"For real...?" 　Clutching his smartphone, Kanata stood frozen in the entryway. 　On the screen was a brief message from his mother. *We're handing over the house next month, so please find an apartment.* That was it. 　Sakurahama City, Sakuragaoka New Town. He'd lived in this house for fifteen years, and now he had to leave by next month. 　The humid June wind blew in from beyond the hedge. The light from the house next door flickered dimly through the curtains. "Like I could ever afford an apartment on a part-time job..." 　Kanata narrowed his deep brown eyes and let out a sigh. His black hair was slightly disheveled, and his slightly hunched back looked smaller than usual. He grabbed the collar of his white shirt, crumpling it as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. His parents were already paying his university tuition—he couldn't lean on them any more than this. 　Maybe he should talk to a friend from Seiwa University. But he couldn't just suddenly ask someone to let him crash at their place. And asking a senpai from his club would be weird too. 　The same thoughts just kept circling in Kanata's head, and there was no way an answer was going to appear. 　He knew he was way too indecisive. But what else could he do? 　He looked up at the sky. Gloomy clouds hid the moon. 　It'll probably rain tomorrow. "Haaah..." 　That's when it happened. "Kanata?" 　A voice came from behind him. 　He turned around, and there— 　A girl with gently waving, silvery-white hair stood there. "Asuka...?" 　Vivid purple eyes. Looking closer, her left eye was a deep bluish-purple, and her right was a pale silver. Heterochromia—odd eyes, different colors left and right. Had her eyes always been this beautiful? 　Kanata was at a loss for words. "[gentle]It's been a while. What's wrong, standing out here?" 　Asuka tilted her head slightly and smiled. That same gentle smile she'd always had. But, how should he put it—had she gotten more mature? 　When was the last time they'd actually talked? In high school, they'd just exchanged greetings now and then, and since starting university, he felt like they hadn't talked at all. "No, well..." 　Kanata looked down. It was hard to say. But he was at his limit. "My family's gotta move out next month. And I still haven't found an apartment." 　He explained the situation bit by bit, and Asuka listened silently. 　Her profile, lit by the entryway light, seemed so very calm. "[gentle]Then, come to my place." 　Huh? "[surprised]What?" "[laughing]I said, come to my place. We're childhood friends, right?" 　Asuka said it so casually. 　So naturally, as if it had been decided all along. "[serious]But..." "[gentle]It's fine, it's fine. I live alone, and I've got a spare room." 　Without waiting for Kanata's reply, she unlocked the front door of the house next door. 　Kanata was still hesitating. 　Childhood friends or not, was it really okay for a guy to just move in? But there was no way he had anywhere else to go. 　In the first place, was it okay to decide something this easily? 　But, looking at Asuka's smile, he somehow stopped caring about all that. "...Sorry for intruding." 　Stepping through the entryway, a faintly sweet scent reached him. 　It was somehow similar to the room he'd played in as a kid. But still, a little different. The scent of an adult woman. 　Kanata's heart started pounding. 　One hour later. "[excited]Here you go, hamburg steak! You used to love this, right, Kanata?" 　Kanata's eyes widened at the home-cooked food spread out on the table. 　Hamburg steak, potato salad, miso soup with wakame and tofu. All of it homemade. "[surprised]You could cook like this?" "[laughing]Living alone, you pick things up. We used to make sweets together all the time, remember?" 　That's right. Back in elementary school, the two of them had burned cookies and eaten them while crying on a bench in Donguri Park. Asuka had always given her all to everything, even back then. 　Kanata took a bite of the hamburg steak. "...It's good." "[happy]Really? I'm glad." 　Asuka smiled. That face was the same as always, yet somehow looked more grown-up, and it made Kanata's heart skip a beat again. 　As they ate dinner, the two of them reminisced. 　Climbing the camphor tree in Donguri Park. Her winning a dolphin keychain for him at the summer festival. Walking home together under a shared umbrella on a rainy day. 　Even though it was all nostalgic stories, Kanata was tense the whole time. "[gentle]Kanata, do you remember? That time I fell and cried, you gave me a piggyback ride." "Yeah, that happened. You were surprisingly heavy. I seriously thought my arms were gonna die that time." "[laughing]That's mean! My figure's different now, you know! ...Probably." 　