It had been a week since the crash. A week of quiet footsteps, stolen glances, and whispered conversations in the dark.
Za had claimed the shed like it was a royal chamber, even though it smelled vaguely like old paint and forgotten tools. She didn't seem to care. At night, she always found her way into Kira's room,no matter how many times he told her it was a bad idea.
He'd wake up, groggy, tangled in bedsheets, only to find her curled up beside him like a cat,except glowing slightly, and absolutely not a cat.
Sometimes her hand rested over his chest, her eyes fluttering open the second he stirred.
"Warm," she'd say softly, in that broken Earth tongue she was slowly mastering. "Safe."
Kira didn't have the heart to push her away. But every morning before sunrise, with sleep still clinging to his eyes, he'd carry her back to the shed like a reverse Cinderella, praying his mom or sister wouldn't walk in and catch him with a glowing space girl.
He was running on caffeine and nerves, but so far, his luck had held.
Barely.
That night, the air in the house felt heavier than usual. Kira adjusted the collar of his shirt for the third time, glaring at the mirror like it had personally offended him.
"Why am I nervous? I'm not even the one dating him..." he muttered, slicking his hair again.
Downstairs, the dining table had been transformed into a five-star restaurant setup,his mom had pulled out the real plates. Even the napkins were folded like origami swans.
Aira was setting the table, humming like it wasn't a huge deal, but her eyes kept flicking to the clock.
"He's late," she mumbled.
"Maybe he realized meeting Mom is scarier than fighting a space war," Kira said, walking past her.
Aira threw a fork at him. He dodged.
Then the doorbell rang.
They all paused. The room collectively held its breath.
Kira peeked out the window.
"Welp," he said. "He brought flowers... and cologne. I can smell him from here."
The door opened, and Leo stepped in, flashing a movie-star smile. He wore a too-expensive jacket and cologne that could knock out a small mammal.
"Evening, Mrs. Isayama," he said, handing over the flowers.
Hana Isayama took them with a polite nod, but her eyes scanned him like a human lie detector. "Hmm."
Dinner began with strained small talk. Leo tried too hard. Aira blushed too much. Kira tried not to laugh.
And then...
"So, Leo." Mrs. Isayama placed her chopsticks down with surgical precision. "What are your intentions with my daughter?"
Leo blinked. "Uhm... well... uh—"
"Do you drink?"
"Only when I'm th— I mean... juice! Mostly juice!"
"Do you have a job?"
"I freelance... stocks?"
"Do you like kids?"
"What kind of question is th— I mean, yes! Big fan."
"What does your father do?"
"He's... uh... data analyst. Important guy at... Omega something."
Silence.
Kira coughed. Aira's eyes widened. Mrs. Isayama's expression didn't change, but the air dropped ten degrees.
Leo kept smiling, but sweat formed at his temple. "I-I mean, I don't really know what he does. Numbers and stuff. I'm more into... art. Fashion. Music. Money. Uh—"
"Do you plan to go to college?"
"Sure! One day! Probably."
Another silence.
Kira slowly scooped rice into his mouth like it was popcorn.
"Blood type?"
"O-Positive?"
"Excel experience?"
Leo blinked. "Uh...?"
"Never mind," Hana said with a sigh.
Aira covered her face.
Za, in the shed, peeked through the crack in the wooden door, her glowing eyes narrowed. She didn't understand much, but Kira was laughing again, and someone else was making him smile.
She didn't like that.
Not one bit. So she came out to see what was happening…
Leo was still sweating under the interrogation lights (a.k.a. Hana's stare) when the doorbell rang again.
Kira blinked. "Who now?"
He opened the door and there she was.
"Yo," said Roxy, standing in her usual hoodie and combat boots, holding a tupperware box like she owned the universe. "Your mom said I could come, right? I brought kimchi pancakes."
Before anyone could answer, she waltzed in and kicked off her shoes.
Kira blinked. "You just... invited yourself?"
"Nope. Your mom did when I fixed her tablet last week," she said, plopping down in the empty seat like it had her name on it.
Leo stared, confused. "Who's she?"
"Roxy," she said, not even looking at him. "Best friend. Neighbor. Tech support. Backup muscle."
"Also the girl who beat me at Mario Kart eight days in a row," Kira added under his breath.
Hana smiled faintly. "Roxy's practically family."
Aira looked relieved. Leo looked... threatened.
Roxy side-eyed him like a mechanic inspecting a faulty engine. "So you're the boyfriend?"
Leo straightened. "Yeah. And you are?"
She smirked. "The firewall."
Leo's face twitched. Kira choked on rice.
Roxy leaned toward Aira and stage-whispered, "You sure this one isn't running a virus?"
Aira elbowed her, blushing. "He's... trying."
"Trying too hard," Roxy muttered, then turned to Kira with a raised brow. "You okay? You look like you're two seconds from exploding."
Kira pointed at his face. "Do you not see the stress acne? This is not dinner. This is a boss battle."
Just then, a soft thud echoed from the backyard.
Everyone froze.
Kira's eyes widened.
Za...
"I'll go check that out!" he blurted, standing up too fast. "Definitely not a glowing alien. I mean— cat. Definitely a cat. Backyard cat problem. I'll be right back!"
He bolted.
Roxy watched him go, eyes narrowing slightly.
Leo blinked again. "Do you guys have... cats?"
"Yup," Roxy said without missing a beat. "One's hairless, one glows in the dark, and one might be his girlfriend. Who's to say?"
Leo stared.
Aira facepalmed.
Hana sipped her tea calmly, like this was just another Thursday.
Suddenly,A scream… The scream ripped through the night,it came from inside the woods and the shed's doors are wide open
To Be Continued…