The golden sunlight lit the road ahead, rice fields stretching endlessly beside me as the wind brushed against my face. I pedaled my bicycle on the way home—but this time, I wasn't alone.
A sudden pair of arms wrapped around my waist.
"H–hey…!"
I stiffened for a second.
I was with someone… Her.
Elena was sitting behind me, perched on the back of my bike. I could feel her weight shift slightly as the wheels rolled over uneven ground, her forehead almost brushing my shoulder.
"Come on," she giggled softly, her voice close to my ear.
"What if I fall, Mayumi?"
I grunted a little, tightening my grip on the handlebars, but in the end… I let her do whatever she wanted.
I never thought I'd be riding with someone behind me. Other than Hazel, at least. For a brief moment, I realized I was actually enjoying it. The warmth against my back… the way her arms stayed steady, like she trusted me not to drop her.
It felt…
Like I was with a friend.
But I couldn't really call her that.
Honestly, I didn't know what we were. Still, I didn't mind the company she brought. The silence between us wasn't uncomfortable, just filled with the sound of the wind and the soft rustle of rice stalks passing by.
Except for one thing.
She liked me.
I wasn't exactly anyone's ideal lover, especially not for an alien like her. My thoughts drifted back to what happened earlier on the rooftop.
If Ian really was confessing to her… wouldn't that have been better for her?
He was confident. Popular. Someone who actually knew how to talk to people.
So why did she choose a lame, awkward loser like me instead?
I had no idea what was going on inside that alien head of hers. But I didn't want to pry if she didn't want to say anything.
And… I don't want to force it.
Because right now… riding home under the sun, with her holding onto me like this, I let myself pretend for a moment that it could stay this way.
And I had a quiet feeling that if I stopped thinking and just let myself enjoy it…
I might not be able to pretend forever.
…which honestly made me wonder when it was all going to fall apart.
I stopped just outside my gate. We lived just a street apart. I was waiting for her to hop off my bike… but she didn't.
"You know… you can let go now," I said, raising an eyebrow.
She glanced at me with that playful smirk.
"Hehe, you're really warm, you know? I thought I could just hug you like this forever."
I felt my ears flush a bit.
"Okay… that's enough, Elena! We're home now, you know?"
I pushed at her lightly, trying to get her to loosen her grip, but she didn't budge. That smile stayed firmly on her face.
"Okay, okay," she said at last, finally letting go of my waist. I watched Elena step off the bike, her smile still teasing, her hair slightly messy from the ride.
"I couldn't help but linger on the moment a little longer, just enjoying it before we parted ways." She said softly.
"You know we still have school tomorrow though, we can still see each other again." I reminded her.
She slumped just a bit, tilting her head in mock defeat.
"Well… yeah, that's true. But you wouldn't like it if I stuck to you all day, right?" She made a pouty face that was almost... Cute?
I felt my face heat up a little from the weird thought of it.
"Uh… right… of course."
For a few seconds, neither of us moved. The warm sunlight caught her hair just right, and I swear I could hear the faint stupid sound of my own heartbeat… louder than anything else.
I hope she doesn't hear it or I'll die from embarrassment.
Elena stretched slightly, brushing imaginary dust off her shoulder, then glanced back at me.
"You know… you could loosen up a bit. You're way too stiff."
I opened my mouth to argue, but nothing came out. My brain refused to form a coherent sentence.
She giggled softly and took a tiny step closer.
"It's fine. I like it when you're… like this. Nervous. Flustered even."
I blinked. "…I'm not…"
She smirked knowingly "Yeah, yeah. If you say so."
Every time I tried to think rationally, I caught myself staring at her, wondering what she was thinking, still wondering why...
Why me?
"Well… here we are. Same street, huh?"
"Yeah," I said, trying to sound normal. "Same street."
Her smile softened, not teasing now, just warm.
"I had fun riding with you, Mayumi."
I swallowed hard. "…Me too."
She leaned a little closer, just enough to make my chest squeeze.
"See you tomorrow, okay?"
"Y-Yeah… tomorrow," I stammered.
And then she was gone, walking toward her own home. I stood there a moment, staring after her, my hands still gripping the bike as if letting go would mean letting go of something else too.
I finally stepped inside, closed the gate behind me, and leaned against it. My heart was racing, my thoughts a tangled mess.
Okay…'That' was weird…Today was weird..! But… It was nice?
I went inside and shut the door behind me and kicked off my shoes.
Upstairs, my bedroom door swung open. I tossed my bag aside and flopped onto my bed. Hard. Pillow over my face.
What a day….
Classes, the gym, Elena, Ian… rooftop… everything happened so fast. I barely survived the first day of school, and somehow it felt like ten years had passed.
My brain kept replaying it all. My uniform incident. Elena sitting behind me on the bike. Ian acting… weird. Everyone staring.
I sighed. Tomorrow's school was coming, and somehow I had to survive that too.
I buried my face in the pillow again. My first day wasn't over in my head yet.
I groaned into the pillow.
"I can't do this again tomorrow…" I muttered.
I rolled onto my side and stared at the wall for a while.
I let out a long breath.
"I just want a normal day…"
Eventually, thinking got too hard. At some point, my thoughts blurred together.
And before I could untangle any of them…
I fell asleep.
Then suddenly I was dreaming.
I was drifting… floating somewhere weightless, stars scattered endlessly around me. I couldn't tell where I was, only that everything felt distant and quiet. Among all those stars, there was one that shone brighter than the rest.
I was curious.
I wanted to get closer.
But no matter how hard I tried, the space around me wouldn't let me move. My body wouldn't respond. And then, suddenly, I was falling, deeper and deeper….
I felt helpless.
I jolted awake, falling off my bed and landing flat on my back.
"—Ow!"
I groaned, staring up at the ceiling as pain shot through me. As I pushed myself up, I realized I had fallen asleep in my uniform. Wrinkled. Of course.
Great.
My room was dark, the only light coming from the moon spilling softly through the window. As I sat there, rubbing my back, something caught my attention.
A flash.
Thunder flickered across the distant sky.
"…It's not going to rain, is it?"
I stood up and changed into my pajamas. Even after I finished, the thunder didn't stop. It wasn't loud, just faint flashes lighting up the clouds far away.
Strangely, there wasn't a single drop of rain.
I stared out the window for a moment longer.
I guess… the sky was just awake.
I checked the time. It was already 8 p.m.
I sighed and lay back down on my bed. I still had school tomorrow morning, after all.
Turning onto my side, I faced the window, watching the faint flashes of light flicker across the dark sky. They came and went quietly, like the sky was breathing on its own.
I didn't know why, but staring at it made my thoughts slow down.
Before I realized it, my eyelids grew heavy.
And just like that… I drifted off to sleep once more.