends stepped closer.

“Ken, calm down. What are you doing?”

“Yeah, man. It’s just a normal teasing you don’t need to go this far.”

“Bro, he’s bleeding! Look at him!”

“Ken, talk to us!”

Ken looked at his phone.

“Are you seriously calling someone right now?”

“Put the phone down!”

Ken ignored them.

“Ken!” one of them shouted. “Don’t do this!”

Another grabbed his arm.

“Stop, man!”

Ken didn’t pull away. He just stayed still.

One friend shook his head.

“Dude, this is too much. Just leave it.”

“Yeah, he’s already down. It’s done.”

“Why are you making it worse?”

Ken’s thumb tapped the screen.

“Ken, wait!”

“He’s not listening…”

“Bro, he’s really calling someone…”

Ken pressed call.

“Ken!” someone raised his voice. “Are you serious?!”

The phone connected.

“Ambulance service.”

“Is this really the ambulance?”

“Yes, sir?”

There was a short pause on the other end.

“...Sir, this looks like a fight situation. We usually need a police report first—!”

“I didn’t ask for procedures.”

Another voice in the background spoke.

“Sir, please confirm—!"

“Track my location and pick up this one injured person.”

“But sir—!”

“You do it, or you don’t go to work the next day.”

“Understood, sir... Dispatching now.”

“Okay."

After that he hung up.

People around him were still shouting.

“Are you insane?!”

“You can’t just do that!”

“Ken, what the hell is wrong with you?!”

One of his friends grabbed his shoulder again.

“Bro, listen to us. You’re going too far.”

But Ken didn’t react.

He just stared at the injured guy once, then turned away.

“Ken!” someone shouted. “Where are you going?!”

He walked out of the bar like nothing happened.

Outside, the rain was still pouring hard.

Ken had a hood on his jacket, but he didn’t pull it up and so the rain hit him right away as he stepped outside, soaking his hair and clothes in seconds. Water ran down in his face as he walked like he didn’t care.

Then a black car was already parked by the side of the road, waiting.

His driver quickly opened the door.

“Sir, where to?”

Ken got in without saying much.

He leaned back into the seat.

“Home...”

The door closed and the car started moving.

He stared out the window.

Back to peaceful again but his mind didn’t feel as empty as before.

“That girl,” he muttered softly.

He closed his eyes.

And for the first time in a long time… He felt something else.