They laughed together, but something was definitely different. 　He couldn't just laugh innocently like they used to. Because the person next to him wasn't a little girl anymore. 　After dinner, Asuka took a bath first. 　Kanata sat on the living room sofa and turned on the TV. He opened his chat app, trying to consult a university friend, but his fingers wouldn't move. (*What am I gonna do...*) 　He scratched his head. His hair got even messier. "[gentle]The bath's free." 　The moment he heard her voice and looked up, Kanata froze. 　Asuka was trying to cross the living room wearing nothing but a bath towel. "[flustered]Wha—what the hell are you doing!?" 　He immediately averted his eyes. But that one instant was burned into his memory. 　White skin. Slender shoulders. Her wet, silvery-white hair clung to the nape of her neck. The legs extending from the bath towel were incredibly long and beautiful. "[surprised]What do you mean? I'm just going to change my towel." 　Asuka said it with a blank look on her face. "[angry]At least put some clothes on! You'll catch a cold!" 　This was way too bad for his heart. "[teasing]We used to take baths together all the time. Isn't it a bit late for that?" 　Giggling softly, Asuka disappeared into the back hallway just like that. 　Kanata sank deep into the sofa and covered his face with both hands. 　His face was burning. His heart was pounding wildly. (*Is she just clueless, or is she doing this on purpose...?*) 　Either way, was this going to continue every day from now on? 　Could his self-control hold out? 　Late at night. 　In the futon in the guest room, Kanata was wide awake. 　It seemed like it had started raining; a heavy downpour pattered outside the window. 　He'd been tossing and turning for hours, but he couldn't sleep. He couldn't get that image out of his head. (*What the hell am I thinking about?*) 　She's my childhood friend. It's messed up to look at her like that. 　*Click.* 　The door opened. "!?" 　He tried to jump up from the futon, but it was too late. 　Out of the darkness, Asuka slipped inside. "[whispers]I'm cold..." 　Just like that, she got into Kanata's futon. 　A soft warmth was right next to him. "[scared]H-hey, what are you—" "[whispers]Quiet. Just for a little bit. Okay?" 　Asuka didn't do anything more than that. 　She just curled up into a small ball, her back facing him. 　But the warmth coming from her back shook Kanata's heart violently. 　In the darkness, only the sound of the rain could be heard. "[whispers]Kanata." "...What?" 　Silence. "[whispers]We'll be together forever." 　It was a whispering voice. 　Gentle, but somehow, a clinging voice. Like a lonely child clinging to their mother—that kind of voice. 　Kanata held his breath. "What are you saying..." 　But he couldn't continue. 　Because he felt like Asuka's back was trembling slightly. 　Kanata couldn't say anything. 　He couldn't reject her, but he didn't have the courage to hold her either. 　He just stayed perfectly still until morning, feeling the warmth beside him. 　Morning sunlight streamed through the window. 　It seemed the rain had stopped. "[gentle]Good morning, Kanata." 　When he went to the living room, Asuka was already preparing breakfast. "...Morning." 　She was smiling cheerfully, as if nothing had happened yesterday. "[gentle]I put your change of clothes over there." 　Looking, he saw his clothes neatly folded on the table. 　Even the contents of his bag, which she shouldn't have opened yet, had been tidied up. "You, this..." "[surprised]Ah, sorry. I opened it without asking. But they were getting wrinkled." 　A smile. A gentle smile. 　Kanata felt a chill run down his spine. (*Those words yesterday... "We'll be together forever"...*) 　Had that really meant something good? 　Was it just kindness from a childhood friend? 　Asuka was nibbling on toast, looking at him. 　Her purple odd eyes sparkled, reflecting the morning light. 　For the first time, Kanata thought: (*Could it be... that her smile is... a little scary?*) 　But he told himself that thinking that was just him overthinking things. 　Outside the window, the camphor tree in Donguri Park swayed in the morning breeze. 　Today, just like always, their two houses sat quietly side-by-side, separated by a single hedge. 　Until yesterday, they were just neighbors. But from today on— "[gentle]Coffee? Want a refill?" "Ah, yeah. I'll take some." 　And so, their life under one roof began.