Hirota Masami was a new resident who had moved in half a year ago. She worked at a nearby bank and was now Shimizu Koji's neighbor—an older sister figure.
She was kind and gentle by nature, always wearing a warm smile. Sometimes, even Shimizu found it difficult to remain completely indifferent toward her.
When she had first moved in, Masami followed local custom and went around greeting her neighbors. She knocked on Shimizu's door—
—and was politely but firmly turned away.
However, after learning that he was an orphan(well, not exactly—his parents had died three years ago when he was reincarnated),Masami stopped taking his earlier coldness to heart. Instead, she became even more proactive in caring for him, or at least trying to help.
In Masami's eyes, Shimizu looked very much like a withdrawn boy—someone who avoided contact with others. In that sense, he reminded her a little of her younger sister.
Her concern for him wasn't misplaced affection, nor sympathy by association. More than anything, it was simply her nature.
She instinctively wanted to use her kindness and warmth to light up others' lives—
—even though she herself lived in darkness.
"What are you having for dinner tonight, Shimizu-kun?"
"…"
Shimizu didn't answer. He simply pushed open the glass door of the apartment building and walked inside. Only after Masami followed him in with a quiet smile did he let go of the door.
"Instant noodles? Sushi? Or those discounted convenience-store bentos at night~?"
The corner of Shimizu's eye twitched slightly as he pressed the elevator button. When he turned back, Masami was still smiling softly at him.
Their eyes met—her large, clear eyes glistening. She casually lifted the bags in her hand and gave them a little shake.
"I bought too much by accident," she said. "If you don't mind, why don't you come over later and have sukiyaki with me?"
It was a direct invitation.
Shimizu froze for a moment, unsure whether to nod or shake his head.
Rejecting people was something he was very used to. He had done it countless times. Yet Hirota Masami was unusually persistent—almost stubborn.
At first, she had merely knocked on his door to invite him. Later, she began leaving freshly cooked meals outside his apartment. Breakfast, lunch bentos… sometimes both.
Throwing them away?
He didn't want trouble, but he wasn't heartless.
When he told her it wasn't necessary, she would smile and agree—and then do the exact same thing the next day.
In the end, Shimizu accepted her kindness.
And once you accept something once, refusing it the next time becomes much harder.
From quietly taking the meals left outside his door to being invited in for dinner, the distance between them closed far more easily than expected—no more than touching thumb and forefinger together.
"Alright," Masami said cheerfully as she stepped into the elevator."Just think of it as granting this big sister a small wish. Come on in."
Seeing that Shimizu was still dazed, she waved at him again.
"…Okay. Thank you."
At his reply, the smile in Masami's eyes seemed to deepen. But perhaps mindful of the shy, withdrawn boy she believed him to be, she didn't laugh or say anything more.
As for Shimizu, something felt… strange.
Not embarrassment—just confusion.
A wish?
Standing in the elevator, he quietly observed Masami from the side.
It sounded harmless enough. She had always been trying to help him "open up."
Yet something about her tone felt off. He considered asking, but didn't know what to ask. In the end, it was nothing more than a vague intuition.
The elevator arrived quickly.
Shimizu had planned to return to his own apartment to drop off his bag, but the moment Masami opened her door and looked at him, it was clear she had no intention of letting him go back first.
"Please, come in."
Shimizu stepped into the entryway. Masami closed the door behind them.
She hung her handbag on the wall and placed the vegetables and hotpot ingredients on the cabinet. Seeing Shimizu standing there awkwardly, she froze for a moment before realizing—
"Oh!"
She crouched down and rummaged through the shoe cabinet, soon pulling out a pair of clean pink-and-white house slippers.
"I'm so sorry," she said apologetically."I don't have slippers for men. Please bear with these. Don't worry—I've never worn them. They were for my sister, but she's never come over."
"That's fine," Shimizu replied calmly."Thank you, Hirota-san."
"You're too polite," she laughed."I'll head to the kitchen. Please sit on the sofa and watch some TV. Dinner will be ready soon."
Masami wasn't the overly formal, constantly bowing type. That was one reason Shimizu found being around her… comfortable.
Not completely at ease—but close.
The slippers were soft and surprisingly comfortable. Shimizu didn't feel awkward wearing them. After experiencing death and rebirth so many times, distinctions like gender meant little to him.
To him, everyone eventually became bones and flesh.
"…You have a younger sister?" he asked.
"Yes," Masami replied from the kitchen, smiling as she arranged the dishes."She's a genius scientist—completely different from me."
In her heart, she added softly,
And always busy…
Thinking of her sister reminded her that her current task was nearing its end. Excitement stirred—along with a trace of unease, quickly buried.
"Breaking news. This morning, the Yotsubishi Beika Branch in Beika District Four was robbed. The confirmed amount stolen reaches one billion yen—"
Hearing the news from the living room TV, Masami's ear twitched. She continued as if nothing were wrong, carrying the hotpot and dishes out.
"Shimizu-kun, dinner's ready."
Sitting on the sofa, Shimizu watched the news with narrowed eyes.
That bank…
Wasn't it the one Masami worked at?
He looked at her smiling face and chose not to ask.
No wonder her mood had felt off earlier. Experiencing a bank robbery firsthand—for an ordinary office worker, that must have been a terrifying day.
At the table, there were several kinds of sashimi—tuna and sea bream among them. Plates of thinly sliced meat for the hotpot, cabbage, leafy greens, and mushrooms filled the table.
It was enough food for a family of three.
There was no way Masami could finish all of this alone.
Which meant—even if today hadn't been a "chance encounter," she would have come to invite him anyway.
"Hirota-san…"
"Yes?"
"…No, it's nothing."
Her eyes always seemed to be smiling. Shimizu had wanted to ask why she was so kind to him—but the question felt unnecessary.
Her goodwill was almost tangible.
She's a good person.
When Shimizu had first arrived in this world, he had been numb. Even though it was peaceful, he assumed a random accident would end his life within days.
Yet three years had passed.
Three years, plus countless short-lived reincarnations.
Altogether, he was nearly twenty years old now.
As he ate quietly, his thoughts drifted. Masami occasionally paused to watch him eat without restraint, the warmth in her eyes growing stronger.
With her help, this boy—so similar to her sister—was slowly becoming more "normal."
Recovering, little by little.
Smiling, she tilted her head and asked casually,
"Shimizu-kun, has any girl at school confessed to you?"
"…Yes."
She blinked. "I knew it! You're so handsome—of course girls like you. So? Did you accept?"
"No."
"Eh? Why not? Was she not pretty enough?"
"She was fine," he said honestly."And I heard she's quite wealthy too."
"Then why didn't you accept?" Masami leaned forward, genuinely curious.
"Why would I?"
His eyes were clear—free of hesitation or desire.
Masami, who had been about to tease him, awkwardly dropped the topic.
She had unconsciously assumed he was a normal teenage boy. Teenage boys liked pretty girls—unless something was wrong.
Shimizu wasn't insecure.
Which meant…
He's still not fully better yet.
Sigh… a long road ahead.
She ate a few quiet bites of rice. Someday, she would leave this place. All she could do was hope he would continue to recover.
"Get some rest when you go home, Koji."
"Mm. You too, Masami-san."