The bus hissed as it stopped. Akari slipped off her seat and stepped out into the spring rain, popping open her transparent umbrella with a snap. Raindrops pattered on the plastic as she walked towards the school gates. Maple leaves covered the English fence. She stopped below the arch topped with a coat of arms, as car doors slammed and students rushed to get inside.
She checked her iPhone.
8:25 AM.
Where are you, Nakamura-kun?
She looked around, worried and upset.
Her lips pressed together.
Baka...
She walked into the courtyard.
At her locker, she swapped her sneakers, hung up her coat, and stowed her bag. Upstairs, in homeroom 3-B, some classmates were cramming last-minute, while others were talking about anime, summer plans...
She tapped open her phone again.
8:28 AM.
Nothing.
Akari put down her pencil case, calculator, and math textbook, then headed for the boys' corner.
"Oi, you guys seen Kenji?"
A tall boy with one earbud in barely looked up. "Nakamura? Probably ditched."
Another shrugged without looking. "No clue. He's been weird."
"I dunno..."
Akari's jaw tightened.
Tch. Idiots.
Kenji wasn't a genius, sure, and he acted like he didn't care, but he wasn't the type to just vanish!
She returned to her seat by the window, glancing at Kenji's empty desk.
Yamamoto-san walked in at exactly 8:30, a thick binder of test papers under one arm. He adjusted his rectangular glasses and cleared his throat.
"Alright, everyone, take your seats! We'll start right away."
The class collectively groaned, chairs scraped the floor.
Akari clicked her pencil and quietly wrote her name at the top of the page. Outside, the rain beat louder against the windows.
Come on, Kenji...
"So how'd it go, sweetie? I made lasagna!"
"The exam was kinda easy, mom..." Akari said into the phone as the bus pulled up to her stop. "I'll be home in like twenty-five minutes. Want anything from the convenience store?"
"No, that's fine. Just hurry, before your brother eats all the cheese off the top again!"
Akari beeped her card and stepped aboard. She slipped into a seat, unlocked her phone, and opened her messages. The last text she'd sent Kenji was still there — Don't be late for the final exam, baka 🙄.
Still unread. No reply. No meme. Nothing.
Pff... Ghosting me like this?
She tapped the screen, deleted his contact, and locked her phone.
I'm so in the mood for lasagna.
Akari stepped through the torii portal of the their two-story wooden house. She walked along the veranda overlooking the koi pond and slid open the rice paper door. Slipping into her slippers, she stepped the quiet interior.
And... half the lasagna was already gone. That was typical big brother. He probably ate it like it owed him money and ran back upstairs to keep gaming.
Akari shook her head.
Ugh… i hate boys.
Mom cleaning the tatami floor.
"I need a break. Do you want to eat with me, sweetheart?"
"Sure!"
They sat across from each other at the low dining table, with lacquered trays and glasses of fresh juice. Outside, the rain and wind was beating up the zen garden. Nigiri, their cat, was curled up like a bread loaf on top of his scratcher.
After lunch, she crept upstairs.
"Thanks for eating half my lasagna, bro."
Ryu was hunched over his computer, thick headphones clamped over his head. "No problem."
Akari walked over and smacked him lightly on the shoulder. "Pause that!"
"It's a ranked match!"
"Just check if Kenji's online."
If he is, I swear—
"Alright, alright. Hang on."
Ryu tapped a few keys. "Yup. Green circle. He's online."
Akari froze. Her face turned red hot.
"A-Are you ok, sis?"
She stormed out without answering, sliding the door shut a little too hard behind her.
Why did I ever, ever like Nakamura Kenji?
"Mom! I'm going out!"
Akari walked down the sidewalk, music playing in her airpods. She crossed the Myojoshi bridge and came to a stop in front of the Nakano public library. Just across the street stood Kenji's apartment complex — the same one they'd passed a hundred times on bikes after school.
She spotted his bike still locked up in the rack.
So he's home?
Retracting her umbrella, she tucked it under her arm and climbed the stairs.
Such a trouble-maker, this guy!
She knocked. Then rang the bell. Waited.
Nothing.
Should I just leave?
Her finger hovered near the bell again, but she knelt beside the AC unit and reached under.
Found it.
She remembered Kenji's smug face: "Nobody ever checks there. It's genius!"
Yeah, right.
She pushed the door open slowly.
"Kenji? Are you there?"
Silence.
"It's me, Akari. Are you okay?"
She stepped inside. The place was... surprisingly clean. It was a tiny one-bedroom lined with anime figures, game cases, and manga. A bowl of fresh fruit sat on the kitchen counter.
She peeked into the bedroom. The bed was perfectly made. She even opened the closet.
No Kenji.
S-Should I just call the police?
She dropped into his gaming chair and nudged the mouse. The monitor flickered to life, asking for a PIN.
Knowing Kenji…
She typed: 0000
The screen resumed a paused RPG. A pixelated boy was asleep on a rug in a flickering candle-lit room. An in-game clock ticked in the corner. 5 AM.
No way.
"Kenji!!" She screamed in the microphone.
The character jolted upright.
"G-God?!" he gasped
"No, baka! It's me, Akari!"
"A-Akari? Where are you?"
"I should ask you that! What the hell happened?! You missed the exam!"
On-screen, the boy strechted awkwardly and opened a window.
"Well... I -"
There was a rough thud-thud-THUD on the door.
"NAKANO POLICE!! OPEN UP!!"
What the—?!