When Heartbeats Can Be Heard
Thanks to staying up all night watching Eve and Kiri’s collab stream, I woke up late and headed out for a late lunch.
What were the odds of running into Senior Wa Sol, who—just like me—had “coincidentally” woken up late and was also out looking for a late lunch?
Living in the same apartment building meant the chance of bumping into each other wasn’t exactly low, but the fact that our situations lined up this perfectly still felt strangely uncanny. It didn’t feel like simple coincidence.
“Same as last time. You must stay up late a lot, Senior.”
“Ha… haha. Yeah. Circumstances, you know.”
Wa Sol answered with an awkward laugh. Having both woken up late by chance, we walked side by side down the street.
“Still, I never expected you’d be the one to suggest we eat together first.”
“After the misunderstanding yesterday, I figured I’d better take the initiative this time.”
“I was actually planning to clear things up properly so there wouldn’t be any more misunderstandings.”
“What?”
Dressed in a gray hoodie, black sweatpants, and a cap, she turned to look at me with a startled expression. In that moment a faint fragrance brushed past the tip of my nose.
Thump.
My heart was still racing, and I couldn’t exactly order it to stop. Wanting to hide the embarrassment, I scrambled for an excuse.
“I didn’t mean to yesterday, but I think I made you feel awkward. I wanted to say it properly this time.”
“Ah… so that’s what it was.”
She didn’t seem particularly happy about the explanation. The faint look of disappointment I thought I saw was probably just my imagination.
“Hehe.”
And yet she suddenly started laughing. Even in such casual clothes, that sparkling smile of hers made me think that what really mattered in fashion wasn’t the clothes—it was the person wearing them.
“Gachi, you’re really not fake at all, are you? Even at the after-party, you knew how people would react and still went ahead and said you liked Eve.”
“Yeah. I didn’t think it was something I needed to hide. And I didn’t want to hide it either.”
When I thought about everything Eve had given me, even if she never knew, I didn’t want to pretend I didn’t like her.
“Hehe. Some people might call that stupid. But to me… it feels like a good thing.”
People tend to see a little sparkle in someone who has something they themselves lack. Just like how I, who couldn’t smile that brightly, found her radiant.
“You’re one to talk, Senior. You smile so easily. Anyone would say that’s a good thing.”
Someone who laughs often. Just being near her would probably make the world feel brighter, and she must have plenty of people around her. Just like her.
“…”
Apparently she didn’t see herself that way.
“I… smile a lot?”
She looked at me with a slightly dazed expression.
“Yeah… every time I see you, I’ve caught you smiling at least a few times.”
“Ah…”
When she first helped me move in. When we ate together at the after-party. When we walked home together. No matter which memory I pulled up, the first thing that came to mind was always her smiling face. That had to count as smiling a lot.
“Hehe, is that so. Hehehe.”
See? She was laughing again right now.
“Hey, Gachi.”
“Yeah?”
“When we first met and you offered to help, if I’d turned you down, you were just going to walk away without a second thought, right?”
“Yeah. We were strangers. Technically I had neither the right nor the obligation to help.”
“Hehe. The second I saw you I thought, ‘Ah, this guy doesn’t have any ulterior motives.’”
Her steps lightened as she walked. Being told I looked free of ulterior motives the moment we met… did that just mean I wasn’t attractive enough for anyone to have them? As if someone like her would ever look at me that way… No, she didn’t seem like the type to think that.
“And after seeing how you were at the after-party, I decided you were the kind of kid who doesn’t put on an act.”
“…”
By this point I realized the things she was saying weren’t really looking for a response from me. From here on, it felt more like she was talking to herself.
“Little by little… I started feeling like being around you made me relax without even realizing it.”
That was the same for me. I’d been feeling comfortable around her too.
“Me? I don’t actually smile that much.”
“Huh?”
“When those guys at the after-party came up to me and I smiled… did that look like a real smile to you?”
Honestly… that smile back then…
“It was about a minus-ten smile.”
“I looked that ugly?”
“I mean it wasn’t a smile at all.”
“Hehe. Just kidding.”
Before we knew it we were walking through the crowded university district. She still drew every eye, maybe even more than she had at the after-party. She hadn’t dressed up at all, which meant the atmosphere she carried herself was making her feel even more attractive than that night.
“Hmm.”
Stretching her arms overhead, Wa Sol asked in that easy voice that always put me at ease,
“A place that’s packed but delicious, or a place where the food’s just average but almost empty. Which one do you want?”
The answer was already decided.
Tucked into a corner of an alley, the shop looked unassuming from outside, but once we stepped in the interior was surprisingly bright and cheerful. A quiet little place.
“It’d be hard to find if you didn’t know it was here.”
“Right? That’s why there’s almost no one. When I want to be somewhere quiet, I come here. How’s the vibe?”
“I think I’ll end up coming here a lot.”
