A blinding flash.
That was the first thing I saw.
And then.
That song.
That same upbeat pop song hummed through the car speakers like it never left. I turned my head slowly, heart pounding louder than the beat. I saw her. My mother, in the front seat, singing softly, her voice a delicate hum, matching every note. Her hand gently tapped her lap in rhythm, the gold bracelet around her wrist catching the sunlight. My father was laughing, deep and carefree, speaking animatedly with my uncle and aunt seated behind us. Even their driver, the same old man in his pressed uniform, grinned through the rearview mirror.
I was there. Again.
In that very moment. That very car. That very night, the night everything changed.
No. This... this couldn't be real.
I tried to speak. My lips parted, my voice clawing its way from my throat...
"Mom... Dad... Stop the car... Please, just... please..."
But no sound came.
I tried again, harder. Screaming inside my head, slamming my fists forward. But my arms didn't move. My voice, nonexistent.
It was like I was a ghost. A shadow in the backseat. Powerless.
"Stop the car, stop the car, STOP THE CAR!"
They couldn't hear me. Not a single glance. Not even when I reached forward to shake their shoulders, to scream in their ears.
My hands passed right through them.
And then.
Light. Blinding, white light. The tires shrieked.
SQUEEEEK!
A jolt. Screams. Chaos.
"WATCH OUT!"
The road tilted. The world spun. The sky and the trees and headlights and bodies.
And then.
Boom.
I screamed and opened my eyes.
No. No. I was still in the car.
Same seat. Same blood trickling down my forehead. Same pain cracking my ribs like glass.
The windshield, a web of fractures. Rain pouring in. The driver slumped forward, blood trickling from his temple. Mom..
"Mom..."
My voice finally came out.
But she didn't respond.
Her body... limp.
Twisted in a way no body should be twisted.
"Dad... Uncle... Aunt..."
No one moved.
Dead.
Terror wrapped around my throat. I reached for my mother, shook her, begged. "Wake up... Please wake up. MOM!!"
The world tilted again.
CREEEEEEAK.
I looked down. The car—perched on the edge of a cliff. Hanging by twisted metal, ready to fall.
"No no no no no..."
SNAP.
The car dropped.
I closed my eyes.
I felt weightlessness. Then darkness. Cold. And then.
WOOSH!
Rain.
A sharp pain jolted me awake.
I was sprawled in the middle of the road. Asphalt cold beneath my back. Rain pouring over me. I was bleeding. Bruised. But alive.
Somehow... alive.
And just before I passed out, I heard it.
The distant wail of sirens.
-----
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
The alarm shattered the stillness of the room, drilling through the air like a siren.
I jolted upright with a gasp.
Or I tried to.
My body wouldn't move.
Everything felt heavy, weighed down like I had been dragged through a battlefield and left to rot. My limbs refused to cooperate. My muscles ached, my skin throbbed with the ghost of yesterday's chaos.
A groan slipped from my lips.
"Nnghh... wha..."
Something warm.
Something soft.
And terrifyingly close.
My eyes cracked open.
And there she was.
Aria.
Peacefully asleep. Breathing softly. Her arms wound tightly around my torso, her delicate face resting against my chest like she had found her favorite pillow in the world.
My mind screamed. But that wasn't the worst part.
She was naked.
Completely.
Not even a thread of clothing on her porcelain skin.
Skin that was pressed right against mine.
My breath hitched.
My heart jumped to my throat.
My entire body tensed like a statue about to crack.
"Wh - WHAT THE HELL?!"
The words barely made it out, barely a whisper of panic. I didn't move. I didn't dare. One wrong twitch, and I'd be committing crimes I never intended.
Her leg rested across mine. Her hair was a golden mess spread across my pillow, across my chest, as if she belonged there.
And then.
She stirred.
"Mmmnn..."
Her eyes fluttered open, lashes brushing my skin.
She looked up at me, still sleepy, still wrapped in dreamland.
"Oh... you're awake," she murmured, her voice like morning dew.
She shifted.
Now she was straddling me.
My lungs gave out.
My soul nearly ascended.
"Ar-Aria...! Y-you're not...! I mean, you're n-naked! I can see everything!"
I flailed, helpless, like a fish gasping on land. My hands shot up to cover my eyes, but traitorous fingers parted just enough for me to peek. Shameful. Pitiful. I was a weak man.
Aria blinked, as if it hadn't even registered.
Then she smiled.
That same innocent, playful, terrifying smile.
And then.
She kissed me.
Warm.
Soft.
