A Real-Life Promise

Sometimes, the act of digging up an ambiguous feeling is more embarrassing than the feeling itself.

Because it feels like declaring that feeling to be the right answer.

That act of turning a half-acknowledged heart—one you'd only looked away from, saying not yet—into certainty…

Even after becoming an adult, it would be hard to take that lightly.

What had I even eaten?

At the time, some ordinary flavor must have lingered in my mouth—and yet now I couldn't remember the taste at all.

The only thing that stuck was what the owner had said to us.

You two look like a couple…

Do we really? I tried to think it over. But no matter how hard I turned it over in my mind, the only answer I could come up with was that I had no idea.

To begin with, the only proper evaluation I'd ever received of myself was my high school grades. At an age when self-objectivity in matters like this was still half-formed, judging it under my own power was never going to be easy.

"Haa… my breath's still showing."

Ten minutes after leaving the shop. As if we'd made a promise beforehand, Senior Wa Sol and I were walking back toward the apartment building together.

She hadn't opened her mouth once on the way—until she let out a cloud of pure white breath and finally spoke.

"When it's this cold, what do you usually do, Gachi?"

If I'd been a little sharper then. Or if I'd had more experience with romance. Maybe I would have said something different.

But the me of that moment was simply an Adami.

"I'd go into a warm house and watch Eve's stream under the covers."

"…Pff—hahaha!"

And that, at least, was a relief.

"Ahaha—haa, haa… You really are something else… haa… hehe."

Senior Wa Sol laughed as if she found me genuinely funny. Then she took one step closer—right up beside me.

"Then let's hurry back. It's spring, but it's still cold."

"Yes, let's."

"Hehe."

Maybe it was the warmth of her, only a few centimeters nearer. I felt my heart grow a little warmer too.

Tomorrow's the first day of classes. I wonder if we'll run into each other again by chance?

That was what she'd said when we parted at the apartment building.

Run into each other by chance…

Lying on the bed with only my upper body down, I scrolled through my phone looking for the number I'd saved.

Senior Wa Sol.

Even I had to admit it was a name with zero affection in it. Still, it was a name that represented her without any pretense.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

If I called this number, Senior Wa Sol would pick up. And if we made plans after that, I could see her without relying on chance at all.

And yet…

"…"

My hand wouldn't move any further. When it showed no sign of leaving that frozen state, I set the phone down.

"Huu…"

It was too much after all. Contacting someone when I didn't even have a real reason to.

I wasn't the kind of guy who could approach people that freely—and I didn't think she'd like that kind of thing either.

…Not that dressing it up as an excuse changed the fact that I was running away.

"How long until Eve's stream starts…"

In the end I gave up on contacting her and decided to think about Eve instead. When you have something on your mind, Eve really is the best.