“Hehe. Then we’ll run into each other a lot.”
“We’re already running into each other a lot.”
“That’s… true. Weirdly so.”
Come to think of it, I had never once made plans to meet Wa Sol on purpose. Every single meeting had been pure chance. And yet from the day I moved into my place, I had seen her every single day. Coincidence after coincidence, until it felt like a miracle… the way she kept appearing in front of me.
“If coincidences keep happening, is that a miracle or destiny?”
“I’d rather call it a miracle. It sounds more romantic.”
“Oh? So Gachi leans more N than S?”
MBTI, huh. Thanks to Eve I knew a little, but not enough to be confident. Let’s see… N was the idealist and S was the realist, right?
“If I had to pick, I’d say S. I’ve never actually taken the test, so I don’t really know.”
“You should try it sometime. I’m a little curious.”
“What’s your MBTI, Senior?”
“Hmm… I’ll keep it a secret. Feels like spoiling my personality. Do you like spoilers, Gachi?”
“When you put it that way, yeah—getting to know someone slowly does sound better.”
“Oh? So you’re going to keep getting to know me?”
Was it self-conscious of me to feel a little hopeful at that? It might just make things awkward between us. I was about to dodge the question when she landed a clean hit.
“Yesterday I was pretty brave when I said what I said, you know?”
And now you’re just going to keep your mouth shut? That was what her tone seemed to say. After hearing that, I couldn’t run away.
“…When I’m with you, Senior, I feel myself relaxing too. It’s a nice feeling, and kind of strange at the same time.”
It wasn’t like we had fallen for each other. We hadn’t even known each other a full week yet. We just… wanted to know each other a little more. Nothing more than that.
“I want to feel that a little longer.”
“…I think I feel the same.”
For now, at least.
Talking the whole time had left both of us hungry, so we each ordered. She got shrimp-tempura udon; I got an omurice set. Once the food arrived, I finally understood what she had meant earlier.
“It’s pretty average.”
“Right? For a place hiding in a corner, it’s not especially delicious. That’s exactly why I like it.”
“Yeah. And it’s quiet because of that.”
“Looking at you, Gachi, I’m pretty sure you’re a solid I. Like me.”
“I’ll take the test later and confirm it for you.”
“Oh? Can I look forward to that?”
“Sure. No idea when, though.”
I wasn’t usually talkative while eating, but right now the roles felt reversed. I wasn’t talking while I ate—I was eating while I talked with her.
“If we keep running into each other like this by chance, is it okay to just say something?”
“Hmm… in that case…”
She held her phone out to me and spoke in a voice quieter and more careful than usual.
“Your number. Can I have it?”
Then, a little shakily,
“We can’t keep relying on coincidence forever.”
“…That’s true.”
I typed my number into her phone. She took it back and immediately called someone.
~~~♪
My phone’s ringtone.
“…Hello?”
“Ahem. You’re supposed to say ‘secure line,’ you know.”
“I’ve been discharged for a while now.”
Even though she was sitting right in front of me, Wa Sol had deliberately called.
“Hehe. Hearing your voice twice is kind of funny.”
Watching her laugh because the situation amused her was so enjoyable that I didn’t hang up either.
“Reminds me of the old days when we used to play with string telephones.”
“Wow, you’re from that era too, Gachi?”
“We’re only a year apart.”
“Haha, true. But string telephones… thinking about it, if we called each other from the same apartment building, wouldn’t it feel like we were using a really long string telephone?”
She had a point. We were close enough that we could just walk over if we wanted. It might feel exactly like that.
“I’d like to try it sometime.”
“Really?”
Resting her chin in her hand, she looked up at me. That was the face of someone expecting something again. …This time I thought I knew the right answer.
“Yeah. If the chance comes up.”
“Haha. You need a ‘chance’ just to make a phone call? All right, I’ll wait for it then.”
With that she hung up, but we kept talking as we slowly finished our meal. Even at our leisurely pace, the end was finally in sight when—
“Here’s your dessert.”
The owner appeared at our table carrying two ice creams. Had she ordered them?
“Did you order these, Gachi?”
Apparently not.
“No. Sir, I think these might be for the wrong table?”
“Haha, no. Just on the house. Most people who come here are alone, but today I saw a nice-looking couple, so…”
He set the two ice creams down and walked away.
…
My face suddenly felt hot. Afraid she might notice, I covered my mouth with one hand and lowered my head.
A couple… with me? That’s so rude to her. The way she suddenly went quiet—maybe she thinks it’s ridiculous.
When I finally lifted my head again—
“…”
—I met the eyes of Wa Sol, who, just like me, had her face flushed and her head bowed, only her eyes rolling up to look at me.
The girl who never stopped talking had her mouth firmly shut. An awkward, ticklish silence settled between us.
And still, through it all—
Thump. / Thump.
The sound of both our heartbeats rang out louder than ever, loud enough that each of us could hear the other’s.