*ೃ༄ your pov

Staring blankly at the book, I rested my chin on the palm of my hand, my eyes and brain working together to come to the conclusion that I did not understand a single thing.

Earlier, we were given math homework, much to my dismay. I had no choice but to complete it within the day if I wanted to have some time for myself later.

Suddenly, a knock came from my door, disrupting the train of thoughts going through my head as my youngest brother peeked through the gap.

"Y/n, can you help me with my math homework?" he asked, showing his math book.

I told him to come in, offering to assist him in doing his homework that was due tonight. Apparently, he tried to ask for my help before, but I came home so late the other day that he didn't get the chance to ask.

"I don't get fractions." he said, sitting down on my bed as he placed the book flat on the mattress.

Standing up from my chair, I approached him, taking a quick glimpse at the book.

"What's your favorite flavor of cake, Haru?" I questioned, trying to think of a way to explain the topic to him in a way that he'd understand.

"I like strawberry." he answered, tilting his head to the side as he wondered why I would be asking such a thing.

"Now, imagine there's a strawberry cake in front of us."

"Where?"

"Imagine, Haru."

"Oh."

I then proceeded to use an old trick in the book in explaining how fractions work. You know, the slices of pie or cake being used to explain the topic.

"All that strawberry cake talk made me hungry." he groaned, laying on my bed.

"Dinner will be ready shortly. Go tell Gouta and Ren to help dad out." I ordered.

"Okay. Thanks." he replied, springing up as he ran to fulfill the duties I have inlaid upon him.

"Now, back to reality..." I sighed, going back to my desk to deal with the math problem at hand.

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"Exchange numbers?" I repeated, blinking a couple of times at the young man who had made the request.

"Yeah, I was wondering if we could do that." he murmured, twirling the strands of his hair with his finger.

"But we live next to each other. We even attend the same club. We're in the same class as well." I retorted, not understanding why he would want to do that.

"Well, there are times when it'd be nice to call you after I sleep and before I wake up." he stammered, his nervousness beginning to show itself.

"After you sleep and before you wake up?" I echoed, using my hand to cover my mouth as I tried to stiffle my laughter.

"I-I mean before I sleep and after I wake up!" he quickly corrected, his cheeks turning into a rosy hue as he looked away.

"Sorry, I was just teasing you. Of course we can exchange numbers." I airily laughed.

I reached my hand into my pocket, pulling out my phone while he did the same. As we handed our phones to each other, our fingers brushed against each other, making the man even more flustered.

I took his phone, typing in my number and saving my contact information. I even added my name so that he'll know it's mine.

"It's a bit weird that we've been friends for years yet, we don't have each other's phone numbers." I remarked, handing his phone back to him.

"Yeah, that's why I thought it was about time we did it." he sheepishly rubbed his nape, giving my phone back to me.

After we parted ways, I stared at the screen of my phone, a small smile appearing on my face as I changed his name to "Chigiri <3".

Aside from my family members and emergency dial numbers, I don't have anyone's contact information saved on my phone since I didn't have a lot of friends, not even acquaintances.

To others, I was seen as an "aloof" or "distant" person— someone who was always in her own little world.

I guess you could say I have trouble trying to fit in with others.

It felt like I didn't belong anywhere, or that I didn't have a place in this world for me.

Sometimes, I would think something was wrong with me as no one wanted to approach me in daycare, elementary, and middle school.

I got used to it, so it didn't bother me as much as it did before.

However, I couldn't help but feel a little lonely when I saw how fun my classmates were having together.

The first "friend" I've ever made was a little boy who went by the name of "Chigiri Hyōma". Our older siblings were good friends, so we were forced to hang out multiple times.

We didn't have anything in common. He was into soccer while I wasn't the sporty type. What's worse was that we weren't great at holding conversations.

I wanted to desperately get along with him, so I explored the things he enjoyed. In the end, I couldn't understand a thing he liked, especially soccer because I couldn't keep up with the game mechanics. That's why I decided to just support him.

I'm sure he didn't want to scare me away or try to force me out of my comfort zone, so he kept his distance with me. Maybe that's why he's never attempted to be actual friends with me. Maybe that's why he'd always just stare at me from afar, just like I've always done for him.

Lately however, he doesn't seem to be content with what we had and was planning to change how we were; whether it be through in real life interactions or getting to know each other more, his intention of wanting to be closer to me was clear.

Though, I have to admit that I'm still a little scared of the idea of trying out new things...and I'm afraid of change. But, I want to try.

