On his way to the Raibon household, Ko spotted a riverbank and stopped for a moment. The flowing water and a cormorant diving again and again for fish, mixed with the golden glow of dusk and the warm evening air, made him wonder whether he had done the right thing.
After standing there in silence for some time, Ko started pedaling his bicycle again—but this time, straight toward the Raibon household.
When Ko arrived, the estate looked more like a palace than a home. Three three-story buildings stood behind an eight-foot wall that surrounded the entire property.
Seeing this, Ko thought to himself,
"Am I gonna be alright?"
He walked up to the front gate, gathered his courage, and pressed the bell.
In the distance, the main door opened. A middle-aged man stepped outside and started walking toward him. He looked like the CEO of a major company, his brown coat swaying in the wind and giving him an imposing aura.
The man stopped at the gate, looked down at Ko as if he were inspecting a worm, and asked,
"Are you Ko?"
"Y-Yes, uh... do you k-know me?" Ko asked in a hesitant voice.
"Follow me."
The man turned toward the house and waved his hand, signaling Ko to come along while completely ignoring the question.
They stepped inside a house that felt like a modern electronics showroom. Everything looked as though it had come straight out of the future—from a shoe rack that automatically cleaned and sanitized footwear upon entry to a massive digital display tracking all of Raibon Logistics' active transit vehicles in real time.
As a sci-fi connoisseur, Ko's curiosity quickly got the better of him. Looking up at the intimidating man with wide eyes, he asked,
"You guys have Doraemon's 4D Pocket or something?"
The man's face immediately twisted in annoyance.
"Haan?"
The sharp response carried enough pressure to make Ko feel as though the man wanted to squeeze the life out of him with his bare hands.
"Just go straight and turn left. Third room."
The man walked away without offering any further explanation.
Confused, Ko followed the directions.
Along the way, he passed even more bizarre and fascinating gadgets that looked like they belonged in a science-fiction movie.
However, the moment he turned left, the atmosphere shifted.
The air grew heavy and slightly suffocating—not enough to signal immediate danger, but just enough to put his instincts on alert.
Ko reached for the door to the third room and paused for a moment before knocking.
A faint voice answered.
"Come in."
Ko stepped inside and saw his girlfriend lying on the bed. Her eyes were half-open, and her frail, exhausted appearance immediately tightened the knot of worry in his chest.
Without a word, he walked over and placed his right palm against her forehead.
"How are you feeling, Kenny?" he asked gently.
His voice was heavy with concern.
Kenika forced a small smile.
"I'm okay."
Seeing this, Ko sat down on the floor beside her bed. He took her right hand in both of his and gently massaged it.
Looking up at her feverish face, he offered a quiet smile filled with worry and care.
"What?" Kenika asked, her smile sluggish but fond.
Ko simply shook his head.
Then he reached up and gently caressed her cheek.
"Why are you suddenly getting so physical, stupid Ko?" Kenika asked, letting out a weak laugh at his affectionate, cat-like behavior.
Ko folded his arms on the edge of the mattress and rested his chin on them.
"I don't know," he murmured.
After a brief pause, he looked into her dark eyes.
"Maybe seeing my senior girlfriend lying on her bed completely unguarded right in front of me triggered something."
Kenika slowly closed her eyes in anticipation and rolled slightly closer to him.
Then something sweet touched her lips.
Her eyes immediately snapped open.
Ko was holding her favorite orange candy against them.
Flustered, she let out an annoyed,
"Hmmp!"
and turned her back toward him.
Ko grabbed her arm, paused for a beat, then leaned forward and took a playful bite of her already red cheek.
Kenika's world came to a complete stop.
"Hyaah!"
Goosebumps erupted across her skin.
"What are you doing, stupid Ko? You're gonna catch my cold!" she complained in a whining voice, spinning around and grabbing his collar.
"Then..."
Ko leaned closer to her ear.
"...you can bite my cheeks too after I fall sick."
For a brief moment, silence filled the room.
Then the sound of heavy footsteps outside shattered it.
Ko immediately pulled away.
At the same time, Kenika hurriedly adjusted her blanket and lay perfectly straight on the bed.
Neither of them spoke.
They simply stared at each other in tense silence until the footsteps finally faded into the distance.
After a few seconds, they finally broke eye contact.
Ko looked around Kenika's room. It was carefully decorated with purple aesthetics. Even though the rest of the house was filled with futuristic gadgets, her room felt like that of a normal high school girl.
