The next few days felt strange for Akira.
Nothing in his routine had actually changed.
He still woke up early.
Still attended lectures.
Still returned to his apartment every evening.
But something inside him was different.
Now, whenever he walked into a classroom…
Whenever he stepped into a hallway…
His eyes searched automatically.
He was looking for someone.
The girl from the lab.
The one he had spent two hours secretly watching.
The strange part?
He still didn't know her name.
Ren noticed it almost immediately.
One afternoon during lunch, he leaned forward across the table and squinted at Akira.
"…Why do you keep scanning the room like a security camera?"
Akira froze.
"I'm not."
Ren raised an eyebrow.
"Bro."
"…What?"
"I've seen that expression before."
Akira frowned.
"What expression?"
Ren rested his chin on his hand dramatically.
"The 'I saw someone interesting but I'm too shy to talk to them' expression."
Akira nearly choked on his food.
"I—I'm not doing that!"
Ren laughed.
"Relax, man. It's not a crime to like someone."
Akira looked away quickly.
"…I never said I liked anyone."
Ren smirked.
"You didn't have to."
Two days later, someone new joined them at lunch.
"Mind if I sit here?"
A tall student set his tray down beside Ren.
Ren immediately grinned.
"Oh, look who finally showed up."
The newcomer nodded politely toward Akira.
"I'm Yuuto Yamamoto."
"…Akira Sato."
Yuuto smiled calmly.
"Nice to meet you."
Unlike Ren, Yuuto was quieter and more relaxed.
But he was easy to talk to.
Soon the three of them began sitting together during lunch and breaks.
For Akira, this was already more social interaction than he had experienced in months.
One evening after class, the three of them were walking across campus.
Yuuto suddenly pointed ahead.
"Oh, there's my lab group."
Akira followed his gaze.
A group of students was walking toward them.
And among them—
His heart skipped.
It was her.
The girl from the lab.
Akira quickly looked down at his phone, pretending to read something.
But his eyes kept drifting back.
Yuuto waved.
"Hey!"
The group slowed down.
They exchanged casual greetings.
Akira stood beside them quietly, pretending to scroll on his phone.
But he was listening carefully.
Then he heard it.
Her name.
"Aiko Tanaka."
The name echoed in his mind.
Aiko…
For some reason, hearing it felt important.
Like finally learning the title of a song that had been stuck in your head.
Ren slowly turned toward Akira.
"…Wait a second."
Akira stiffened.
Ren narrowed his eyes.
"Is that the girl?"
Akira's face immediately turned red.
"I didn't say anything!"
Ren laughed.
"You didn't need to."
Later that evening, Akira was walking back to his apartment when someone tapped his shoulder.
"Hey."
It was Yuuto.
"…Yeah?"
Yuuto scratched the back of his head.
"Can I borrow your phone for a minute?"
Akira looked confused.
"Why?"
"My phone died. I forgot to charge it."
"…Oh."
"I just need to grab someone's number from our group."
Akira handed the phone over without thinking.
"Here."
"Thanks."
Yuuto stepped outside for a moment.
Two minutes later he came back and returned the phone.
"Appreciate it."
"No problem."
Akira didn't think much about it.
That night, Akira was lying on his bed scrolling through his phone when a notification appeared.
Unknown Number:
Hi.
Akira frowned.
Another message appeared.
Hi Yuuto.
Akira immediately sat up.
"…Huh?"
He typed quickly.
Akira:
Who is this?
The reply came a moment later.
Unknown:
I'm Aiko. Yuuto's lab groupmate.
Akira froze.
Aiko.
His heart began beating faster.
For a moment he just stared at the screen.
Then he slowly typed.
Akira:
Actually… this is Akira. Yuuto borrowed my phone earlier to get your number.
A few seconds passed.
Then a reply popped up.
Aiko:
Ohhh sorry!
Another message followed.
Aiko:
Hi Akira.
Akira felt a strange excitement.
His fingers hovered over the keyboard.
Then he typed.
Akira:
Hi.
That single message started something unexpected.
Another message came.
Then another.
And another.
Before Akira realized it, nearly two hours had passed.
They talked about classes.
About how confusing the campus layout was.
About hostel life and terrible cafeteria food.
For once, Akira didn't struggle to reply.
Talking through messages felt… easier.
Then a message appeared.
Aiko:
Sorry, I need to cook dinner.
Let's talk later?
Akira checked the time.
8:57 PM.
Akira:
Sure.
Talk later.
Akira stood up and went to the kitchen.
While preparing dinner, a memory suddenly popped into his head.
The girl from the fourth floor.
The one whose apartment he had accidentally walked into.
I wonder if she ate dinner…
A few minutes later, Akira found himself standing outside her door.
He knocked.
The door opened.
"Oh," she said, surprised. "It's you."
"…Hi."
She tilted her head.
"What's wrong?"
"…Did you eat dinner?"
"Not yet."
"…What are you making?"
She looked slightly embarrassed.
"…Instant noodles."
Akira blinked.
"…Again?"
"…Maybe."
He sighed.
"You shouldn't eat that every day."
She shrugged.
"It's easy."
Akira thought for a moment.
Then he said quietly,
"…From tomorrow, I'll cook dinner for you."
Her eyes widened.
"…Wait, really?"
"…Yeah."
Her face lit up instantly.
"Deal!"
Akira blinked.
"…You agreed pretty fast."
She laughed.
"Free homemade food? Of course."
Akira chuckled softly.
"…Fair enough."
Later that night, Akira returned to his room.
The room felt quiet again.
Too quiet.
He placed the empty containers on the table and leaned against the kitchen counter.
"…That was strange."
He stared at the floor for a moment.
Then he let out a small sigh.
Why was I talking so normally with her?
The thought kept repeating in his mind.
Talking to girls had always been difficult for him.
Even in the lab earlier, speaking with Kaori had felt awkward.
His words had been short. Careful. Nervous.
But with the girl on the fourth floor…
It was different.
He remembered the way their conversation had gone.
"Did you eat dinner?"
"What are you making?"
"Instant noodles again?"
The words had come out naturally.
Almost too naturally.
Akira frowned slightly.
Why though…?
He rubbed the back of his neck.
She's a girl too.
So why didn't I feel nervous?
More questions began appearing in his mind.
Was it because she was easy to talk to?
Or because she didn't expect anything from me?
Or… was it just because I already embarrassed myself in front of her once?
Akira let out a quiet laugh.
"…Maybe that's it."
Once you accidentally walk into someone's apartment and sit on their sofa like you own the place…
There isn't much left to be embarrassed about.
Still, something about the situation puzzled him.
He had even offered to cook dinner for her every day.
Why did I say that so easily…?
Akira looked toward the ceiling.
More questions floated through his mind.
Why was it comfortable talking to her?
Why didn't I feel nervous?
And why does it feel like I've known her longer than just two days…?
He shook his head.
"…I'm overthinking this."
At that moment, his phone buzzed on the table.
A message appeared.
Aiko:
Did you eat dinner yet?
Akira blinked.
Then a small smile appeared on his face.
"…Right."
He picked up his phone and started typing.
For now, his mind had something else to focus on.
But somewhere in the back of his thoughts…
The mysterious girl from the fourth floor was still there.
And the questions about her hadn't disappeared.