A Suspiciously helpful neighbor and turn of events

As the sunlight peeked through my curtain, my eyes reluctantly cracked open, and reality came crashing down. Today was going to be another “Maiko experiment,” as I liked to call them. It’s not like I had a choice—I mean, I could lock my door, but she probably did know how to pick locks. Who was I to argue with a demon?

Lulu had already started his morning routine, trotting around the apartment, occasionally giving me the side-eye for not being up yet. With a groan, I rolled out of bed, trying to figure out what the day had in store. Maiko had been acting a little weird after that whole izakaya incident—like, one moment, she’s threatening to kick someone’s ass, the next, she’s awkwardly quiet. It was throwing off my usual rhythm of “wake up, avoid humanity, and game until I collapse.”

A knock on the door shattered my thoughts.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

“HEY, YOU AWAKE, LOSER?!”

Why, yes, Maiko. I was definitely awake now, I thought sarcastically, already feeling a headache forming. If the girl knew anything, it was how to destroy a good morning mood.

I opened the door, and there she was—looking annoyingly cute and smug in her casual outfit, a tank top that was definitely a size too small and some tight shorts that probably violated the laws of physics. Her smug grin told me she had something planned.

“Good morning, Kazu-kun!” she said in that overly sweet tone, though I could still hear the hidden threat in it. “Ready for today’s mission?”

“Why does it feel like every time you say ‘mission,’ I end up regretting my life choices?”

Maiko pushed her way into my apartment, brushing off my sarcasm as if it were nothing. “Because you always make terrible life choices. It’s my job to fix that, remember?” She flashed a grin before turning serious. “Also, I found something in your apartment yesterday. You really should throw away some of those ecchi magazines. You’re practically broadcasting that you’re a pervert.”

I froze.

“Wha-wha-what are you talking about? I don’t have any ecchi stuff here! I cleaned up!”

“Oh, really?” she said with that devilish grin again. “So you’re saying this magazine I found under your bed was just… research material?”

She pulled out a familiar magazine. My face turned about five shades of red. It was one of those “study guides” that just happened to feature a lot of very suggestive anime girls in bikinis.

“Th-th-th-that’s for educational purposes!” I stammered, trying to find an excuse. “I mean, you need to understand certain… anatomy for art!”

“Oh, sure, sure,” she said, flipping through the pages. “The anatomy of bouncing breasts and strategically torn clothing.”

I lunged for the magazine, but she yanked it back with an evil giggle. “Come on, Kazu, no need to be embarrassed. I’m sure plenty of ‘artists’ need this kind of inspiration.”

“Gimme that!” I barked, lunging at her, but Maiko sidestepped me, her tank top bouncing along with her movements in a way that made me regret all those magazines even more.

“Anyway,” she said, nonchalantly tossing the magazine on the table, “we have more important things to do today. Like getting you a girlfriend.”

I blinked. “Excuse me, what?”

“You heard me. We’re going out today to find you a girlfriend. Or maybe even multiple! You’re building your very own harem, aren’t you? High School DxD style!” She threw a wink at me.

“M-M-Multiple girlfriends?” I stammered, my mind spinning. “Wait, who said anything about a harem?!”

“You did, genius. That’s what all the light novels you read are about, aren’t they?” She smirked, crossing her arms under her chest, emphasizing… well, things that were hard to ignore. “Besides, I already set up a meeting with a group of girls.”

“Wait, what? When did you do that?”

“Last night, while you were crying yourself to sleep after karaoke.”

“I wasn’t crying!”

“Uh-huh, sure you weren’t.” Maiko shot me a look that said she didn’t believe me for a second.

I rubbed my temples. “This… this sounds like a terrible idea.”

“It’s going to be fine. You’ll meet some girls, charm them with your, uh… socially anxious NEET charisma, and then we’ll go from there.”

“Socially anxious NEET charisma?! That’s not even a thing!”

“It is now!” Maiko beamed. “Come on, you’ll thank me later.”

The Café Disaster

I reluctantly followed Maiko to the café she had picked for the meetup, my nerves gnawing at me the whole time. I knew how this was going to end—it was going to be another disaster, just like high school.

