Yume Miko

They say first impressions go a long way. As I rinse myself off in my shower, I think back to my meeting with Ai. There haven't really been many points in my life where I get lost in thought, but I can't help but think about what transpired.

"She really is cute…" I mutter as I think back to her standing in front of the window. Then my brain remembers the softness and sweet aroma from when she leaned on me. I stand under the hot water for a few minutes. 'I have a feeling that the other meetings are gonna get me feeling the same way.'

After trying to clear my mind while drying myself off, I walk to my closet and look upon my small assortment of clothes. As a guy who rarely goes out, I don't have a huge selection to work with. I've never had to worry about my appearance before now, because all I did was go to school and occasionally go to some stargazing spots late at night. Stargazing is really nice on the island because they have designated spots where the light pollution is at its lowest so people can look up and see lots of stars. It's a very niche hobby so it's extremely rare to run into someone at those spots.

I grab a casual grey t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Considering the options, I've given myself, I feel like it's the best thing I can come up with. I walk to the bathroom and look at myself in the mirror. 'Maybe a white shirt would be better.' I swap shirts and clean my face up.

I grab an apple from my fridge and turn on my TV. We get a broad selection of channels to watch from, but it's mostly American shows. I pick a documentary of space because I always find those super interesting. I mean there's so much out there that we've never seen or explored, I find it pretty neat.

I get a message on my phone, it's Jay:

"Hey Kousei! How'd your first meeting go? Was she what you were expecting? Nishikigi-san and I just had our official first date! Here's a picture of the two of us enjoying a couple's shake!"

Below the message is a picture of them sharing a shake. They are both taking a sip from their ends of the straw. It's the straws that twist around each other then go into two opposite directions so the two people can look into each other's eyes when they drink… pretty cliché if you ask me. I don't think I could ever do that. Jay looks extremely happy in the picture meanwhile Nishikigi-san looks very… emotionless.

I tilt and scratch my head. "Maybe she's just really nervous?" I say to myself, trying to be optimistic like Jay. "Who am I kidding, she doesn't look like she's having a good time." I think it'd just be better to act like the picture didn't exist and to not engage in a conversation about it. So, I tell him about my first meeting and how it went without going too much into the specific details.

Jay responds:

"That's awesome dude! Well, I wish you the best on your next meeting! I'll ask you about it tomorrow! Oh, would you mind if Nishikigi-san could listen as well? Only if it's okay with you."

I wonder what she would want to listen for. Maybe she's the type that likes gossip? Or she could be one who likes listening and giving advice or input when asked. Either way, I don't really see it as an issue. I give him the okay and check the time once more.

There's still about an hour before the meeting time, but I don't really have anything else to do. I check myself out one more time in the bathroom, then head to the park. It's in the opposite direction of the campus, but not far off from the apartment I live at, like a ten-minute walk.

The sun is setting, giving the sky a nice orange to purple fade color palette. There are some seagulls in the sky, but it's mostly empty with a few clouds overhead. There's the sound of the wind that soothes the soul as it runs between your hair and cools the air around me.

The park I am walking to is a pretty normal sized one. There's a walkway that goes around a pond that's full of turtles and fish. There's also a playground for kids to go play on with plenty of benches for parents to sit on while they let their kids' battery run dry. A few vending machines are also scattered along the park with a restroom on opposite sides of the park.

Unsurprisingly, the park has a few people walking around, but no kids at this time of hour. Knowing I'm still a little early, I decide to walk over to the swing set. No matter how old you are, you are never too old to swing. I don't know how to describe it, but if I come across an unoccupied swing, I will fully commit to swinging to my heart's desire. I start swinging, letting my inner child loose.

As I swing, I can get a good glimpse of everyone around the playground and a majority of the park. There are a few couples on the far side and one short looking girl sitting on a bench nearby. 'She looks awfully familiar...' The more I look at her, the closer I come to the realization that I know exactly who that is.

I stop swinging and walk over to the bench she's sitting at. I plop down next to her. "Fancy seeing you here Miss Shorty," I tease with a smirk.

She turns and looks at me with anger in her eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm waiting for my meeting time with my soulmate, I'm supposed to meet them in a few minutes." I check the time on my phone. "Actually, she should be here around now."

