Two outcasts who look down on each other share an innocent first kiss. - Chapter 3

The first day of my tumultuous Golden Week was over, and as I woke up, I found myself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling.

It felt like I had spent the night in a hotel.

As I sat up in bed, the first thing I saw was the stack of moving boxes piled in the corner of my room.

I had unpacked the essentials—clothes and other necessities—but more than half of them still remained.

I needed to get through them today… What a hassle…

The first things I wanted to unpack were my monitor and gaming console, but I knew that if I did, the rest of the boxes would never get touched.

To avoid that, I’d have to start with the least interesting ones.

I got out of bed and stretched my stiff back.

It was still morning, yet the room felt strangely dim.

Sure, the curtains were closed, but… it seemed Kana was right—this room had terrible sunlight.

I stole a glance at the closed window, almost as if I were sneaking a look at something I shouldn’t.

On the other side of that window was Mikage Sumino’s room.

Having a girl’s room so close to mine made it hard to relax yesterday.

I had finally gotten my own space, yet somehow, this still felt like when I used to share a room with my sister.

At least it was just Sumino.

If it had been a cute, cheerful girl, I definitely wouldn’t have been able to keep my cool.

With Sumino, there was no reason to worry about anything weird happening—

And then, the memory of yesterday resurfaced.

…Of course, Sumino was still a girl.

Her underwear had been cute.

And her chest was… surprisingly there.

Her scream was horrendous, but honestly, given the situation, who wouldn’t react like that?

Even when we talked later at her house… she was actually kind of—

…Wait.

Thinking back…

Was she kind of cute?

The curtain didn’t even show a shadow.

Only the faintest trace of light seeped through.

What is Sumino doing right now?

Is she awake yet?

And if she is… how is she spending her time?

She doesn’t seem like the type to go out with friends, so I had no idea what her weekends looked like.

I found myself moving toward the window, fingers grazing the curtain.

…Just a little peek. Just a little.

If it seemed like another dangerous situation, I’d close it immediately.

I just wanted to check if her curtain was open or closed—

I pressed my eye against the seam in the fabric, slowly, carefully, parting it—

—And locked eyes with a deep, abyss-like gaze staring straight back at me.

“GWAHHHH!?”

I flung myself backward, crashing onto the floor.

S-Something was peeking at me from the other side of the curtain…!?

Eyes as dark as hell itself, filled with pure hatred for the world…!

C-Could it be… a g-g-g-gho—!?

Thud!

A dull crash echoed from the other side of the window.

The exact same sound I had made when I fell.

Oh.

Right.

That was Sumino’s room.

So those weren’t demon eyes…

They were just Sumino’s naturally terrifying glare.

…Wait.

If she was looking at me—

Was she peeking, too!?

“……………………”

For some reason, my face grew hot.

Not only because she might have been watching me—

But because our thought processes were identical.

Am I… actually the same as Sumino?

No, no, no way—

Right?

…Right?

A Long Day of Unpacking

It took me half the day, but I finally finished unpacking.

Now, my room was neat and orderly—almost like a model home.

It wouldn’t stay this way for long, but for now, everything was perfectly arranged, and I had to admit—it felt pretty good.

I scanned the precisely placed furniture and the spotless floor, nodding in satisfaction.

Then I coughed.

“Ugh… So much dust…”

Since I had kept the room closed up, dust had visibly settled everywhere.

I needed to air it out.

But…

My gaze drifted to the curtain, now glowing orange under the evening sun.

Was it okay…?

I’d only open it for a bit. Just enough for some fresh air.

I cautiously peered through the curtain’s gap.

The window across from mine was covered.

Good.

This should be fine.

I pulled the curtain open, unlatched the crescent lock, and slid the window open.

For the first time since moving in, fresh air flowed into my room.

Well… not exactly fresh, but the stuffy atmosphere immediately improved.

And then—

As the air cleared—

A new sound reached my ears.

“—You little…! You piece of…! HAAAH!? You’re so fing gross…!”***

…Who the hell is that?

Wait, no.

It was coming from the window across from mine.

Which meant—

That voice belonged to Sumino.

Was that really her voice?

I tried recalling it, but I had barely any reference points.

I had only heard her ear-splitting scream and the brief exchange we had near her bathroom door.

“Gross! Disgusting! DIE, DIE, DIE!”

She was relentlessly hurling insults at something.

But now that I was focusing on it, her voice did sound familiar.

Particularly when she screamed like a dying bird.

“You think you can call yourself a Platinum rank with that cheap-ass strategy…?! HAH—BUAAAHHHH—!!!”

Her words turned into a death cry.

And then it clicked.

She was playing a game.

That was gamer rage.

She was screaming at the screen.

What game is she playing?

“Stop Relying on Random Throws! Just Go Play a Slot Machine! I’m Out! I’m Out, I SAID!”

…Fighting game.

Yep, that’s definitely a fighting game.

Also—her mouth is absolutely filthy. Scary…

The fact that she’s saying all of this out loud to herself is even scarier.

She talks as much as a game streamer.

“…I talk to myself a lot too.”

Maybe that’s just what happens when you don’t have friends.

Do I sound that bad when I do it?

No, I don’t talk to myself that much in public. And neither does she… right?

So, Sumino plays fighting games…

Not what I expected from someone so tiny.

But then again, if she spends all her time at home, she’s probably either watching videos or playing games.

I turned to look at the gaming console I had just set up.

She said she was Platinum rank…

I’m Diamond.

Just a little ahead of her.

Would she start cursing me out like that if we played?

The thought made me chuckle a little.

◆◆◆

Removing my earphones from the controller, I collapsed onto my bed.

Managed to rank up a bit—today’s session complete!