We arrived at the café, and I immediately felt like retreating into my shell. The place was packed with cute girls… cute, judgmental girls. I could feel their eyes on me as Maiko and I walked in.

“Relax,” Maiko whispered, elbowing me. “You look like you’re about to pass out.”

I tried to breathe, but all I could think about was how horribly wrong this was going to go. “I can’t do this,” I muttered. “I’m going to throw up.”

“You’re not going to throw up,” she whispered back. “Just sit down and look… semi-normal.”

We sat down at a table with a few girls who were already there, giggling among themselves. They gave me polite smiles, though I could tell they were sizing me up. Maiko introduced herself, flashing her usual confidence, while I sat there like a terrified rabbit.

“So, Kazu, tell us about yourself,” one of the girls said. She had long, dark hair and a soft smile—cute, but she had that ‘I’m going to judge you without you knowing’ vibe.

“Uh… um… I like, uh, video games… and… anime… and… uh…” My brain short-circuited. “And I have a dog… named Lulu…”

“That’s so cute!” another girl chimed in, her eyes lighting up. “What kind of dog?”

“Uh… a small one…” I mumbled. This was going downhill fast.

Maiko, sensing my distress, jumped in. “He’s just shy. But once you get him talking, he’s got a lot to say. He’s super into anime, especially ecchi series.”

My face turned beet red. “Why would you say that?!”

The girls giggled, and I buried my face in my hands. This was officially the worst day ever.

But then, out of nowhere, something unexpected happened. One of the girls—Rika, I think her name was—leaned in closer and smiled at me.

“I love anime too,” she said. “Especially the ecchi ones. They’re just so… entertaining, don’t you think?”

I blinked, unsure if I was hallucinating or if this was some kind of cruel trick.

“Y-Yeah,” I stammered, suddenly finding my voice. “I mean, the plots are… pretty good too, right?”

Rika giggled, and I felt a tiny spark of hope. Maybe this wasn’t going to be a disaster after all.

“See?” Maiko whispered, leaning in. “I told you this would work. You’re already making progress.”

I shot her a glare. “You’re still a demon.”

“Yeah, yeah, but at least I’m a helpful demon,” she teased, nudging me under the table. “Now, go get her number, Casanova.”

I felt my heart pounding in my chest as I awkwardly tried to strike up more conversation with Rika. It was… going okay, I guess? But then Maiko, never one to let a moment of peace last, decided to stir things up again.

“So, Kazu,” she said, loud enough for the whole table to hear, “how many ecchi figures do you own? You’ve got quite the collection, don’t you?”

I felt my soul leave my body. This was it. I was going to die, right here in this café.

But before I could respond, Rika leaned in even closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. “I’ve got a few ecchi figures too. Maybe you can show me yours sometime?”

My brain short-circuited again, but this time for entirely different reasons.

Maiko grinned, clearly enjoying the chaos she had unleashed. “Oh, this is going to be fun.”

And just like that, my terrible day became… confusing. Very confusing.

As the coffee shop buzzed with chatter around us, I sat there, still reeling from what just happened. My mind was a jumbled mess of confusion, excitement, and sheer terror. Did that really just happen? Did a cute girl really just suggest I show her my ecchi figure collection?

Meanwhile, Maiko was clearly enjoying herself far too much. I could see the amusement dancing in her eyes as she watched me squirm under the weight of this new development. Lulu, curled up under the table, seemed to be the only one in the room not stressing out, probably dreaming about chasing squirrels or something.

“So, Kazu,” Maiko said, leaning back in her chair with a smirk, “how does it feel to be a chick magnet?”

I shot her a withering glare. “This is your fault. You practically threw me into this situation!”

“Hey, I just gave you a little push. You’re the one who’s nailing it with the ladies.” She winked at me, and I could feel my face heating up again.

Rika, still sitting beside me, looked genuinely interested, which only made me more nervous. “Do you go to any conventions?” she asked, resting her chin in her hands as she gazed at me.

“Uh, conventions?” I repeated, my brain taking a second to catch up. “Yeah, I go to some, when I’m, you know… not busy.”