Her lips found mine with surprising gentleness. Not rushed. Not teasing. But yearning.
Deep. Slow. Filled with longing.
It wasn't the kiss of a girl teasing her crush.
It was the kiss of someone who had waited years in silence. The kind of kiss that begged, Please don't leave me again.
I froze.
My mind was a hurricane of panic.
But my heart.
My body.
Responded.
Our lips remained locked.
One second bled into another.
A minute passed.
Her fingers slid through my hair. She tilted her head and deepened the kiss, a tremble slipping into her breath.
Two minutes.
She leaned closer, pressing her bare skin into mine. Her hands held my face as if I might vanish if she let go.
Three minutes.
She finally pulled back, lips trembling, eyes half-lidded.
A silver string of warmth still connected us.
She licked her lips.
"I missed you," she whispered.
And then her hands moved again.
Under my shirt.
Lower.
Slipping beneath the waistband of my shorts.
She paused.
Her fingers brushed something.
Something that reacted.
Her eyes widened.
Her lips parted in curiosity.
"Oh...?"
"WAIT. NOPE."
I panicked.
I grabbed her wrists in a flash.
We struggled.
We rolled.
And suddenly.
I was on top of her.
Her golden hair fanned beneath her. Her cheeks flushed a soft pink as she stared up at me.
And then.
The door slammed open.
"Reiji, are you..."
Yuzuki.
She stood in the doorway, tray in hand.
Her eyes met mine.
She blinked once.
Then twice.
And saw everything.
Me.
On top of Aria.
My hands pinning her wrists.
Her legs around my waist.
My shirt half-off. Her completely exposed beneath me.
The tray clattered to the floor.
"I... I'M SORRY!!"
SLAM.
Door shut.
"I - wait - it's not what it looks like!!"
But it was exactly what it looked like.
-----
Breakfast was… unbearable.
Not because the food was bad. Aria's cooking was surprisingly decent for someone who had nearly set the kitchen on fire last week.
But because of the silence.
And the tension.
Yuzuki sat across from me, stiff-backed, her face almost as red as the untouched glass of tomato juice in front of her. She hadn't said a word since sitting down. Not one. Not even a snide comment. That was how I knew we were in trouble.
Meanwhile, Aria clung to my arm like a koala, humming softly as if last night hadn't just turned the entire house into an emotional pressure cooker.
"Reiji, say ahh."
She raised a spoonful of scrambled eggs to my lips, her eyes sparkling with mischief and something frighteningly close to affection.
I flinched.
"I can eat on my own," I muttered, trying to preserve the last shred of dignity I had left.
"But I want to. Let me pamper you today," she cooed, giving me a dramatic little pout that almost made me choke on air.
Yuzuki let out a cough.
Not a sick one.
A warning.
The kind meant to stab straight through a man's soul.
I turned, catching the way her lips were pressed into a firm line, her hand curled so tightly around her fork I thought it might snap. My stomach twisted.
"I'm not always going to be here," I said, trying to gently pry Aria off me without causing a scene.
Aria blinked up at me. "Why not?"
"Because I have school," I answered quietly, avoiding her gaze.
And just like that, her smile cracked.
Only slightly.
A small flicker of something heavy and unspoken darkened her eyes. It passed quickly, but not before it lodged itself in my chest like a stone.
Yuzuki noticed too. I saw her soften as she set her fork down, her voice tender when she spoke.
"Don't worry, Aria-chan. We'll be back before you know it. I made plenty of food, so just heat it up in the microwave. And if you get bored, there's TV, some books in the study, or… just rest. Make yourself at home, okay?"
Aria nodded slowly, her fingers curling against the edge of the table.
Then she turned to me.
Her eyes glinted.
"But only if Reiji kisses me goodbye."
Time stopped.
"W-what did you just say?"
She leaned toward me, lips puckered like she was in some over-the-top romance movie.
"Pucker up. Just a little goodbye kiss."
I staggered backward, practically knocking over my chair. "I... I am not doing that."
My face was on fire. Yuzuki was glaring holes into the side of my head. And Aria? She just smiled sweetly, completely unfazed by the emotional nuke she had just dropped on the table.
I spun around and stormed off toward the door, ready to escape before I imploded.
Then I remembered.
My bag.
Of course.
I turned back.
Big mistake.
She launched.
Her arms wrapped around me. Her lips found mine.
Soft.
Warm.
Too warm.
Yuzuki made a sound. Somewhere between a gasp and a strangled cry.
And me?
I stood there.
Frozen.
Every cell in my body was melting.