The girl flips her hair and smirks. "Oh really? As a matter of fact, I am also supposed to meet my soulmate here." She looks at me for a moment as if her brain was putting the puzzle pieces together. "Wait..."

What are the chances that all three of my potential partners I met on the day of the test. Fate has a really weird way of doing things, but I honestly would rather the girl be someone I had met before or at least talked to at some point. "Well, seems like you don't have to wait for him to arrive." I lean over and look at her phone. "Yeah, you're looking for a guy named Kousei Shimazaki, and luckily for you he's the person right in front of you," I say, giving her the finger guns.

She has the most blank expression and proceeds to turn her head so she's looking directly in front of where she's sitting. "But I don't see anyone in front of me?" she says, sounding confused. "I think there may be a mistake cause there's no way it's you," she asserts with a disgusted expression. "Oh, I got it! You are actually friends with the guy and are just playing a prank on me!"

Does she really have to deny the idea of me being her soulmate that hard? It kind of hurts my already small self-esteem. "Even you can assume I'm not someone who would pull off a prank like that to someone I barely know."

She slides down the bench while leaning away from me. "Are you really Kousei Shimazaki?"

I pull out my ID from my wallet and hold it in front of her. "That is indeed the birth name I was given, just as yours is Yume Miko."

Letting out a sigh, she hangs her head. "You've got to be kidding me. Really? You are my soulmate? And not only that, but you got matched with two other girls besides me? I won't believe this!" she yells as she throws her arms in the air in frustration. "How can someone like you have three potential partners?!"

I pull my legs up to my chest and hug them close. "Do you really hate me that much? I'm sorry, I'll just go bury myself in the playground sand and we can call off our partnership..." I whimper as I rock back and forth.

"Look at you! You're literally rocking back and forth like a child! I look like a child to some people and somehow I feel like if someone walked by us, they'd call you the child here."

"Poor guy, I wonder what that middle schooler said that made him look like that," a couple whispers as they walk by.

Both of us hear them and I slowly look over at the "middle schooler" next to me. "As you were saying?"

Her cheeks are puffed up and red. She looks over at me with tears starting to form in her eyes. "I-I don't wanna hear it!"

I put my legs back down and laugh. "I'm sorry, I can't help it."

She stands up and stands in front of me. "Don't laugh! You know I'm insecure about that..." she mutters as she firmly grasps the short skirt she is currently wearing.

Now that she's standing right in front of me, I finally get a clear picture of her outfit. It's a white blouse that's tucked into her short red skirt. It's quite simple, but ridiculously cute.

"Cute..." my inner thoughts slip out. Her face goes red, but she has the same happy expression she had back on the bus. "Uhh..." the air around us tenses us and we get surrounded in awkwardness.

"Do you really still think I'm cute?" she whispers with her head down, trying to hide her face.

I smile. "Of course, you are. My opinion from back then hasn't changed in the slightest. Actually, I'd say the outfit you have on today only makes your cuteness that much more apparent." I'm spewing some really cringy stuff, but girls like to hear stuff like that right? That's the way it goes in the novels and manga I read.

There are some people who don't know how to react when they get complimented, and she looks to be one of those people. I also don't get complimented that often so I can relate to her quite a bit.

Yume resets her hair, but keeps her head down to hide her face. "How come you are the only one who seems to think that?" she whispers in a quiet tone. "At least you're the only one who could tell it to me to my face. No other guy I've ever talked to has ever called me cute..."

I look over at her and she looks happy, but also lonely. Maybe we're more alike than I thought. Compliments are wonderful things, but if someone isn't used to them or doesn't have that much self-confidence, it can often have the opposite effect.

"I'm sorry to make our first official meeting sad like this. I didn't want it to be this way, I'm just a little more on the sensitive side," she sniffles.

I smile. "There isn't anything wrong with being sensitive. I tend to be more on the sensitive side too." I look at the playground. "All it shows is that we have more feelings and a bigger heart. We can connect with people and see things with a more open mind, making sympathizing and empathizing with people a bit easier for us."

