The door to one room in our house was always locked. It had become one of those silent mysteries you stop questioning after a while… until today.
Today it stood slightly open.
My heart thudded. For a second I just stared, wondering if this was some kind of mistake. I looked around the hallway — empty. The house felt unusually quiet, as if it were holding its breath along with me.
This was the moment. The moment I had imagined so many times.
I stepped inside.
The room smelled like old paper and dust. Piles and piles of books surrounded me, stacked carelessly yet somehow organized, like someone had loved them enough to keep them close. My excitement slowly faded.
That was it?
No secret portal. No hidden world. No strange creature waiting in the shadows.
Just… books.
The dim yellow lights only made the room look older, lonelier. I sighed in disappointment.
So my father wasn't some secret hero hiding a double life.
Just a boring man obsessed with novels.
The boy wandered around, his curiosity slowly dying — until his eyes landed on a strange book lying apart from the others.
Its cover showed restless tides crashing against each other, painted in shades of deep blue and silver. The title read:
Tides Between Us.
"What is this suppose to mean?" the boy muttered, frowning as he picked it up.
The book felt old, yet carefully preserved like something treasured beyond words.
He opened it gently. The pages were slightly worn, edges softened from being touched countless times. Even before reading, he could feel how often it had been held… how loved it must have been.
He flipped past the acknowledgments, curiosity growing with every page.
Someone had read this again and again.
As he leaned closer, completely absorbed, the sudden sound of the main door opening echoed through the house.
His heart jumped.
Panic rushed through him. Without thinking, he clutched the book tightly and ran, his footsteps light but hurried, racing toward his room.
He shut the door quietly behind him, breath uneven, eyes wide with excitement and guilt.
Settling down at his desk, he opened the book again, fingers trembling slightly as he turned the pages until he reached:
Chapter 1.
"A bright day…" he whispered.
And just like that, his eyes refused to leave the words.
The sun was shining strangely bright today.
Birds chirped endlessly, and the world moved with the same ordinary rush as any other morning.
Inside a quiet house, the smell of breakfast drifted through the air, mixing with the quick flap of a newspaper turning.
"Noa, get up or you're gonna be late for school!" a sweet voice called out.
In a room overflowing with manga, poetry books, novels, and scattered games, an alarm screamed in endless repetition. A hand slowly slipped out from under the blanket and slapped it silent.
A girl with jet-black hair sat up and stared at the ceiling for five whole minutes, unmoving, as if trying to convince herself reality had started.
The door creaked open.
A woman with long black hair entered, hands on her hips.
"Ah, you're up. Don't just sit there staring at the ceiling. Move fast and get ready or you'll be late," said Oka-san.
Noa blinked lazily, still half asleep.
Her mother sighed. "Who would believe you're starting high school today? Look at this room it's a disaster. And maybe try sleeping early if waking up is this hard."
Slowly, almost mechanically, Noa got up and walked toward the washroom, still wrapped in sleepiness.
Downstairs, her father sat quietly reading the newspaper.
Her mother joined him and shook her head. "She was still sleeping when I went in. You should guide her sometimes too. Who knows what'll happen when she grows up."
Her father only smiled softly.
Noa came downstairs moments later.
"Good morning," she said brightly, a small smile lighting her tired face.
"Morning," her father replied warmly.
After breakfast she was about to leave when her father called out.
"Noa, wait. I'll drop you at school today."
Her face lit up instantly, eyes sparkling with surprise.
"You shouldn't spoil her like this," her mother muttered.
"You shouldn't stop people from doing good deeds, you know, Oka-san," Noa said with a clever grin.
"What good deed comes from dropping a brat like you at school?" her mother shot back.
"Hehe… you never know," Noa laughed, pulling a literature book from her bag.
"Alright, alright. Let's leave before you're actually late," Oto-san said, chuckling.
During the drive, Noa's attention never left her book. The outside world blurred past unnoticed.
When they arrived, she finally looked up, smiled, and waved goodbye to her father before stepping toward the school gate.
Students crowded around the classroom board — excited voices, nervous laughter, reunions between old friends.
Narumi scanned the names carefully.
Suddenly, someone tapped her shoulder.
"Morning, Narumi!" a cheerful voice said.
She turned to see a girl with a bright smile Nanako.
Nanako was brilliant. Academics, sports, everything. The kind of person everyone admired especially the boys. The complete opposite of me, Narumi thought.
I still don't know how we became friends… but that's a story for another day.
After confirming their class, they walked together, matching each other's slow rhythm.
As Narumi opened the classroom door, her eyes swept across unfamiliar and familiar faces.
She moved toward her seat by the window always the best place. The sky felt closer there, the air lighter.
She glanced at the empty seat beside her, wondering who would sit there this time.
The teacher entered, and everyone stood.
"Good morning, everyone. I'm sure you're excited. Make new friends and don't bully anyone, alright?"
Everyone nodded.
Just as he finished speaking, the classroom door slid open.
All eyes turned.
A boy stepped inside tall, almost 6'1", black wavy hair brushing his neck, a small tattoo visible near his collar. He carried himself with effortless confidence, the kind that made people stare without realizing.
The teacher blinked. "And you are?"
"Good morning, Sensei. I'm Shinomiya Ace, a new student."
His voice carried a calm charisma that filled the room.
The teacher nodded. "A new student, huh? Let's find you a seat."
Narumi tried to look away, but her eyes kept drifting back.
What the hell am I doing? Why am I imagining him sitting beside me? she thought, cheeks warming slightly.
The teacher looked around. "Sit beside Nanako. She'll help you settle in."
"And Kawaragi, you sit with Narumi."
Ace nodded and walked confidently toward Nanako's desk.
Meanwhile, the boy sitting near her picked up his bag and walked toward Narumi.
And for some reason, her heart skipped once before looking away.
"Wait… this guy sounds like my pa," the boy whispered, pausing mid-page as something about the character suddenly felt too real.