For Ayumi, silence wasn't empty — it was full of feeling.
She watched the rain tapping against her bedroom window, the droplets trailing down the glass like delicate veins. The rhythm was familiar, steady — a comfort in her quiet world.
But today, something felt different.
He's coming here.
Kaito had texted her earlier:
"Still good for today?"
Ayumi had stared at the message for longer than she'd admit before typing back:
"Yes."
---
Kaito stood at Ayumi's front door, fiddling with his shirt collar.
Why am I nervous? It's just Ayumi.
But somehow, it didn't feel like just Ayumi anymore.
The door opened, and Ayumi stood there, smiling softly.
She looks different when she's home, Kaito thought. More relaxed. Her hair was pinned loosely at her shoulders, and she wore a simple oversized sweater — one sleeve pushed up as if she'd been drawing or writing before he arrived.
"Come in," she signed.
Kaito stepped inside, and immediately, the house felt... quiet. Not just quiet in the usual sense — the air itself seemed softer, more intentional.
---
As Ayumi led him through her home, Kaito noticed things he'd never seen before.
There were small lights installed above the doorframes, blinking gently in different colors — signals for things like the doorbell or the oven timer.
The floor had subtle vibrating panels beneath certain areas, likely designed to signal someone approaching.
Even her alarm clock was different — a sleek device on her nightstand that lit up brightly and shook the table when activated.
Her world isn't quieter, Kaito realized. It's just... different.
---
In the living room, Ayumi tapped a speaker on the table, and soft music began to play.
Kaito tilted his head. "I thought..." He paused. "Can you... feel that?"
Ayumi smiled and placed his hand on the wooden table.
The vibrations hummed steadily beneath his fingers, like a heartbeat in the wood.
Music you can feel.
Ayumi watched his expression carefully. "This is how I listen," she signed. Through touch.
"It's... amazing," Kaito said honestly.
Ayumi's smile widened — proud, but shy.
---
They sat together in her room afterward. Her desk was covered in sketchbooks — filled with photos, notes, and doodles that captured the world from her perspective.
Kaito flipped through one, stopping at a photo of a bustling city street.
The image was ordinary — a line of people waiting at a crosswalk — but Ayumi had drawn tiny arrows in different colors:
One pointing to a man's subtle hand gesture, signaling his friend.
Another circling a pair of teenagers giggling silently in conversation.
A final arrow following a mother and daughter, hands intertwined — the younger girl smiling up at her with complete trust.
"You see everything," Kaito murmured.
Ayumi tapped her temple with a smile. You'd be surprised how much you notice when you stop listening and start watching.
Kaito flipped to another page — a photograph of himself, mid-laugh, from their recent festival visit.
His face burned. "When did you take this?"
Ayumi grinned, tapping her phone. I'm sneaky.
"I didn't realize I looked that dumb when I laugh."
I like the way you laugh, she signed before she could stop herself.
They both froze — Ayumi's face coloring as she realized what she'd just said.
Kaito rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Well... I like your smile."
Her blush deepened.
---
Later, as Kaito prepared to leave, Ayumi stood by the door, fingers fidgeting.
Thank you for coming today, she signed.
"I should be thanking you," Kaito said. "I never knew how... incredible your world is."
Incredible? she echoed, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah." He hesitated. "I mean, people always talk like deafness means you're missing something... but you're not. You're just... hearing the world in a different way."
Ayumi stared at him, her fingers still now.
For so long, she'd carried the weight of being "different." Her silence often made her feel like a burden — like her world was somehow less.
But now, Kaito stood here, looking at her like she was enough.
Maybe even more than enough.
Maybe... she was special.
Ayumi smiled — one of those rare, unguarded smiles that didn't need words at all.
---
Outside, the rain had started again, light and steady.
Kaito paused on the doorstep, feeling the faint vibration of droplets tapping the wooden overhang.
"Hey," he called back.
Ayumi turned, curious.
"You... you're pretty amazing, you know that?" he said with a crooked smile.
Ayumi couldn't hear his words — but she understood them just fine.
---
To Be Continue