Low Fidelity

I opened the door to my apartment and entered, carrying a plastic bag in my hand.

"Nae!" I called out, and her little head poked out from her room.

"Aw, I was kind of hoping that Miss Natsume would still be with you," she mumbled.

"Imagine being more excited to see her than your own brother... Here. Your chicken katsu curry rice."

"On second thought, I am more excited to see you, Big Brother!"

She rushed over and swiped the bag out of my hands. I couldn't help but smile as she carefully took the bowl out and drooled all over the food.

"How was the walk?" Nae asked.

"It was alright. Nothing new."

"I feel like you're the only person who would ever say that, considering you were with Natsume Nabi herself."

"Like I said, nothing new."

"Ah, right, right. I forgot that you get to hang out with Sunayomi every day."

"Hah. That's not what I meant."

I sat down next to her at the dining table, while she ate her food with the cleanliness of a literal child. It seems all the etiquette she showed back then was immediately tossed into the garbage bin.

"Not to be that guy, Big Bro, but you seem to be in a better mood these days," Nae said.

"Hm? Do I really?"

"Yeah. You're not as pale as you used to be. You also smile a lot more, and that's saying something. Although, the bags underneath your eyes aren't getting any lighter."

"At this point, my bags are just a part of my skin. There's no getting rid of them."

"Maybe if you went to sleep any earlier than three in the morning."

"Not happening."

I'm in a better mood, huh? Nae knows me better than anyone, so if that's what she thinks, then it has to be true. I don't see it, though.

"Do you think it might have something to do with you being around Sunayomi all the time?" Nae asked.

"Was that a genuine question?"

"Well, duh."

"Hard to tell when you ride their train harder than anyone."

"Tch... I might be hungry right now, but I'm willing to sacrifice a bit so that I can throw it at your face."

"Hah. Hm..."

That's a tough question to answer, mostly because I don't feel anything different. Each morning, I look at myself in the mirror, and I still see the same old me. Am I just not seeing it?

"Maybe? I don't know," I replied.

"What kind of an answer was that?"

"The only honest answer you're gonna get out of me. Sure, I see Sunayomi every day, but it's not like I'm a diehard fan. I don't have any underlying opinions of them just because they're celebrities. They're just people—coworkers, I guess."

"Haaa~ Again, you're so weird for thinking like that. If I got to see them every day, I'd die each time."

"And how exactly is that not weird?"

"It is weird, but you're even weirder."

"Whatever. I'm gonna go lie down."

"Sure. Retreat to your mancave, you loser."

Now, for my favorite part of the day—lying on my bed, scrolling through meme pages and random reels on the internet. I can do this for hours without even feeling tired. It’s mindless, but that’s the point, right?

I’d consider reading for a bit too, but not the mangas Nae's into. Sometimes, certain genres get so oversaturated with the same tropes that I can read two different novels and feel like I’ve just read the same story with a different cover.

Before I knew it, hours had passed. By now, Nae should be in bed. I sighed, setting my phone aside, and turned on my computer. This is something I’ve been putting off for way too long. Might as well get it done now.

For the next hour, I played through every single song from Sunayomi's newest album. Some tracks were upbeat and cheerful, others were mellow and chill. My personal favorites were the slower ones. They're just easier to follow, and there’s usually a deeper message behind them.

After finishing the entire album, I went out to the living room and assessed it. Looks clean enough, and the dishes were all clean too. Seems like I'm not the only one who has changed. Nae used to leave her dishes lying around all the time.

I walked over to the television stand and stopped to look at a framed picture. It was a photo of me and Nae and we were kids. Nae was putting me in a chokehold while I was desperately trying to push her away.

We were both smiling in this photo... Now, only one of us can smile, and it's not me. That's fine, though. It takes effort to smile—effort that I'm not willing to put in. That's why I have to forget everything that happened and move on. For Nae, the one who can still manage to smile.

Suddenly, my phone began to ring. I pulled it out my pocket and read the caller ID.

In an instant, I picked up.

"Hello?" I said.

"Ah. Good evening, Yozora," a gentle and elegant voice answered.

"Yoshino... Is everything alright?"

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"Well... It's two in the morning. Don't you have to be up early tomorrow?"

"That's never stopped you."

I didn't even have a response to that. After all, it's true. Even when my current job requires me to be in the studio before Sunayomi is, I rarely make it on time.

"Hehe, don't worry about it," Yoshino giggled. "The girls are asleep, and I knew you'd be awake around this time. I just... really needed to hear someone's voice."

"Yeah, that definitely sounds like something I should worry about."

"Well, we've all had our fair share of problems and regrets, don't we? And we don't always move on from them, neither are we so inclined so share them."

"...Was that directed at me?"

"Who knows?"

This is weird—extremely weird. It felt like a lump had formed in my throat, so no matter what I say, it would just come out as a croak.

"S-so what's up?" I asked.

"Nothing much. I'm just sitting on my bed, looking out the window. I wonder... if the city didn't have so many lights, would we be able to see the stars burning?"

"Uh... I'm not sure."

"Hah. I can tell you're not used to talking on the phone, Yozora. I can literally see you pacing around your room right now."

What the... That was exactly what I was doing. As soon as I realized it, I immediately stopped.

I took a deep breath and sat down on the couch. "No, I'm not."

"Yep, sure. Like you totally didn't just sit down."

"Wha... Ahem. Anyway, what did you do today, Yoshino?"

"Oh, me? I just went to the spa to get my nails done. Also got my back massaged. It felt good, but it wasn't worth the price."

"Don't you have people who'll personally do that for you?"

"Yeah, we do, but it's not the same. I'd rather walk into the store and order it. It's more fun that way. I made the mistake of taking off my sunglasses, though. A bunch of people started asking me for my autograph."

"Did you end up giving it to them?"

"Only to some of them."

"Hm? Why not all?"

"Oh, Yozora, you inexperienced fool."

Yoshino let out a 'hup,' as if she were getting up from her bed.

"Some of my fans are genuine. They like me or my music. Others, however... They can say the shittiest things behind their screens while still scraping for my autograph."

"Really? Then, where do you think I fall under?"

"Heh. I'm not sure. Care to tell me?"

Although the conversation seemed casual, this felt extremely awkward for me. Yoshino doesn't call me unless it's work related. It's even stranger that she called me this late at night. I wonder what kept her awake—or if she was asleep, then what woke her up?

"You know, I went through all of Sunayomi's latest album earlier," I said.

"Oh? And what did you think?"

"I prefer chill songs, so I didn't really like the upbeat ones. Well... Not liking it them is kind of harsh. I'll just say that it wasn't my cup of tea."

"You do strike me as the type to listen to slow songs. Do you like lo-fi?"

"Oh, for sure. Might be my favorite genre, especially when it's combined with some chill drum and bass. I guess my point is that... I'm a fan, just not that big of a fan. And I certainly don't talk shit about you, that much I can say."

"Is that so? Haha... That's good to hear. Well, I'm going to try to sleep now. See you tomorrow, Yozora. And thanks for talking to me."

"Any time. Then, good night, Yoshino."

She hung up first, leaving me to aimlessly wander around my room. What was that? It was just a normal phone call, so why do I feel like I'm missing something?