Or so I thought.

~~~♪

"…No way."

A familiar ringtone. I hadn't even checked the caller, and already I was hoping.

It was probably Su-yeon hyung, but… I wanted to hold on to a little expectation anyway.

"…"

I picked up the phone and checked the name.

Senior Wa Sol.

The fact that the person I'd actually been hoping for had contacted me sent a quiet thrill through my chest.

"What do I do—answer right away? Or wait a bit first… You idiot."

What was this "wait a bit" nonsense. I'd sworn I was done making people wait for me.

I answered Senior Wa Sol's call immediately.

My first phone call from Senior Wa Sol. I tried to sound as ordinary as possible so she wouldn't notice my voice was slightly shaking—though I wasn't sure I was succeeding.

"It really does feel like talking on a landline."

"It does. I could reach your room in less than a minute."

"Oh my—are you flirting?"

She seemed to like that kind of line more than I expected. Did she actually want to be flirted with?

"No. More than that… is there some reason you called?"

Was that a little cold? She might have just called for no reason, and I'd made it sound like you weren't allowed to phone someone without a purpose.

…This was bad. We'd only exchanged a few lines, and I was already loading every single word with too much meaning.

"Yeah. There's, um… something I just wanted to ask."

Fortunately, it really was a call with a purpose. But something she wanted to ask…

"Gachi, what do you think about people who have secrets?"

"Secrets… is it something serious?"

"No—not serious so much as… hard to talk about, I guess?"

"Hmm… is it something even Su-yeon hyung doesn't know?"

"Why is that guy coming into this?"

"Huh? Wasn't this about you, Senior?"

I'd naturally assumed it was about her. Well—of course I had.

"Was I that obvious?"

"…Yes."

"Haaauu."

Honestly, I'd thought she was half saying it outright. What now? You can't gather spilled water back up.

"Th-thinking about it again, maybe it isn't about you, Senior… I'm sorry. That was wrong of me."

"Yeah, I don't think that's it either… Haaauu."

I'd tried to scoop the water back up. It still wasn't working.

"Th-then, shall we get back to the point?"

"Y-yeah. Let's."

A secret, huh. So Senior Wa Sol had a secret. That would be the thing Su-yeon hyung had started to tell me about and then stopped. In that case…

"Since it's a secret, I won't ask what it is. Then—the person you're hiding it from. What kind of person are they?"

"That… it's kind of connected to my secret…"

Now she was just calling it her own secret outright. Honestly, that was easier for me too.

"How do I put it. If I told them… I'm scared they'd start looking at me differently from usual. That part is a little… frightening."

"Have you known this person for a long time?"

"…No."

Not someone she'd known long—and yet someone she trusted enough to seek advice about. There was only one person who came to mind. No—there was a person I wanted to believe it was…

"How does that person feel about you, Senior?"

"…I don't know either. I don't think they dislike me."

"I see."

I answered without affirming or denying. Of course it wasn't my place to decide—this was, after all, about the person she was keeping something from.

"Gachi."

"Yes?"

"What would you think, if it were you?"

"I think I'd understand that they could feel that way. Whatever the secret is."

"You say that like it's obvious."

"Because to me, it is."

"I see. So to Gachi, it's obvious."

Everyone has their own circumstances. Trying to force a secret into the open—and getting hurt that someone is keeping one from you without knowing those circumstances—both of those, I thought, were breaches of courtesy.

"Do you want to tell that person the secret, Senior?"

"Fifty-fifty. Part of me wants them to know, and part of me thinks it's better if they don't. That's why I'm asking you."

Asking Why are you asking me? here would be a foul, wouldn't it.

…Then was what I was about to say a foul too?

"Senior."

"Hm?"

"Eve's stream is about to start."

"Ah, right. Sorry… I'll hang up then."

"No. I mean—"

It was using her as an excuse, but still… I'd listened to her worries. A foul of this size should be allowed, right?

"Tomorrow… want to meet up separately and talk about it?"

"What?"

"After all our classes are over. At a cafe, even… together…"

The moment the words left my mouth, my confidence drained and the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠end of the sentence trailed off. My hands started shaking from the tension; I clenched them into fists to hold it down. Then I waited for her answer.

"Okay."

I didn't even need to wait. She answered right away.

"I have a dinner thing at six tomorrow. Could we meet around seven?"

"…Yes. Of course."

"Hehe. Then see you tomorrow. I'll send you the place by text."

"…Yes. See you tomorrow."

"Mm. Enjoy the stream."

And just like that, my first phone call with Senior Wa Sol ended—with a promise to meet tomorrow.

The moment Eve's stream started, the Adamis came in looking thoroughly riled up. Well—of course they did.

Not every Adami watched Kiri's streams. Only people like me, who'd lucked into catching yesterday's broadcast and gotten that surprise, were left with a good memory of it. Depending on the person, it could just as easily leave you disappointed.

Of course Eve had her own side of the story. She'd finished work, used her personal time to play a game she wanted to play—and then Kiri had caught her and dragged her onto the stream out of nowhere.

A surprise in reverse from yesterday. The negative mood that had been hanging over the chat at the start of the stream had already flipped positive. Chat messages asking what they were going to do were already fighting for space at the front of the feed.

Eve was bouncing harder than usual, trading banter with Kiri—and watching her, I felt my own heart settle into something calm.

Well—Eve always had been the type to do things at her own pace.

So Kiri had moved her stream time tomorrow. Something must have come up in real life. VTubers were people too, after all.

…I wondered if Eve had appointments like that as well.

The thought left me with a strangely complicated feeling.