"Woah, didn't expect you to go deep with that," Yume says as she wipes her nose. "But that is true, I do tend to be able to put myself in other people's shoes very easily."

"Oh, yeah? I bet you are a big reader then," I infer.

I can see her cheeks move up to show she is smiling. "That's a pretty good guess. I got a whole bookshelf full of light novels and manga in my apartment."

"Really? What are some of your favorite ones? I'm also a pretty big reader who just so happens to own a bookshelf or two full of light novels and manga." She finally lifts her head and is able to look me in the eyes. Her eyes are glistening in excitement and her smile immediately brightens up.

"Oh, there's one novel called 'Wandering Witch Elaina' that I really enjoy. I really like the main protagonist because she's funny, but also very blunt," she praises.

We talk about novels and books for a little bit. Going back and forth with some of our favorite ones and giving our input. For some books, it turned more into a sales pitch as we tried to convince each other to read what we recommend. I haven't met someone who has enjoyed reading as much as me before, but I'm glad I finally have.

"Y'know, you don't really strike me as someone who reads a lot," Yume leans back in the bench. "Sorry, didn't mean that in a mean way."

I laugh as I lean forward. "Don't worry, I know. I definitely seem like a guy who plays video games all the time and does nothing else with my free time," I joke. I do like playing video games though, I just don't have anyone to play with most of the time.

Yume stands up and walks in front of me. "I'm gonna get myself something to drink. You want anything?"

I smile and stand up next to her. "I gotta see what they have first. They change out some of the drinks every other week, so you never quite know what's in them without looking." As I walk along the pathway I notice Yume is walking a little bit behind me. "What are you walking back there for? You too embarrassed to be seen walking with me?" I hang my head and arms down. "Guess I'm just not good enough for you..."

Yume timidly speeds up and walks next to me. "That's not it and you know it! It's normal to get embarrassed walking next to someone you like," she says nonchalantly.

My cheeks flush red and I cover my mouth. "Yeah? I guess that makes sense..."

We continue walking for a moment before Yume stops walking. I turn around and she is squatting and covering her face with her hands. I stop walking and slowly turn to face her. I can see her looking at me between her fingers. "Forget that, you didn't hear anything."

"I don't quite think that's how ears work," I provoke.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" Yume yells. "Why did I say that?! There was no reason for me to blurt it out! I mean it isn't a lie... but that's beside the point!" She points at me with tears welling in her eyes. "You are supposed to act like you didn't hear me!"

I smirk, "Yeah, but what's the fun in that? Seeing you all flustered like this is way more enjoyable," I tease. "Now come on, my throat is getting drier by the minute." I turn back around and continue walking toward the vending machine.

"Hey, wait for me! You can't just leave a crying girl by herself!" she shouts as she runs up to me.

I wonder if she has shown this side of her to any other guys before she met me. It's completely different from her more composed side she tries to give off, but her childish nature is really fun to be around. If any other guy so her like this and didn't have a big smile on their face, they need to get their brain and heart checked.

Yume ends up getting a warm coffee meanwhile I get myself a cold coffee. These vending machines are great since you can have a hot or cold one, extremely convenient if you ask me.

"Why cold coffee over hot coffee?" Yume asks as we sit down next to tree.

"My tongue is pretty sensitive so I'm not a fan of many hot drinks. Though I do drink a cup of hot tea a day," I answer, leaning back on the tree. "How about you? You like warm things over cold things?"

"Not everything, and it really depends on my mood. I usually don't drink coffee at night because it keeps me up a lot later than I want, but tonight felt like a good coffee night, y'know?" she remarks after she takes a sip from her coffee.

I nod my head in acknowledgement as we sit there and enjoy our drinks. The night is still young and we got clear skies overhead. The nice breeze and the Sprites make it perfect evening to go stargazing, but I don't want to keep Yume out for much longer. I'm sure she's got some plans at home.

"Hey, so how about we end our first meet up here? I don't want to keep you out for too long," I insist.

She takes the finals sips of her coffee. "I guess we can, not like we have to do everything in one night. We're gonna be going on plenty of dates anyways so no need to rush it," she accepts as she stands up and stretches. "Oh, before we split, let's exchange contact info."

