Chapter One: Hello Hotaru

Hotaru hated the rain.

There was something bittersweet about the smell it left on the pavement after; there was something that twisted against his heart when he saw couples walking together in the rain with one umbrella between them. He didn’t mean to feel bitter; he just didn’t feel sweet.

Zipping his jacket over his school uniform and pulling his hood up to protect his headphones, Hotaru kept the chill of the air away and went to search for his bike in the racking. Most people had already left for the day, and the sky was starting to blend into a palette of colours creating dusk relenting sleepily to the rain. A harsh vibration in his pocket grounded his thoughts. He reached for his phone and smiled when he saw the notification.

KofiBoba: Are you streaming tonight??

He unlocked his phone and started to type a reply. He was planning on streaming that evening, he wanted to play more Song of Skies. He was at a really difficult puzzle, and he was as anxious to get back to it as his viewers.

FireflyChaser: Sure am. Live at 7-9pm tonight!

He chuckled to himself. It would have to be a short stream tonight; he wasn’t late out of school for no reason. As much as he loved solving puzzles, he had no desire for anything educationally puzzle based – like maths – and actually had a strong dislike for the subject. So, when his homework was never handed in each week, with no excuse or even an apology, Hotaru was found on the receiving end of detention after detention.

Was it annoying? – Yes.
Was it better to serve the time and not have to study algebraic equations until his eyes bled? – Yes.

But tonight, he had to start a project for Art, which he didn’t mind spending his time on. It was a huge passion of his and it helped his channel. Not to mention, his fans would give him plenty of ideas for content and inspire him. It was a no-brainer to skim a bit of streaming time to create the start of something spectacular, and by that he meant researching a mood board or finding an artist style to imitate rather than anything more hands on. Another silent buzz urged for his attention as he was getting on his bike.

KofiBoba: Do you think you can get around that puzzle you were stuck on? Or is it going to muddle you for another two hours because I just don’t know if I can sit through that with a straight face…

Huffing at that remark with a smug smile, Hotaru didn’t deem it worthy a reply. He thought he would let her stew on that whilst he rode home. She was bound to be anxious after not getting a reply, and Hotaru could tease her that little bit.

Only because he liked her.

And she liked him.

He thought.

KofiBoba was a viewer of the channel, and had been for about ten months. She was the same age as him and went to a small school about 22 miles west of Tokyo. Although they hadn’t been talking to each other long, they would basically talk for the whole day. Hotaru didn’t really consider himself to be that kind of man, but she was just everywhere all at once one day. She popped up in his chat, she continued to talk to him on the forums, she wasn’t like the other fans he had before. In the early days of his career, she was there. There was an undeniable comfort in that. She celebrated his successes, she jeered at his poor gameplay, she was concerned when he was sick, and she was angry when he didn’t reply. In return, she was sweet and caring and one of the most calming people he’d ever met, and he had the feeling that he never wanted to let her go. He, too, feared a day when she would log off, unfollow, and never be seen again, sucked into the shadows, or blown away by a strong autumn wind. So, he asked her for her number, and she said yes. The first girl he had shown an interest in was her. She was special.

She was also sending a stream of messages through as he was navigating a bridge in heavy rain. Buzz, after buzz, after buzz in his pocket. Each consecutive one got louder in his ears and caused his heart to race against his chest; partly from her, partly from the cycling.

Four minutes away from home. He rounded a corner, eager to get changed out of this soaking hoodie that was clinging to his skin. His black hair was slick against his forehead as he raced the corner, skidding through a puddle. The sky was darkening overhead. The buzzing had eased in his pocket. Droplets of rain dripped from his eyelashes, which he wiped away as he pulled up alongside the gate of his home. His hand froze on the lock.

One long, continuous buzz startled him.

An incoming call?

He looked at the screen, squinting as the rain hit the screen: KofiBoba.

They hadn’t spoken on the phone before.

This was strange.

This was new.

This was terrifying.

His thumb faltered over the answer button: accept or decline.

He took a deep breath and pushed through the front door to his one-bedroom apartment, slinking his jacket and bag off his shoulders.

‘Hello?’