The woman stared at Hiro, who was still lost in thought, sitting as if he wasn’t even aware of the real world. Though slightly uncomfortable with Hiro’s fixed gaze, she still smiled gently. Her smile was warm, soothing, yet it made Hiro’s heart race faster than usual.
Hiro, stiff and awkward, returned a half-forced smile. His body seemed to resist the waves of nervousness that came all at once. Without saying much, he turned and walked quickly toward his house, his steps hurried, yet his mind still replayed the woman’s image.
Once inside, Hiro’s chest was still pounding. He stared at his shopping bag, the rope he had just bought, and began to feel uncertain. Was what he just saw real, or merely a product of his obsession over the past month?
Hiro sat at his desk, opened his phone, and stared at the screen with trembling hands. He opened the Wassup app and typed:
“Hey… I saw her again. Do you think she’s real??”
A few seconds later, a reply appeared.
“Maybe she’s an angel sent to visit you, bro 😎”
Hiro looked at the message, his lips tightening. Even though his friend was clearly joking, Hiro took it seriously. In his mind, the words made sense, and the confusion mingled with an intense curiosity.
He exhaled slowly, staring out the window at the quiet street. The woman’s shadow lingered in his mind, her smile the same, her blue eyes seeming to pierce his thoughts. The boundary between the real world and his dreams started to blur, and Hiro realized one thing: he had never felt so… shaken by another human being.
He glanced at the rope on the desk, then at the street outside the window. For some reason, the panic he had felt earlier eased slightly, replaced by a desire to know more. Who was she really? And why did she appear in the real world when Hiro felt most vulnerable?
Hiro took a deep breath, trying to calm himself—before sleep, his eyes wandered around the messy room. Scattered books, piles of clothes, leftover snacks on the floor… everything as usual.
He closed his eyes, hoping sleep would take him away from the panic.
But when he woke up, something froze him in place. His body felt stiff, as if he couldn’t move. His eyes moved on their own, staring at the figure in the room. The same woman from his dream stood in the middle of the room, smiling as she began tidying up the scattered items.
“Your room needs to be clean… so I won’t be disgusted seeing it,” she said softly. Her voice was calm, yet every word seemed to pierce Hiro’s head, making his heart beat faster.
Hiro stared at her with a mixture of awe and disbelief. His voice choked, almost whispering:
“Y…you… how are you here?”
She only smiled again, then said softly,
“Shh… be quiet.”
When Hiro finally managed to stand, he looked around. His room… was clean, neat, every object in place. No stains, no piles of books, no scattered snacks. Everything looked perfect, like it had just been bought.
Hiro squinted, unable to believe it. He tried to touch the desk… everything was real, cold, and hard. Yet something in his heart whispered: “Is this… a dream or reality? Or am I starting to lose my mind?”
His body trembled, his head dizzy, but one thing was clear: the world he had controlled through sleep and dreams had now… entered his real life.
Hiro stared at his now-clean room, eyes wide. He couldn’t believe it—yet at the same time, he was curious. How could she enter his house?
“Who is she… and how did she get in?” he murmured, feeling joy, panic, and wonder all at once. His chest raced, his breath labored.
A strange urge surged within him—a mixture of curiosity, fear, and longing.
“I… I want to see her again,” he whispered almost inaudibly. His eyes fixed on the street outside, imagining her standing there, smiling, playing her violin. The urge was too strong, pushing him to find her again, even though the real world felt frightening and chaotic.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, but his mind was already drifting far away. The curiosity was too strong, driving him to seek her, despite the heaviness of his body and exhaustion from the previous night.
He walked slowly, chest pounding, as if the entire world were watching him. His legs felt heavy, lingering fatigue from the previous night still clinging to him. Finally, he found a quiet park and sat on a wooden bench, bowing his head.
“This… is so tiring,” he murmured, his voice almost swallowed by the evening air. He looked at the trees and the deserted pathway, yet his mind remained on the woman. Hours passed, but his courage to approach her still hadn’t come.
And then—unexpectedly—she appeared. She stood a few meters in front of Hiro, holding her violin, her long hair falling neatly over her shoulders, and the faint smile still present on her face.
They stared at each other, stiff, awkward. No one moved first, only a strange tension filled the air: curiosity, nervousness, and a little fear. Hiro’s heartbeat seemed deafening in his ears.
He wanted to say something, but words stuck in his throat. The woman glanced at him for a moment, then smiled gently, as if trying to give him courage. Yet that smile made him even more confused and awkward.
Hiro exhaled slowly, trying to calm himself, but his mind was chaotic: “Should I approach her? Or is this too risky? What if I misinterpret everything?”
In that quiet park, time seemed to slow. There was only Hiro, the woman, and the subtle tension in the air—making Hiro’s heartbeat feel louder than ever.
He didn’t want to waste the opportunity. He stood slowly, restraining the rapid beating of his heart.
“H…hello,” he said nervously, almost a whisper.
The woman turned, her gentle smile unchanged.
“Hello,” she replied softly, her voice the kind that made anyone want to keep listening.
Hiro opened his mouth, but the words seemed stuck.
“You’re… the one playing the music yesterday, right?”
She seemed to ponder for a moment, then smiled faintly.
“Oh, yes.”
“I… I liked your violin performance, hehe,” Hiro said, his tone awkward but sincere.
Alice looked at him for a moment, then laughed lightly.
“Hahaha… you’re funny. I thought you were going to run away because you were scared of me.”
“When shall we try the duet?”
Alice asked, her eyes sparkling, her tone light but clearly enthusiastic.
Hiro was a little surprised that his invitation was accepted.
“How about next week? I’m a bit busy this week,” he replied, scratching his head awkwardly.
He suddenly remembered—he hadn’t played the guitar since middle school.
“Well… okay then,” he murmured with a shy smile.
Alice nodded.
“Alright, let’s meet here again next week, okay?”
“Sure! We can talk about the songs we want to play,” Hiro said enthusiastically.
Suddenly, Alice shook her head quickly.
“Nope.”
Hiro’s expression immediately changed, his face turning red, and he looked down at the ground.
“Oh… okay,” he said softly, his voice almost swallowed.
Alice laughed lightly, covering her mouth with her hand.
“Just kidding,” she said. She took out her phone and handed him a small piece of paper with a phone number.
“Here. You were so cute when you pretended to reject me, you know?”
Hiro blushed, not knowing what to say.
“Hehe… yeah, thanks.”
After saying goodbye, they walked in opposite directions. On his way home, Hiro felt light—like every step was surrounded by flowers. For the first time in a long while, the outside world felt a little brighter.