Will You Be My Partner — Episode 1
The night was quiet…
too quiet.
And then… a dream.
"Don't go… please…"
Hiroto's voice trembled.
In front of him stood Himari…
her eyes calm… almost like she had already accepted something he couldn't.
Then—
BOOM.
Hiroto's eyes snapped open.
He sat up suddenly, breathing heavily.
And then… he saw her.
Standing right in front of him.
"AHH—!"
"Are you stupid?" Himari said, slightly annoyed.
Hiroto froze…
then it hit him.
Yesterday…
He saw her crying on the road.
Her mother had been in an accident.
And his own mother brought her home.
"…Sorry," Hiroto said softly.
He checked the time.
12:00 PM.
"What am I even doing…" he muttered.
---
🍽️ Breakfast
They sat across from each other.
Silence.
Hiroto's mind was restless.
"She hasn't said anything since yesterday…"
Himari placed a plate in front of him.
His heart skipped.
"Did she… make this?"
He felt shy.
Normally, he ate four rotis.
Today… just one.
"Should I ask?… No… that'll be awkward…"
"But if I don't… will she think I didn't like it?"
Then—
"Hiroto, why aren't you eating?" his mother asked.
"Didn't you like the food?"
"No! It's really good!" he said quickly.
Too quickly.
"…That sounded weird…"
He looked at Himari.
She lowered her gaze slightly.
"Thank you."
---
💔 The Thought He Couldn't Forget
As Hiroto ate, something hit him.
Yesterday…
When they came home…
His mother pulled him aside and said:
"Her mother's condition is serious…
There's a very low chance she'll survive.
The injury is in her head."
That moment…
He remembered everything.
Himari was silent… broken…
and he—
He fell asleep.
"…I slept?" Hiroto thought.
"I actually slept… when she needed someone the most?"
A strange guilt filled his chest.
"I left her alone… when she needed me…"
His grip on the plate tightened slightly.
And right at that moment—
Himari gently placed the food in front of him.
That simple act…
hit him harder than anything.
---
🌙 Night
Night came.
Hiroto sat at his desk, writing.
The door opened.
Himari entered with water and bedsheets.
He didn't notice at first.
Then he turned.
"You…?"
"I came to keep water… and the bed."
"…Bed?"
"Aunty said the room is messy. It'll be fixed tomorrow… so I'll sleep here tonight."
---
Everything stopped.
Then—
THUD!
Hiroto fell from his chair.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
His papers scattered.
Himari picked one up.
"What is this?"
"…Just… something I write… stories… for time pass…"
"That's nice," she said with a small smile.
---
🥀 Silence
That night…
They were in the same room.
But didn't talk.
No laughter.
No comfort.
Just silence.
And something heavy…
Something unspoken.
As if everything was normal—
Yet nothing felt normal.
---
🌅 Morning
Hiroto woke up again.
12:00 PM.
Same time.
Same room.
Same reality.
But inside him…
something had changed.