The back of my body crashed into the soft mattress of my bed, my eyes immediately closing itself as it succumbed to the warmth.

I let out a huge sigh, not knowing if I was frustrated with my situation or tolerating it for the sake of holding on to our relationship.

I wish to be closer to you but, would I be asking for too much?

That thought had always pushed me back from approaching you. It had stopped me numerous times whenever I wanted to know you.

Do you feel the same way?

Or are my feelings here one-sided?

Regardless, I chose to support you and even if you don't want to run after your dreams and ambitions anymore, I will continue to be by your side.

"No "I'm home"?" Ren barged into my room, pointing out how I didn't greet them when I entered the house.

At least knock.

"Right, I'm home." I replied, giving into what he wanted to hear. He hummed in satisfaction, leaving and going back to his room without even shutting my door.

Not wanting to start an argument or an unnecessary quarrel, I remained mature enough to gently scold my younger brother and close the door myself. That way, I won't have to deal with any additional stress tomorrow.

My eyes shifted from the foot of the bed to the clock hanging above my door. It stated that it had already reached the evening, the bathroom calling me to wash.

I entered the bathroom and did my business, taking a warm shower to battle the cold breeze that the upcoming winter will bring forth.

After I was done, I stepped out of my bedroom and locked my door, changing into my pajamas for the night.

Using the remaining time before my curfew hits, I finished the math homework I had planned to finish a few days ago before Haru disturbed me.

Chigiri managed to help me out a little, though it wasn't much since math wasn't really his best subject.

I tapped my pen on the paper in a repetitive manner, causing small dots to form as I tried to figure out what number was a factor in the equation.

"How about two?" I pondered to myself, testing out the number on a piece of sheet that held nothing but equations and formulas.

"Oh, it is a factor." I mumbled, writing out the rest of the solution before boxing the final answer of the last item I had to solve, concluding this hard-fought battle.

The sound of buzzing came from my left, my phone vibrating in reaction to someone calling my number.

I looked back up at the clock in my room. It was already 10:00 pm.

My hand reached out to grab my phone, my eyes reading the screen as it showed Chigiri's name as the person calling me.

I quickly answered it, bringing the phone closer to my ear to listen to what he had to say.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" he asked.

"No, I just finished doing my homework anyway. Shouldn't you be asleep right now?" I inquired, closing my notebook and walking to my bed.

"I just finished doing my skincare. Also, we had homework?" he replied with his own question, making me sigh.

"Yeah. I'll let you copy it tomorrow morning before your practice." I reassured, fixing my bed to fit my liking.

He thanked me, calling me a life saver for always having homework ready for him to copy in the morning.

This was my first phone call with someone who wasn't my family member, so I didn't have a lot to say. He didn't know what to say either as he remained silent.

"Uh, did you call me for a specific reason?" I inquired, wondering if he wanted something from me.

"Hm, not really. Just wanted to hear your voice." he mumbled, the sleepyness in his voice becoming evident.

My face heated up a little in response to his request.

I didn't know if I was just tired or not, but the way his voice sounded while saying those words...I couldn't help but feel my stomach doing backflips.

"You could've waited until tomorrow." I argued, trying to rationalize my foolish thinking.

"You have a point."

I could hear the sounds of blankets shifting, letting me know that he was also laying down on the bed.

"Then, if I fall asleep, will tomorrow come quicker?" he asked. I could almost tell he was smiling despite not being able to see each other.

Even when he was tired and sleepy, his voice remained silky. His voice was so smooth that it made me want to fall asleep to it.

"Y/n?" he called out, waking me up again.

"Sorry. I almost fell asleep." I lightly chuckled, shifting to my side as I nudged myself on my pillow.

"Ah, sorry. Am I boring you?" he worried.

"No, it's just your voice. It's nice to listen to." I admitted, letting my sleepyness conquer my mind as I was incapable of keeping my thoughts to myself.

"Your voice is nice to listen too as well..." he yawned, the sounds of his blanket shifting once more as if to get into a more comfortable sleeping position.

"Can we sleep together...like this?" he requested.

The whole world seemed to slow down and settle down whenever I'm around you. It's a feeling where everything feels still and quiet as my troubles slip away from my thoughts.

My consciousness slowly began to leave my body, my eyes fighting to keep itself open.

Finally, I gave up this futile war, allowing myself to rest after a long day to be followed with another long day.

The last thing I remember was humming a sign of approval before drifting off to sleep.

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