When Kaito made his way downstairs the next morning, he heard a familiar voice coming from the kitchen.

Is that Touma?

What is he doing here…?

He walked into the kitchen and saw that it was, in fact, his red-headed friend. Touma was sipping on a cup of coffee and chatting with Kanna.

“Um, what are you doing here?” Kaito yawned.

“I got to go, boys,” Kanna said, grabbing her purse and kissing Kaito on his forehead. “Remember, you promised me you would clean your room!” she added before she left.

“I was gonna text you, but I just needed to talk to someone. I barely slept last night!” Touma said.

“And why couldn’t you sleep?” Kaito asked while he poured himself a cup of coffee.

“Well, yesterday of course! Himari just… she just kissed me out of nowhere!”

“And you didn’t like it?”

“I did! But we’re friends, and I, err... she is— she’s always been there, and I, uh— ugh, I don’t know!”

“Come! Let’s go talk in my room. My sister is having friends over, and I don’t want them to see an emotional wreck when they arrive,” Kaito said, and they made their way upstairs.

Kaito sat down on his bed and watched his friend pace up and down his room. Touma’s eyes were droopy, his hair was messy, and he wore the same clothes from the day before.

Wow, looks like he had a long night last night…

“Look, Touma… I’m gonna make it easy for you. Do you like her in that way or not?”

“I, uh... but it’s not that simple!”

“Just answer the question! Yes or no?”

“I— I do. Of course, I do! Kaito, I think I love her...” Touma said, looking at his friend with big, round puppy eyes.

“Wow, hold up there, buddy! One step at a time!”

“I’m being serious! Since my eyes were unglued from that pink-haired witch, I’ve only been seeing Himari! She is everywhere, Kaito! She has always been there! Ever since we were little. She’s the one I would call when I needed someone to talk to, and she would always answer… unless I did something dumb that made her angry.”

“And you actually know her for who she is,” Kaito added.

“I do! I know everything about her… I know just how kind and thoughtful she is and… Aw man, I’ve been such a jerk to her! That invitation she gave us, she put so much effort into that night, and she was so excited… Ah, now I see why she was mad at me.”

“So, why are you here? Why don’t you go to her and tell her all these things?”

It took Touma some moments to answer Kaito. “If she does feel the same way, then I would ask her to be my girlfriend,” Touma smiled for a moment as the thought crossed over his face, but the smile faded quick. “But… will that be okay with you?”

Kaito had to cough so as not to choke on his coffee. “What? Why is that even a question?” Kaito blurted out in surprise.

“I— I don’t know… I mean, don’t you like her?”

“Wow, you really are clueless! Yes, I like Himari!” Kaito paused for a moment then continued, “As a friend, you dolt! And I couldn’t be happier if you two started dating already! Besides, I already told you… There’s someone else I like.”

“Oh, yeah! You’re right! I completely forgot about you telling me that. To be honest, I thought you made that up.”

“Why the hell would I make that up?”

“Well, you said you didn’t even know what she looked like, right?”

“Yes... and? Not everything is about looks. We have a real connection—I think.”

“You think?” Touma asked while sitting beside Kaito.

The bed bounced a bit when Touma sat down. Kaito thought about what to tell his friend and then decided it was best to tell him everything, so he emptied his cup and started from the beginning.

“That’s… Incredible! Wow! What’s her name?”

“Miyu,” Kaito whispered.

“Miyu?” Touma asked out loud, and just as he did, a thump came from behind the wall.

Both their faces immediately jerked toward the wall. “Oh wow!” Touma stood to examine the crack.

What! Was she listening?

Ugh! No ways that just happened!

“Miyu! Are you there?” Touma called out.

“Touma!”

Touma put a finger to his lips, gesturing that he be quiet, then he called out again, “Miyuuu?”

A few moments went by with no answer, Touma shrugged and returned to his spot on the bed just to get punched in the shoulder by Kaito, “Ouw!”

“Why would you do that? You idiot!”

“Just trying to help! Ouw…” Touma said, rubbing his shoulder. “So, you can’t text her or talk to her online somewhere?”

“Nope, she has no phone or PC.”

“Hmm...”

Kaito knew his friend was busy concocting a plan, but he was still wondering if Miyu had heard all he had relayed to Touma. He also wondered whether she felt the same way.

“I got it!” Touma exclaimed and got up again.

Oh boy…

“Listen up! We just need to get to the postman before he goes next door! Then we ask him if we, uh— you can deliver the post for him, and voila! You knock on the door and—”

“And what if her dad opens the door?”

“Then you say, ‘good day, sir, I have some post for your daughter!’”

“I’m not sure he’ll fall for that...”

“Come, let’s go catch the postman!”

The two boys scurried downstairs and waited for the postman to arrive, taking turns to look through the peephole in the door.

Both of them were so occupied—Touma’s eye was glued to the door, while Kaito was lost in thought—that neither of them heard Yui come downstairs.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

Startled, both boys jumped, and Kaito let out an angry, “Yui!”

“What are you doing?” she repeated. “My friends are gonna be here soon! You better not embarrass me!”

“We would never do something like that!” Touma said, but neither Kaito nor his sister could tell if he was being sarcastic or not.

“He’s here! Let’s go!” Touma yelled and pulled Kaito by his arm.

Touma swung the door open and ran toward the postman, whose face made the expressions you’d expect from someone being ambushed.

After a couple minutes of begging, the postman finally agreed that Kaito could deliver the post, but not unless he could stay and watch them.

They consented to his condition, and the postman handed Kaito a couple of letters and his cap.