Which was a blatant lie. I hadn’t left my house for anything other than gym visits with Maiko in months. But hey, I wasn’t about to ruin the one conversation that wasn’t going completely off the rails.

“Oh, we should go together sometime!” Rika said, her eyes lighting up. “I cosplay sometimes. You’d look good in a One Piece outfit. Maybe as Zoro?”

I nearly choked on my own saliva. Zoro? Me? The idea of wearing something like that—shirtless, with fake swords strapped to my waist—while surrounded by crowds of people? My social anxiety meter shot straight to critical.

“Z-Zoro?” I stammered, feeling the heat rise in my face. “I don’t think I—”

Before I could finish my excuse, Maiko cut in, practically bouncing in her seat with excitement. “That’s a great idea! Kazu would totally rock a Zoro cosplay. Don’t you think, girls?”

The other girls at the table—who I had completely forgotten were even there—giggled and nodded in agreement. One of them, a petite girl with short blue hair, leaned forward with a playful smile. “Yeah, you’ve got the build for it. You work out, right?”

I blinked, suddenly very aware of how tight my shirt felt across my chest and shoulders. but the thought of showing that off in a cosplay? It was like asking me to walk into a lion’s den wearing nothing but a steak suit.

“I don’t think—” I started to say, but Maiko clapped her hands, cutting me off.

“It’s settled! Kazu’s going to cosplay as Zoro at the next convention!” She grinned at me, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “I’ll help you pick out the costume. Don’t worry, it’ll be perfect.”

I shot her a look that could’ve melted steel. “You’re enjoying this way too much.”

“Oh, come on,” she teased, leaning in closer. “It’s going to be fun. Besides, it’ll give you a chance to show off all those muscles you’ve been working on. Who knows, maybe Rika here will even swoon.”

I glanced at Rika, who was smiling at me in a way that made my stomach flip. Was this actually happening? Was I somehow, miraculously, not completely blowing this?

“Yeah, I think you’d look great,” Rika said, her voice soft but confident. “And I’d love to see your figure collection sometime. You can show me all the rare ones.”

Rare ones? My mind scrambled, trying to remember if I even had any rare figures. Most of my collection was pretty standard stuff—definitely not something impressive. But if she wanted to see it, did that mean she was genuinely interested in me?

“Uh, yeah, sure,” I mumbled. “Anytime, I guess.”

Maiko leaned back in her chair, satisfied. “Well, isn’t this cute. You’re already planning private dates.”

I nearly spit out my drink. “D-Dates?!”

Rika blushed slightly, but she didn’t deny it. “Well, I wouldn’t mind.”

Holy shit. This was officially the weirdest—and probably best—day of my life. Was I actually on the verge of having a date with a cute girl? Was my pathetic NEET life finally turning around?

Just as I was starting to believe things were looking up, Maiko’s phone buzzed on the table. She glanced down at the screen, and her playful smile faded, replaced by a look of irritation. She muttered something under her breath and stood up abruptly.

“I’ll be right back,” she said, her tone uncharacteristically serious. “I’ve got to take this.”

Before I could ask what was going on, Maiko turned and walked out of the café, her phone pressed to her ear. I watched her leave, feeling a strange knot form in my stomach. Something about her expression… it wasn’t like her usual chaotic self.

But I didn’t have much time to dwell on it, because Rika was still there, looking at me expectantly.

“So, what kind of figures do you collect?” she asked, leaning forward, clearly eager to keep the conversation going.

I swallowed, trying to focus. “Uh, mostly anime stuff. Some One Piece, Attack on Titan, a few from ecchi series like, uh, High School DxD…”

Rika giggled. “I knew it. You have good taste. I’ve got a few figures from High School DxD myself. I’m more of a Rias fan, but I bet you like Akeno, right?”

I nearly choked again. How did she know?

“Uh, yeah, Akeno’s… great,” I stammered, wondering if this girl had somehow read my mind. “But, uh, Rias is cool too. I mean, both of them are—”

Rika’s smile widened. “Maybe I’ll bring my Rias figure next time, and we can compare collections.”