Just as I had with Ai, I let Yume put her info in herself as I do the same in her phone.

"Alright, well I guess I'll see you later? Let me know what days you're free or if you ever want to hang out. My schedule is pretty free right now, but I do plan on getting a job soon," I state as I stand up.

"Yeah, I'll message you." Yume and I wave goodbye and go in opposite directions.

Now that our date is over, lets run by a convenience store and grab some snacks and some water. We had hung out for a good hour or so, so everyone was either at home or on their way home. On a weekday, there's rarely anyone out past 9 and where I'm going, there's guaranteed to be no one.

My favorite stargazing spot is about an hour or so walk away from my apartment, but because I was already out and about, I figured I might as well stay out and enjoy the night. The walk to the spot is really quiet and is surrounded by nature. The path is wide enough to fit two people walking side by side, and trees outline the path as it climbs up a hill. Once at the top of the hill, the trees dissipate and all that is above me is the stars and moon.

I pick a spot in the middle since no one else is here. I lay down, open a bag of chips I bought at the convenience store and soak it all in.

"Nothing beats a night like this," I say to myself as I set my things down on the ground. There's something therapeutic about forgetting all of life's stresses and letting nature envelop you in its peacefulness. The gentle breeze is like a mother's touch and the stars and moon is the world's natural nightlight. I lay down and take a sip of water from the bottle I got at the convenience store.

I take some deep breaths and close my eyes as I try and relax myself. My consciousness was slowly fading but it immediately came back at the sound of footsteps.

"Shimazaki-kun, is that you?" a voice calls out to me.

I sit up and look back at the path I just came from and standing there was someone I had not expected to see again today. "Miko-san?" I call out in response. "What are you doing here? I thought you went home. Wait..." I grab my chips and water and pull out my phone. "You're not stalking me now, are you?"

"You seriously believe you are worth stalking?" Yume fires back.

"Okay, that one hurt." I lay back down and continue eating my chips. "You can call me Kousei by the way, no need to add honorifics either. I forget to tell you earlier."

Yume trots up next to me and sits down. "Well, I guess you can call me Yume in return."

This definitely wasn't what I was expecting today. Like seriously, who would expect someone like Yume to be into stargazing... Though I guess I don't really know her well enough to assume that.

I reach over to my side and grab one of the extra bags of chips I bought. "Want one?" I ask her, holding the bag out to her.

She gently takes the bag, "Thanks." She lays down after opening the bag. "You stargaze often?"

"Sometimes, whenever the weather is right, and I have nothing else to do." I glance over at her. "How about you? Didn't imagine you being into stargazing."

She shuffles around, trying to get comfortable. "Yeah, I usually stargaze once a week if I can. I got really into it when I first moved here." She stretches her hand out in front of her. "I had some things on my mind and decided to go on a walk one night. The sky was clear just like today and I just happened to stumble across this spot. I've been hooked ever since."

Smiling, I copy her and stretch out my hand. "I get that. When you come across a sight like this, it kind of engraves itself in your mind and makes it easy to remember."

Yume pulls her hand back and rolls over to face me. "I just remembered another favorite book of mine. I don't know if you've heard it, but it's called 'Night on the Galactic Railroad.' It's a relatively quick read if you've never read it."

"Yeah, I've read it before. That is my favorite short story actually." I roll over to face her but I had not realized she had rolled over beforehand, so our faces were only inches apart. Our noses are almost touching as we stare into each other's eyes. "Uhh..."

She smiles and pokes me on the nose. "You've got some good taste."

My heart is beating at a mile a minute. I want to look away, but her passionate, childish gaze kept my focus. Her amber eyes are like another star, glistening in the reflection of my own. Despite her more modest stature, she has quite the charm.

I try to say something, but I'm too flustered and mesmerized to get anything out. So instead, I accept the defeat of her charms and roll over to the other side.

Yume giggles and she proceeds to poke my back like a younger sibling trying to get one's attention. "Why'd you roll over? Are you too embarrassed to look at me this closely?" she teases.

If this were anyone else, I would find the poking to be extremely annoying, but when it comes to her, I feel more comfortable. It's strange how comfortable I am around her despite only really knowing her for less than a day. Maybe it's because when I look at her, I feel the immediate need to protect her with every fiber of my body.