Like a punch to the stomach, Kaito became exceedingly nervous. Goosebumps ran down his arms, his legs were almost too heavy to move, and his throat begged for moisture.

Ta-dum. Ta-dum.

He reached his arm out to the door and knocked three times.

Ta-dum. Ta-dum.

Before he could decide on what to say, the door swung open and an older man with messy brown hair stood in the doorframe.

“Yes?” the man answered with a deep, grumpy voice accompanied by a strong whiff of alcohol, which hit Kaito in the face.

“I, uh— I h-have your m-mail, sir,” Kaito said, holding out the letters to Miyu’s father.

He snatched the mail out of Kaito’s hand and asked, “How come you don’t drop them in the mailbox like you always do?! And now you bother me with this?”

“I-I’m so sorry! It’s my first day,” Kaito said with his head bowed, and before he could even glimpse the inside of the house, the door slammed shut.

That guy is terrifying!

Kaito returned to his friend, who was unsurprisingly on the floor laughing his heart out. He laughed so hard that he had to clutch his stomach and had tears running down both cheeks.

The postman, too, joined in the frenzy; he couldn’t keep himself from laughing. Afterward, the three of them stumbled around outside the apartment laughing like a pack of hyenas—the perfect time for Yui’s friends to arrive.

“You said you weren’t gonna embarrass me! Ugh!” Yui turned around and slammed the door in their faces.

Kaito and Touma stood frozen for a moment until Kaito whispered, “Oops.”

“Well... I have to go home but good luck with that!” Touma said.

“Are you serious now? Don’t tell me you’re scared of my little sister!”

“It’s not that! I, uh, promised my mom I’d help her with something today!”

“Sure, you did,” Kaito said, waving his friend goodbye.

Kaito opened the apartment door and slowly tiptoed inside. He glanced around but couldn’t see any sign of his sister or her friends, so he quickly dashed upstairs and slipped into his room.

Kaito took one look around his room and let out a loud sigh.

This place is a mess! I hate it…

Clothes spread around on the floor, his bed was unmade, and there were still a couple of boxes waiting to be unpacked.

Kaito finally worked up the energy and courage to clean up his room. He spent the afternoon cleaning and only took a short break when Yui asked him to help set up the karaoke machine for her friends and her.

Afternoon quickly turned to evening, and Kanna arrived home with boxes of pizzas, “Eat up, kids!”

She couldn’t have arrived at a better time! I’m starving!

Kaito stuffed his mouth with a couple of well-deserved pizza slices. He was able to fill his belly and received a jolly compliment from Kanna for cleaning his room, after which he made his way back to his room.

As he walked into his room, Kaito heard the sweet sounds of Miyu’s guitar and a smile spread across his face.

“Hey, you!” he said and sat down on the floor, leaning against his bedroom wall.

“Good evening,” Miyu answered.

Kaito heard the echoing thump of Miyu’s guitar being placed on the floor.

“How have you been? We haven’t talked much,” Kaito said.

And you kinda disappeared the last time you said we would talk...

“I’m good. I’ve just had some things to deal with. How about you? Enjoying summer vacation?”

Doesn’t sound like you’re doing good…

“Yeah! It’s probably been the best one I’ve had in a very long time! Just wish you could’ve come with...” Kaito’s voice lowered as the sentence parted his lips.

“That’s good; I’m so glad for you.”

She sounds so unhappy…

I know!

“Do you wanna hear something funny?”

“Sure!”

Kaito communicated the events of that morning to her: how his friend begged the postman to join in on his plan, how Touma talked him into knocking on her front door, and the awkward conversation he had with her father.

It didn’t take long before he heard Miyu’s laugh again.

There it is!

“I heard that! My dad couldn’t stop yapping about the ‘stupid new postman,’” she giggled.

“Well, he doesn’t have to worry about the stupid new postman; I don’t think he’ll be going back to work anytime soon!”

“You’re silly! It’s cute that you would do all that just to see me. But why didn’t you just let me in on the plan? Then I could’ve gone downstairs.”

So, she was upstairs!

I wonder if she heard what I said to Touma?

“Well, because… the last time I said I was gonna ask your father something, you got mad at me, and we ended up not talking for a while.”

Much longer than I could handle!

“I know, I’m sorry… And the other night when I said we should talk… something came up, I’m sorry.”

Wait…

She said she would’ve gone downstairs!

“So… if I go knock on the door again...”

“Then my dad would know something is up, and I would probably never be able to see you… ever.”

“Ah… I see. Okay, well, do you want to talk about what’s bothering you? I don’t like hearing you sad.”

“Not really, I’m sorry, Kaito... I just want to… talk, is that okay?”

Kaito turned his head toward his bedroom window. “Can you see outside your bedroom window from where you are sitting now?”

“Um, yes, I can! Why?”

“Take a look outside… the stars look beautiful tonight.”

“I know what stars look like.”

“Trust me, just stare at them for a bit!”

After a few silent moments, Miyu asked, “Why?”

“Because if we talk now, someday you might forget what we talked about,” Kaito replied, taking a deep breath, “but you will always remember the night we stared at the stars and talked away the entire night.”

Miyu made no sound, but Kaito could feel her smile radiate through the wall, and that made him smile.

And just like Kaito had said, the two of them sat on their bedroom floors, staring at the stars, and talked the entire night away. They spoke about things that made them smile, things that made them sad, and everything in between.

When Miyu stopped responding, Kaito assumed she had fallen asleep, so he closed his eyes, rested his head against the wall, and drifted to the dream world.