Next time? Was she already planning another meetup? My mind was still racing to keep up with the fact that this girl was flirting with me over High School DxD figures. This was uncharted territory for me.

But before I could say anything else, Maiko came storming back into the café, her face set in a scowl. She grabbed her drink off the table and downed it in one go before slamming the empty cup down.

“We’re leaving,” she said, her voice clipped and irritated.

“What? Why?” I asked, confused.

“Because we have more important things to do,” she snapped, grabbing my arm and yanking me out of my seat. “Come on, loser. We’re going.”

Rika blinked in surprise. “Wait, you’re leaving already? But we were just—”

“Sorry,” Maiko said, cutting her off. “Kazu’s got other plans. You two can play High School DxD cosplay another time.”

Before I could even protest, Maiko dragged me out of the café, leaving Rika sitting there looking confused—and a little disappointed.

Once we were outside, I finally managed to shake free of her grip. “What the hell was that about?”

Maiko didn’t answer right away. She just kept walking, her expression unreadable. Finally, after what felt like an eternity of awkward silence, she stopped and turned to face me.

“I didn’t like that girl.”

I blinked, taken aback. “What? Why? Rika’s nice. She likes anime, she wasn’t weirded out by my collection—”

“Exactly,” Maiko interrupted, crossing her arms. “She’s too nice. And anyone who’s that into anime figures? She’s probably got some issues.”

I stared at her. “You’re saying she has issues? Maiko, you literally forced your way into my life, dragged me out of my apartment, and basically stalk me every day.”

Maiko’s eyes flickered with something—anger, embarrassment, maybe both—but she quickly covered it up with her usual smirk. “Yeah, well, that’s because you’re a project. I’m helping you become a functioning member of society. But that girl? She’s just… weird.”

Weird? I wasn’t buying it. There was something else going on here, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. “Maiko, are you… jealous?”

Her eyes widened for a split second, and her face flushed, but she quickly recovered. “Jealous? Of that otaku girl? Please. Don’t flatter yourself, Kazu.”

But I wasn’t convinced. Something was off. And for the first time, I realized that maybe—just maybe—there was more going on with Maiko than I thought.

“Well, I guess I’ll just message Rika later,” I said, testing the waters. “She did seem interested in seeing my collection—”

Maiko grabbed me by the collar, pulling me close, her eyes flashing dangerously. “You’re not messaging her.”

“Uh… why not?”

“Because I said so,” she growled, her voice low. “And if you know what’s good for you, you’ll listen.”

I stared at her, completely at a loss. What the hell was going on?

“Now, let’s get back to your apartment,” she said, releasing me and turning on her heel. “We’ve got more important things to do.”

As I followed her, a strange feeling crept over me. There was something Maiko wasn’t telling me—something big. And for the first time, I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to know the answer.

As we walked in tense silence back to the apartment, my mind raced through the bizarre events that had just unfolded. What the hell is going on with Maiko? First, she’s pushing me into conversations, encouraging me to talk to Rika, practically shoving me into a situation where I could have a “date,” and then out of nowhere, she flips the switch and drags me out of the café like a crazed yandere.

I looked at her walking ahead, arms crossed and radiating enough tension to shatter glass. This wasn’t normal for Maiko. Sure, she was chaotic, pushy, and loved teasing me, but this was different. The fact that she had gone from playful demon to brooding, possessive… Whatever she was doing right now… made me feel like I was missing something big.

“Maiko,” I said cautiously, quickening my pace to catch up with her. “Are you… okay? I mean, you’re acting kind of—”

“I’m fine,” she snapped without even looking at me.

“No, you’re not,” I insisted. “What was that back there? I thought the whole point of this was to help me, you know, talk to people, make friends, maybe even—” I hesitated, “—get a girlfriend.”

“I am helping you,” she said through gritted teeth. “But that girl isn’t the right kind of friend for you.”

“Why? Because she likes anime? Maiko, that makes no sense. She’s like, exactly my type.”

Maiko stopped dead in her tracks, spinning around to face me with a fierce glare. “That’s the problem! You don’t need someone who’s exactly like you, Kazu. You need someone who’s going to push you out of your comfort zone, help you grow! Not another person who’s going to drag you deeper into that NEET hole you’re already stuck in!”