To his surprise, however, there were no video games, manga, or anything related to otaku culture.
He simply assumed she was too embarrassed to display her hobbies and didn't think much of it.
The glow of the street lamps gradually streamed through the window, making both of them realize how late it had become.
Ko leaned forward and gently kissed her forehead before saying goodbye.
As he reached for the door, he suddenly remembered the intimidating man with the infinite aura.
"Who was that intimidating middle-aged guy who greeted me outside?" Ko asked curiously.
"Ah, are you talking about my uncle?" Kenika giggled. "Don't take him too seriously. He's not a bad person."
"So that's your uncle, huh."
Ko nodded.
"Ah, now that I think about it, where's your aunt? I was so excited to meet her. Is she not home?"
Imaginary stars practically sparkled in his eyes.
"She's out on official work," Kenika replied in a low voice. "Do you want to stay a little longer and meet her? She could be home any minute now."
"I think I'll meet her some other day. It's getting late."
Ko let out a sigh.
"My mom is going to tear off my ear if I get home after seven."
A mixture of disappointment and genuine dread toward his mother colored his voice.
"And take care, Senpai. Don't overdo things."
He waved goodbye.
Watching him leave, Kenika smiled softly.
'You are such a child. That's why I love you.'
Suddenly, a sharp, stinging headache shot through her head.
She quickly hid the pain and managed to wave back with a forced smile.
The moment Ko stepped out of the room, a sudden, unexplainable electrical current surged through his body.
A second later, it was gone.
He felt perfectly fine.
Ko glanced around for Kenika's uncle, but the man was nowhere to be seen.
The faint glow of the night sky welcomed him as he stepped out of the Raibon mansion.
Beneath the dim light near the mansion gates stood a tall, slender silhouette.
It was a woman wearing a brown sleeveless top and a grey skirt. Her short, choppy bob hair shimmered beneath the new moon.
Ko couldn't believe his eyes.
Driven by curiosity, he slowly approached her.
But as the distance between them shrank, the words failed him.
Not knowing what to say, he instinctively tried to step aside and avoid her.
Suddenly, a stern and commanding voice stopped him in his tracks.
"Are you Ko?"
Hearing this, Ko blinked a few times.
'Is this that infamous déjà vu everyone's always talking about?' he thought.
Slowly, he turned toward the woman and looked at her face for the very first time.
Time seemed to freeze.
Without a doubt, it was the most beautiful face Ko had ever seen.
It felt as though the moon itself had shifted positions and time had accelerated, all to accentuate her beauty.
For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Ko finally broke the silence.
"Ah, yes. I'm Ko. Kenny's boyfriend."
He scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Umm... are you her aunt?"
"My name is Saya," the woman replied. "And yes, I am Kenika's aunt."
A sudden wave of familiarity washed over Ko.
"Ah! Thank you for the lunch you prepared the other day. It was delicious!"
Then another thought struck him.
"Oh, and one more thing. How did you know I don't like tomatoes in my curry?"
Ko paused.
"Wait... how could you know that?"
He quickly shook his head.
"It's just a coincidence, right?"
The words poured out before he could stop them.
"Yes... kind of," Saya muttered.
Completely mesmerized by her appearance, Ko remained oblivious to the strange weight hidden behind her response.
"It's getting late."
Saya's voice cut through his thoughts.
"You should head home before your mom starts yelling at you."
Her tone was commanding, sounding less like a suggestion and more like an order.
"Are you even listening?"
Ko stood frozen in place.
"Uh... uh, what?"
He finally snapped out of the trance caused by Saya's overwhelming beauty.
"I said it's getting late. You should head home."
Saya repeated herself patiently.
"Ah! Right."
Ko straightened up.
"Then I'll take my leave. Thank you for having me!"
With that, he hurried toward his bicycle, loudly shouting his goodbyes over his shoulder.
Ko began pedaling back home.
Along the way, he passed the riverbank once more.
This time, however, the cormorant was gone.
No longer diving again and again for its prey.
Only the natural, undisturbed flow of the river remained beneath the darkness of the night.
Ko got off his bicycle and began walking alongside it, one hand resting on the handlebars.
Looking up at the stars, he replayed everything that had happened that day.
Guilt.
Excitement.
Love.
And a strange, unexplainable feeling he couldn't put into words.
All of those emotions swirled together within him.
By the time Ko finally arrived home, both his mind and his heart were caught in a turbulent storm of emotions.
To be continued...