I let out a sigh with a smile. "Perhaps if I was talking to a women instead of little girl," I joke back.

Her pokes immediately turn to soft punches. "Why do you always attack my size..." she pouts. Very childish, but unbelievably cute.

There's a brief moment of silence before it is interrupted by the hoot of an owl. Yume quickly sits up and looks around. "Did you hear that? I didn't know there were owls here on Eden!" she says, her eyes beaming with excitement.

"Yeah, I heard there are some species here, but I've never seen one up close," I say as I look back her. "You a fan of owls?"

Yume looks like she can barely hold her excitement back. "I love owls! They are so cute and majestic! I especially love barn owls though! They look so soft and wise, like they hold the wisdom of the entire world."

Seeing other people talk about things they are interested in and passionate about is always fun. And from the way she talks about owls, it's clear that she is passionate about them.

"Owls are pretty cool, I do find it kind of weird how they can turn their head around 180 degrees though."

"But wouldn't it be cool if you could turn your head completely around?! You could see everything around you!" she argues.

The image of seeing people with their heads completely turned around gives me the shivers, really creepy. "I don't know about that, probably creepy more than anything."

I guess she had just pictured it herself because I see her body shiver too. "Yeah, maybe you're right."

She lays back down and turns her attention back to the stars. She lays a little closer to me and her hand grazes mine, causing me to pull my hand back. "Oh, sorry. I'll give you some room if you need some..." I slowly scoot away from her, but she stops me by grabbing my hand.

"No, it's okay..." she shyly utters. Her small hand gently tightens her grip as if to tell me not to move away.

"You're more forward than I thought you'd be," I admit.

As we silently gaze at the stars above us, a shooting star crosses directly in front of us.

"Quick, make a wish!" Yume cheerfully yells she clasps her hands together. "And make sure not to say it out loud. We don't want the wish to not come true."

"That's just a myth, nothing is going to happen if we say our wishes out loud," I laugh. "Besides, wishes are like miracles, they are really only worth something when you make them happen," I assert, looking over at her.

She turns her to face me and smiles. "Alright then, I'll say my wish after you say yours."

I smirk, "Aww come on, I don't really have anything worth wishing for right now."

Yume nudges me with her elbow. "Are you sure? You got three women you could make a wish for right now. Who knows, maybe the one you wish to be with right here and now is who you will pick in the end."

I reach over and playfully ruffle up her hair. "As if, no way that happens. That's only in books you know. You've gotta learn to separate fiction and reality."

She giggles as she fixes her hair. "Only time will tell. On the other hand, you can tell me your wish right now!" Yume playfully shouts as she shakes me back and forth like I'm a vending machine that just stole her money without dispensing anything.

"Oi, oi, okay. I've gotta think of one." I furrow my brows and rest my chin on the palm of my hand. "Just so you know, I'm extremely indecisive so it may take me a minute."

"You really can't think of anything off the top of your head?" she mutters in a slightly disappointed tone.

There are a few ideas that come to my mind like a new Pop Tart flavor or for a new book series to adapted in a new anime, but as a guy who has been single for past 21 years of my life, there is one thing I wish had happened by now, as innocent as it is.

"I wish I could kiss a girl..." I mutter without even realizing it.

Yume's eyes open wide and is immediately followed by a smirk. "You've never had your first kiss yet, Kousei?" she smugly teases.

I look away in embarrassment. "What do you mean, I bet you haven't had your first kiss either!" I retort like a child.

"You're right, I haven't..." Yume quietly says with her head down. I turn around to see her expression and just as I turn, "Yet." Catching me off guard, she grabs my shoulders and pulls me in. A soft sensation is pressed on my lips before I can react. The comforting smell of nature surrounds me as I get enveloped by her actions.

She peels back after a moment, her arms now wrapped around my neck, and her amber eyes fluttering foxily inches away from my own. "That was for your wish." She then gently kisses me again, this time holding it a bit longer, so I close my eyes in return as a sign of accepting her feelings. She unwraps her arms around me, puts them behind her back, and takes a few paces away from me. "And that was because I wanted to."