Her words hit me like a ton of bricks. I opened my mouth to argue, but… she wasn’t wrong. As much as I hated to admit it, I knew Maiko had a point. If I surrounded myself with people exactly like me, I’d probably just stay in my little bubble, forever stuck as a socially awkward, figure-collecting otaku who barely left his apartment. But that didn’t explain the why of it all.

“But why do you care so much?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. “What’s it to you if I date a girl who’s into the same stuff as me?”

For a split second, Maiko’s fierce expression faltered. Her eyes darted away, and I could see something… vulnerable underneath the surface. But just as quickly, it was gone, replaced by her usual smirk.

“Because, Kazu,” she said, stepping closer to me, “I’m your rehabilitation specialist. You’re my project. I’m not about to let you screw this up by falling for the first girl who bats her eyelashes at you. You need to be smarter than that.”

She jabbed a finger into my chest, and I couldn’t help but feel like I was missing the real reason behind her words. Was this really just about “rehabilitating” me? Or was there something more?

“And besides,” she added, turning her back on me again, “I’ve already got other plans for you.”

That sent a chill down my spine. “Other plans?”

“You’ll see soon enough.” She waved a hand dismissively, clearly enjoying leaving me in suspense. “For now, let’s just focus on getting you back home. We’ve got some work to do.”

Back at the Apartment

When we got back to the apartment, Maiko was already in full command mode, barking out orders as if she owned the place. I wasn’t sure if I should be impressed or terrified by her ability to take over my life so effortlessly.

“Okay, first things first,” she said, walking into my living room and immediately frowning at the mess that had accumulated since our last cleaning session. “This place is starting to look like a NEET cave again. Didn’t we clean this up just a few days ago?”

“I’ve been busy,” I muttered, trying to avoid her judgmental glare.

“Busy with what? Watching anime and playing video games?”

“Hey, those are time-consuming hobbies!” I shot back defensively, but Maiko just rolled her eyes.

“Well, whatever. We’re cleaning this up again,” she said, hands on her hips. “And while we do, you can tell me more about that girl, Rika. What exactly did you like about her?”

I blinked, caught off guard by the question. “Uh… I don’t know. She was nice? She liked anime, and she didn’t make me feel like a complete loser for collecting figures…”

“Ah, so she’s just enabling your bad habits.” Maiko nodded sagely, clearly pleased with herself. “That’s exactly what I was worried about.”

“She wasn’t enabling anything,” I protested, grabbing a trash bag and starting to clean up the piles of empty ramen cups and soda cans. “She was just… interested in the same stuff I am. That’s not a bad thing, you know.”

“Yeah, but it’s not exactly a good thing either.” Maiko tossed a stack of old manga into a box. “You’re trying to get out of this whole NEET lifestyle, right? Or are you just trying to replace it with someone else who’ll stay cooped up in your apartment with you, watching anime all day?”

I didn’t have an answer for that. Mostly because I didn’t know what the hell I was doing anymore. Was I really trying to change? Or was I just looking for an excuse to stay the same, only with someone else by my side?

“Look, Kazu,” Maiko said, her tone softening a little, “I’m not trying to be a jerk. I just… want to make sure you don’t fall into the same traps you’ve been in for years. I want you to actually live your life, not just coast through it like you have been.”

I stared at her, surprised by the sudden seriousness in her voice. It wasn’t like Maiko to get all deep and philosophical. Usually, she was too busy teasing me or dragging me into some embarrassing situation. But right now, she seemed… sincere.

“I know,” I said quietly. “It’s just… hard, you know? It’s not like I can just flip a switch and become a different person overnight.”

She smiled, a genuine one this time, without the usual sarcasm or smugness. “I know. But you’ve already taken the first step. You’re trying, Kazu. And that’s more than you were doing before.”

For a moment, the room felt weirdly intimate. I wasn’t used to seeing this side of Maiko, the side that wasn’t constantly mocking or challenging me. It was… nice. But also unsettling. I wasn’t sure what to make of it.

