Next Door Again
The sound of metal striking metal echoed through the workshop long after sunset.
“Done!”
Imai Ayui wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand and stretched her sore shoulders. It had been another busy day repairing motorcycles, and by the time she locked the workshop, the streets of Osaka were already glowing under rows of orange streetlights.
She climbed onto her motorcycle and rode home, completely exhausted.
“I just want a shower and my bed…”
Ten minutes later, she parked in front of her apartment building.
“…Huh?”
Several cardboard boxes were stacked carelessly outside the apartment next to hers, blocking part of the hallway.
Ayui frowned immediately.
“Seriously? Who leaves their boxes in the middle of the walkway?”
Her eyebrows twitched in annoyance.
Without another thought, she marched over and knocked loudly on the neighboring door.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The door slowly opened.
Standing there was a tall young man wearing a loose white shirt and jeans. His dark hair was slightly messy, and there was a gentle smile on his face.
For a second…
Ayui froze.
The young man smiled even wider.
“Bestie.”
Ayui’s eyes grew round.
“…N-Nakama?!”
Her voice echoed down the hallway.
Haruto quickly stepped forward, covering her mouth with one hand.
“Shhh!” he whispered, trying not to laugh. “You’ll wake everyone up.”
His shoulders shook as he struggled to hold back his laughter.
Ayui pulled his hand away and glared at him.
“Take your hand off my mouth! It smells like salt!”
Haruto blinked.
“Salt?”
“You’ve been baking all day, haven’t you?” she teased. “Your hands smell like butter and sea salt.”
Haruto looked down at his hands before laughing.
“Guilty.”
For a moment, they simply stared at each other.
It had been years since Haruto left for university.
Although they still exchanged messages now and then, work and life had kept them apart. They rarely found time to meet in person.
Yet standing here now…
It felt as if nothing had changed.
Ayui crossed her arms.
“So…”
“You moved in next door?”
Haruto scratched the back of his head.
“Surprise.”
Ayui looked at the mountain of boxes behind him and sighed.
“I was about to yell at my new neighbor.”
“I know.” Haruto chuckled. “That’s why I opened the door quickly.”
She punched his shoulder lightly.
“Idiot.”
He laughed again, the same gentle laugh she remembered from their childhood.
For the first time in years, the hallway echoed with the laughter of two childhood friends who had finally become neighbors once more.
Neither of them realized that this ordinary reunion would become the beginning of a story they would remember for the rest of their lives.