I stand there frozen, not knowing how to react. My mouth opens, attempting to get any kind of word out, but just as I was about to say something, Yume swiftly comes forward and places her hand over my mouth.

"My wish is to the one you love at the end of all of this," she says as winks. "You better be ready cause it's now proven that wishing on a shooting star works."

I'm still stunned by the events that just unfolded, but I collect myself. "You know, I've wished on plenty of shooting stars and nothing happened. Plus the wish I made just kinda slipped out."

"Doesn't matter, you still said 'I wish,' which makes it valid." She begins walking toward me and I take steps back out of caution for another surprise attack. "I imagined you would act a lot happier after our kisses, unless they weren't good?" She turns around and rests her finger on her mouth. "I practiced a lot on pillows the past few days too..." she whispers.

"What was that? I didn't catch the last bit," I ask out of curiosity.

Yume turns around and sticks her tongue out at me. "Wouldn't you like to know, Weather Boy!" She runs to the nearby trash can and throws her trash away. "How much longer do you plan on staying here? It's getting pretty late."

I check the time on my phone. "Yeah, you're right, it's almost midnight." I grab and throw away all my trash away. "You stay somewhere close by? I'll walk you home."

Yume happily grabs a hold of my arm. "By all means Mr. Escort."

"Please do go around in public calling me that," I plead. Yume laughs in response as we leave the stargazing spot.

The stars and moon light the path we had walked to get here. The streets and sidewalks are quiet and empty. The calming sound of the waves hitting the nearby shore cover the sounds of our steps. I let Yume guide me since I obviously don't know where she lives, but as we walk I notice something.

"Are you sure this is the right way?" I ask her.

"Yeah, why are you asking?" she questions back, still holding onto my arm.

"No reason..." my voice trails off.

As we continue walking, I start getting nervous. 'This is the way back to my apartment!' In a lot of the books and anime I've read, there is sometimes a trope where one of the potential love interests lives next door unbeknownst to the main protagonist.

"Yeah, this checks out..." I mutter as I look at the entrance to the apartment building I live at.

Yume tilts her head in confusion. "What? Do you live here too by chance?"

I remain silent as we walk to the elevator. "What floor do you live on?" Yume pushes the number 8. "Interesting..." I mutter quietly. 'The same floor...'

We exit the elevator and walk down the hallway. We eventually stop in front of a room, the room after mine in fact.

"Alright, well thank you for walking back," she smiles in appreciation. "Do you live far from here?"

I laugh nervously and put one of my arms behind my head. "Yeah, it's gonna be a little bit of a walk," I answer sarcastically. I walk to the room to her right and stand in front of door. "And here I am."

"You're kidding?! We've been next door neighbors this whole time?!" Yume inquires.

"I never took the time to check the nameplate of my neighbors, so I guess we have been."

Yume runs up and hugs me. "Do you mind if I pop my head in from time to time?" she begs with puppy dog eyes.

I let out a sigh. "I guess that's fine, but don't make it an everyday thing. I do like my alone time," I compromise.

Yume smirks, "Alone time? If you ever have any urges, you can come knock on my door."

I unlock my door. "Yeah, we'll see about that," I say sarcastically just to try and get away from her teasing.

But before I close my door, "Thanks for today Kousei! I had a lot of fun!" I hear her call out.

I quickly turn back around, "There's no need to shout!" I whisper loudly. "I don't need the entire apartment complex knowing our relationship."

"Why? There's no reason to be embarrassed or to hide it..." she pouts. But she immediately shifts to laughter. "Anyways, thanks again. You have a goodnight, next door neighbor."

I can't help but smile in return. "You have a goodnight as well, Yume."

We wave bye to each other and close our doors.

I take a quick shower and head immediately to bed. 'Today was draining...' I think back to the kiss. My cheeks flush red and I stuff my face in my pillow like a little schoolgirl. 'Draining, yet a lot of fun and very memorable...' The image of the shooting star fills my thoughts as I remember the wish Yume made. I can't help but smile at the possibility of her wish coming true. 'Let's see if the god's of fate see that wish through.'

Two partner meetings down, one Sensei left to go.