But, true to form, Maiko didn’t let the moment last.

“Anyway, enough of this serious crap,” she said, clapping her hands. “Let’s get back to work. And after we’re done here, we’re going to tackle my place.”

I froze. “Wait, what? Your place?”

“Yep,” she said with a grin. “It’s only fair, right? I’ve helped you clean up your NEET den, so now it’s time to return the favor.”

I blinked. “But I thought you said you weren’t a NEET.”

Maiko hesitated for just a second—so brief I almost missed it—before she shrugged. “I’m not. I just haven’t had time to clean up lately. You know, busy schedule and all.”

Something about the way she said it didn’t sit right with me, but I shrugged it off. If she wanted help cleaning, it was the least I could do after everything she’d done for me.

The Revelation

Maiko lived next door, so it didn’t take long for us to get to her apartment. But as soon as we stepped inside, the first thing that hit me was the smell.

“Oh… my… God…”

I stood frozen in the doorway, my brain struggling to process what I was seeing. The apartment was an absolute disaster zone. Empty food containers were scattered across the floor, dirty clothes piled up on every available surface, and the kitchen… I didn’t even want to look at the kitchen.

“This… this is worse than my place!” I blurted out.

Maiko shot me a glare. “Shut up. I told you, I’ve been busy.”

I looked around, trying to understand how the girl who had been bossing me around about cleaning my apartment had let her own place get this bad. It was like stepping into an episode of Hoarders.

“Busy with what?” I asked incredulously. “Running a secret landfill out of your apartment?”

“Hey, it’s not that bad,” she muttered, kicking a pile of clothes out of the way. “It’s just… a little cluttered.”

“Cluttered? Maiko, I think something’s growing in your sink.”

She ignored me, marching deeper into the chaos as if nothing was wrong. “Look, are you gonna help me clean or not? Don’t be a wuss.”

As I followed her into the living room, dodging what looked like a half-eaten pizza that had been there for weeks, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was… off.

This wasn’t just the mess of someone who had been “busy.” This was the kind of chaos that could only come from someone who had completely let themselves go. Someone who wasn’t just avoiding chores, but avoiding life.

I followed Maiko deeper into her apartment, and the deeper I went, the worse it got. The smell was overwhelming—a mix of old takeout, mildew, and something I couldn’t quite identify but knew I didn’t want to. The floors were littered with wrappers, old magazines, and… were those action figures?

I spotted a Sailor Moon figure, still in its box, sitting on top of a stack of DVDs. There was an entire shelf of anime collectibles and manga volumes, piled haphazardly as if they’d been thrown there in a rush.

“What the hell is going on here, Maiko?” I asked, my voice a mix of disbelief and concern.

She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she busied herself with picking up a pile of clothes and tossing them into a corner, as if that would somehow make the place look better. It didn’t.

Finally, after a long, awkward pause, she sighed and turned to face me. Her usual cocky grin was gone, replaced by something much more vulnerable. “Look, Kazu… I’m not exactly the person you think I am.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

She gestured around the apartment. “This. All of this. I’m not some super put-together, got-my-life-figured-out kind of girl. The truth is… I’m a bigger NEET than you are.”

I stared at her, my brain struggling to process what she’d just said. “What? No way. You’re always dragging me out, making me do stuff, getting me to leave the house. You’re the one helping me get my life together.”

Maiko laughed, but it was a hollow sound. “Yeah, well, that’s because I know exactly what it’s like to be where you are. I’ve been stuck in this hole for longer than you think.”

She plopped down on a couch that was half-buried under clothes and sighed, rubbing her temples. “I’ve been hiding it for a while. You know, pretending like I’ve got everything under control. But the truth is… I’ve been watching you.”

My heart skipped a beat. “Watching me?”

“Not like a creeper or anything,” she quickly added, though the guilty look on her face suggested otherwise. “But, yeah, I’ve been keeping an eye on you. Ever since I moved in next door. You’re kind of hard to ignore, Kazu. You never leave your apartment. I thought, ‘Hey, this guy’s just like me.’”

