The silence in Shinichi's apartment was deafening—if you didn't count the pounding of his own heartbeat that beat really fast, it could even beat the world fastest superhero alive in the comic.
There they were.
Hinoka Aoyama. Vibrant as ever, leaning casually on the frame of her door, as if this were just another ordinary afternoon at the neighborhood park where they used to hang out.
Koizumi Shirosaki. Still as soft-spoken and composed as he remembered, her voice barely louder than the breeze between their balconies.
Shinichi blinked at them both, then at the two doors—left and right.
"I must've died," he muttered. "And this is reincarnation… as the filling in a childhood friend sandwich."
"You've always been dramatic," Hinoka laughed, stepping out of her unit. She wore an oversized T-shirt and loose shorts, her hair tied up in a messy bun. "But it's really you. You haven't changed one bit!"
Koizumi followed more hesitantly, her hands clasped together in front of her as if unsure whether to step closer. Her long, dark hair flowed freely over a cream-colored cardigan. She offered a small wave.
"It's… really been a while."
Shinichi rubbed the back of his neck, trying to process it all. "What are you two doing here? I mean—how did this even happen?"
Hinoka shrugged. "I got accepted into Seiran University, so I moved here last month. Lucky timing, huh?"
Koizumi nodded. "I'm attending the music program at Seiran University. My uncle owns this building… I moved in last week."
"So," Hinoka grinned, "guess fate put us all under one roof again, huh?"
Shinichi opened his mouth to say something witty—but his stomach interrupted him first, growling like a wounded beast. The awkward silence returned.
"Shoot... I haven't eaten anything yet this morning 'cause of the chaos I've done. What a great timing, my stomach, you had to make a noise in front both of them."
"…Have you eaten anything today?" Koizumi asked gently.
"I tried to cook rice," Shinichi confessed, defeated. "I was the victim 'cause it attacked me for no reason at all."
Hinoka laughed. "That's it. Emergency meal support is on the way."
Without waiting for permission, she walked into his apartment like she owned the place. Koizumi followed, slower, her fingers trailing the doorframe as she entered.
"Wait! Just wait a second, please! I got no time to process all of this, you two are still acting the same to came in like there's nothing wrong with it."
"Just relax with it, buddy. We're all friends here from the start, don't act like we are strangers who try to rob you." Hinoka chuckles.
In seconds, the three of them were standing in the tiny kitchenette. Hinoka opened the fridge and gasped. "Is this all you have? One egg and sadness?"
Shinichi pointed defensively. "There's a tomato and onion!"
"Half a tomato and a little red onion," Koizumi corrected quietly, kneeling to inspect the tiny shelves.
Within minutes, the girls were moving in perfect sync. Hinoka took charge like a general in a food war, rummaging through her own supplies from next door and returning with a small basket of vegetables and frozen dumplings. Koizumi, ever precise, handled the prep work—cutting onions with the skill of a surgeon.
Shinichi stood back and watched, bewildered.
It was surreal. The apartment, once cold and lonely, now echoed with soft laughter, sizzling pans, and the familiar rhythm of voices he hadn't heard in years.
"Here," Hinoka said, handing him a bowl. "Dumpling stir-fry with rice actually cooked properly."
He took a bite. His eyes widened.
"Is this… what real food tastes like?"
"My god... Please tell me I was in heaven!" Shinichi starts eating with full force while his eyes pouring lots of tears of happiness.
Koizumi smiled. "You really haven't changed at all."
The three of them sat cross-legged around the small table. For a few minutes, no one said anything. They just ate. Like old times. Like nothing had ever changed.
But of course, everything had.
---
Later that evening, after the dishes were washed and Hinoka had returned to her room, Koizumi lingered behind.
She stood near the door, hesitating.
Shinichi tilted his head. "Something wrong, Koizumi?"
She looked up at him, eyes soft. "I never thought we'd all meet again like this."
He nodded slowly. "Me neither. It's kind of insane."
Koizumi's fingers tightened around the hem of her sleeve. "Back then, we made that promise."
Shinichi blinked.
"The one about…" she trailed off.
He remembered.
Clear as day.
He never wanted to talk about it again at this age because it felt too sensitive knowing Hinoka and Koizumi are best friends, their relationship right now felt like sisters that it gave Shinichi a hard time choosing who.
But, both of them can wait especially after knowing that their next-door neighbor is Shinichi itself. That means both of them can try to prove who's the best to take his heart.
Shinichi was about to talk, but...
Hinoka had shouted it at the top of her lungs during a summer festival when they were twelve.
"We'll see who deserves to marry Shinichi the most!"
Koizumi had nodded, cheeks red, saying nothing—but her eyes had spoken plenty.
They had laughed. Teased each other.
But she hadn't forgotten.
"…Yeah," Shinichi said, scratching his cheek. "I remember."
Koizumi looked down. "Do you think it's silly now? Knowing that the three of us are now in college and live at the same apartment."
He was quiet for a moment.
"…Honestly? I don't know. But back then, it made sense. And now…"
He looked around the apartment.
The leftovers on the table.
The faint scent of dumplings.
The small warmth returning to his empty life.
"…It still kind of does."
Koizumi smiled again—just a little—and stepped outside. "Goodnight, Shinichi."
"Night, Koizumi."
She closed the door behind her.
A few seconds later, a knock came from the opposite side.
"Hey!" Hinoka's voice rang out. "If you ever need help again, just knock. But next time, you do the dishes!"
"Got it," Shinichi called back, grinning.
He sat down on his futon, heart beating in strange, familiar rhythms.
He had come here looking for peace.
What he'd found instead… was something much more complicated.
And somehow, he didn't mind.
Not one bit.