I thought I was going to burst a bl00d vessel after that six-loss streak.

Outside, it was already dark.

The only light was the glow from the window across from mine.

I had started gaming just to distract myself from that morning’s disaster, and before I knew it, the entire day had disappeared.

Edward.

Why were you staring?

You said you’d keep your curtain closed.

Admit it—you wanted to see more.

You were hoping to catch another glimpse of me changing.

Good thing I had been checking on you first.

Otherwise, I might’ve died on the spot.

I glanced at the curtain, where light from his room filtered through.

I could hear something.

Was he doing something?

Obviously, he was doing something, but—

If it had been this morning, I probably would’ve peeked.

But I had burned way too much energy raging at my game.

I was exhausted. And hungry.

“Mikage~? Dinner time~”

“Coooming~”

Perfect timing.

A meal, a bath, and then I could recharge.

Then I’d just watch some V-tuber streams until I got sleepy.

What a perfectly wholesome lifestyle.

Yesterday’s disaster felt like a fever dream.

Time to act fast.

I tossed my controller aside and left my room.

A Late-Night Realization

After my bath, I carefully dried my hair.

Yes. Responsible. A proper high school girl should at least have this level of self-care.

Then, I sprawled on my bed, scrolling through my phone for a stream.

A Vspo! streamer was playing League of Legends.

Good enough.

I stared blankly as they farmed minions, occasionally chuckling at their banter.

Before I knew it, it was already past 1 AM.

…Feeling a little sleepy.

But it’s Golden Week.

I can stay up a little longer…

When I was little, I was a good kid who went to bed at 10 PM.

But over time, my bedtime kept creeping later and later.

Why was that?

Because I started watching streamers who stayed up all night?

No. That was just a result.

I started watching because I was already up.

When did I start… hating the arrival of tomorrow?

As a child, I thought of myself as a rich girl.

After all, most of my classmates lived in apartments, while my family had a house.

Every time a friend visited, they would gasp, saying, “Wow, your house is huge!”

It wasn’t unreasonable for me to assume we were well-off.

Of course, I had always been socially anxious.

Because of that, I never boasted about my home like some spoiled brat.

But deep down, I did look down on other kids a little.

Honestly, I probably still do.

I see the loud, gossipy girls in my class and think, They seem dumb.

I see couples and think, What’s so great about having a boyfriend?

Isn’t being pure better?

Unicorns would definitely be on my side.

But in reality, I’m the one who doesn’t have friends.

Can’t dominate fighting game lobbies.

No friends.

No boyfriend.

Not cute.

Not smart.

Ugh… I feel like crap.

Am I even going to get married someday?

I have zero confidence in that.

Hell, forget that—am I even going to get into college? Get a job?

Sensing my thoughts spiraling, I looked away from my phone screen.

And my eyes landed on my window.

Edward’s light was still on.

So, he’s still awake.

Are all shut-ins naturally nocturnal?

What’s he doing at this hour?

What do guys do late at night…?

Something dirty?

…Okay, brain, calm down.

Still…

What if…

Curiosity surged inside me.

I took out my wireless earbuds.

The night was silent.

Not even the sound of cars passing.

And then—

I heard something familiar.

Thud!

Smash!

That crunching sound—

And then music—

And the rapid clacking of button presses.

I found myself stepping toward the window.

Carefully, I pulled the curtain back—just a sliver.

His window was uncovered.

I had a full view inside.

There, sitting on the floor, cross-legged, was Edward.

A PlayStation controller in his hands.

To his right, just barely visible, was his monitor.

Displaying a very familiar fighting game screen.

…So he does play.

And at this hour?

How long has he been playing?

Thinking back…

I had been hearing these sounds before dinner.

At the time, there were too many other noises to notice, but…

…This means—

He’s been playing since evening.

Wait.

If I can hear his game…

Does that mean—

He heard me?

The bl00d drained from my face.

Then I noticed something.

His window… was slightly open.

In late April?

When it’s still cold?

Even though the sound clearly carries outside?

Why would he—

And then, a horrifying memory resurfaced.

Back in middle school, I had wanted to seem intellectual.

So I sat in class, deliberately holding up a cool-looking foreign sci-fi novel for everyone to see.

Eventually, a classmate asked, “What are you reading?”

But when I nervously explained the plot, she just gave a flat “Huh. Cool.” and walked away.

I couldn’t start conversations.

I couldn’t express myself properly.

So I just placed things I liked in visible spots.

Hoping someone would notice.

Hoping someone would talk to me.

Was Edward doing that now?

He heard me raging over my fighting game.

Realized we played the same one.

But he was too awkward to bring it up.

Yet, he still wanted to show me—

So he left his window open.

Made sure the sound traveled.

Positioned his monitor in my line of sight.

And had been doing this… since evening?

Oh my god, this is SO CRINGE!!!

My whole body itched with secondhand embarrassment.

It was like watching my own past mistakes play out in real-time.

Just say something!

We’re literally living a rom-com scenario here!

You could tap on my window with a stick or something!

Ughhhh, freaking losers!!!

This is why shut-ins can’t have nice things.

Even when fate hands us a rom-com setup, we suck at making the most of it.

If I weren’t me, I wouldn’t have noticed.

Anyone else would’ve just thought, “Ugh, noisy neighbors.”

Just another obnoxious gamer.

Anyone else wouldn’t have—

“……………………”

I stepped back.

Slowly, silently, I pulled my curtain open.

Edward was too focused on his game to notice.

I unlocked my window.

Opened it just a crack.

Cold air rushed in.

I ignored it.

Then, I turned on my own console.

If he doesn’t notice this, then whatever.

I clicked my controller.

For once—

I didn’t feel like cursing at the game.