I sat down on the edge of a chair, trying to wrap my head around this revelation. “So, you’ve been living next door for a year, watching me, and decided to help me because… you’re also a NEET?”

Maiko shrugged. “Pretty much. I figured if I could help you get your life together, maybe it would motivate me to do the same.”

I blinked, still trying to process everything. “So, all of this… the rehabilitation, the mixers, the trips to the gym… that was all just you trying to avoid dealing with your own problems?”

She bit her lip, looking uncharacteristically sheepish. “Yeah, I guess you could say that.”

I didn’t know what to say. Part of me wanted to be angry—angry that she’d been lying to me this whole time, pretending like she was better than me when she was just as messed up. But another part of me… felt something else. Sympathy? Understanding?

I mean, how could I be mad? She was just like me.

“Well,” I said, leaning back in the chair, “at least now I don’t feel so bad about being a mess.”

Maiko let out a genuine laugh this time, and for the first time since we’d entered her disaster of an apartment, the tension between us seemed to ease. “See? I told you we weren’t so different.”

“So… what now?” I asked, glancing around the room. “Are we actually going to clean this place? Because, no offense, it’s way worse than mine.”

Maiko smiled, but there was something else behind her eyes—something I couldn’t quite place. “Yeah, we’ll clean. But there’s something I need to show you first.”

Before I could ask what she meant, she stood up and walked over to a door at the far end of the room. It was slightly ajar, and from where I was sitting, I could see a sliver of darkness beyond it.

“This is my… hobby room,” Maiko said, her voice unusually soft. “I haven’t shown anyone this before. But since we’re being honest with each other… I guess it’s time.”

My heart started pounding in my chest. Something about the way she said that—hobby room—made me nervous. I stood up slowly, following her as she pushed the door open wider.

Inside was a sight that stopped me dead in my tracks.

The room was… well, it was like something out of a horror movie. Walls lined with photographs of… me. Pictures of me leaving my apartment, pictures of me at the gym, pictures of me sitting at my desk playing video games. It was like a shrine dedicated to my entire life.

And in the center of the room, amidst the clutter of photos, anime figures, and random garbage, was a makeshift bed made out of old blankets and pillows. A small, dim lamp cast an eerie glow over the entire scene.

“W-What… the hell?” I stammered, my brain struggling to make sense of what I was seeing.

Maiko didn’t say anything at first. She just stood there, watching me with an unreadable expression.

“I told you I’ve been watching you,” she said finally. “But it’s more than that, Kazu. I’ve been… obsessed with you.”

My mouth went dry. “Obsessed?”

She stepped closer to me, her eyes gleaming with something between desperation and… affection? “You’re the only person who understands, Kazu. The only one who knows what it’s like to be stuck in this life. I’ve been watching you for so long because… I needed to feel close to someone. And now that we’re finally together… I don’t want to let you go.”

I backed up, my heart racing. “Maiko, this is… this is crazy. You can’t just—”

Before I could finish, she lunged forward, wrapping her arms around me in a tight embrace. Her face buried against my chest, and I could feel her trembling.

“I know it’s crazy,” she whispered. “I know. But I don’t care. You’re the only person I’ve ever felt this way about, Kazu. You’re the only one who gets me.”

I stood there, frozen in shock, unsure of what to do. This was… beyond anything I could have ever expected. My NEET rehabilitation had taken a turn I wasn’t remotely prepared for.

And yet… as weird and terrifying as it all was… there was a part of me that felt sorry for her. I understood what it was like to be alone, to feel like no one in the world could possibly understand you.

But this? This was a whole new level of messed up.

“Maiko,” I said softly, gently prying her arms off of me, “we… we need to talk.”

She looked up at me, her eyes wide and filled with a mix of hope and fear. “About what?”

“About… everything,” I said, glancing around the room again. “About this. About us.”

She hesitated for a moment, then nodded slowly. “Okay. But… don’t leave me, Kazu. Please. Don’t leave.”

I swallowed hard, unsure of what to say. I had no idea how I was going to handle this—how I was going to navigate whatever the hell this relationship had become.

But one thing was for sure: things were about to get a lot more complicated.