When Aria finally pulled back, her lips were curved in quiet triumph. Her eyes sparkled with mischief and something more dangerous.
A sigh escaped her.
"I'll be waiting... Reiji."
I was still red from the neck up.
And I was pretty sure I had just triggered the apocalypse.
-----
And so, the day began.
Or so I thought.
We had barely made it to the end of the street when a figure appeared in the distance.
A man. Standing tall in a pristine military uniform, complete with sunglasses, polished boots, and a ridiculous sense of grandeur.
"Halt!"
His voice boomed across the sidewalk like a cannon blast.
I blinked. "What the hell now."
He took a dramatic step forward and planted himself directly in our path.
"I am Sergeant Takuma Saito, of the YPLA!"
I stared. "The what now?"
He raised a finger to the sky, his tone thunderous with pride.
"The Yuzuki Protection Love Affairs!"
Beside me, Yuzuki let out a tiny squeak.
The man stood firm, his arms folded with the self-importance of a superhero who had watched too many soap operas.
"No pervert shall go near Lady Yuzuki Kagurazaka!" he declared with burning passion.
I opened my mouth, closed it again, then finally muttered, "Are you... for real?"
His jaw tightened. "As real as your sins."
I blinked again.
What sins? What crimes? What dimension had I just stepped into?
Yuzuki, still clutching her bag, looked like she wanted the sidewalk to swallow her whole. Her cheeks burned a shade of red that probably qualified as a fire hazard.
"We're going to school," I said, voice flat with disbelief.
I reached for her hand and tugged gently.
"Come on. Let's go before he summons a tank."
Yuzuki didn't resist. She hurried beside me, head low, eyes wide with embarrassment.
As we passed, the self-proclaimed sergeant raised one hand in salute, gazing dramatically toward the heavens as if bidding farewell to a goddess on a sacred mission.
"Lady Yuzuki! Stay pure!"
I didn't dare look back.
-----
School.
It took Hayato less than two seconds to find me.
"YOU. LIVE. IN THE SAME ROOF. WITH. HER?!"
His voice thundered across the corridor like a siren like it's the first time he learned about it, and before I could even blink, he had me locked in a chokehold.
"Reiji, you absolute monster!" he howled. "A cousin that beautiful and you you What the hell did you do"
"Shut up" I groaned, elbowing him hard in the ribs.
"UWAHH MY LIVER"
Laughter erupted around us. A wave of classmates chuckled, snorted, some even clapped. The ridiculousness of it all had become expected.
And then
SLAM.
The door opened with grim finality.
"All of you. Butts in seats. Now."
A voice like ice water down the spine.
I froze mid-motion, breath catching in my throat.
I knew that voice.
Too well.
I lifted my gaze, slowly, like a man waiting for a verdict.
Professor Sayuri Minazuki.
Tall. Elegant. A vision carved from winter glass. Sharp. Cold. Breathtakingly composed.
Our eyes met.
And in that instant, the room hushed. Her gaze narrowed slightly, disapproval flickering like a blade's edge.
"I see my lectures bore you, Mr. Arata."
A collective "Oof" swept through the class like a gust of pity. Even Hayato shrank into his seat, rubbing his side.
The bell rang.
A lifeline.
Or so I thought.
"Reiji," she said, her voice like velvet wrapped around steel. "Follow me."
My stomach sank. My pulse jumped. I glanced at Hayato, who gave me a mock salute of condolence.
I followed her out into the quiet hallway, the door clicking shut behind us. Silence fell, broken only by the ticking of a distant wall clock.
"Am I... in trouble" I asked, my voice far smaller than intended.
She stopped.
The light caught her as she turned. Her long hair catching the breeze like strands of midnight silk. The faintest scent of jasmine and honey lingered in the air, disarming and intoxicating all at once.
She looked at me, her expression unreadable.
And then
She smiled.
A slow, enigmatic smile that unsettled my nerves more than any scolding ever could.
"You must be strong, Reiji," she said gently.
Before I could reply, she turned again.
And walked away.
Just like that.
Leaving me alone with a pounding heart, and far too many questions.
-----
HOME.
The front door creaked open beneath my hand.
And then
WHAM.
A blur of warmth collided with my chest, knocking the air from my lungs as I stumbled back a step.
"Reiji!!"
It was Aria.
Before I could speak, she threw her arms around me, her entire body trembling with barely contained emotion. Her weight pressed into me, and we sank to the floor in a tangled heap. Her face buried itself in my chest, as if trying to disappear into the space between my heartbeat and ribs.
"I missed you..." she whispered, so quietly it was almost a breath.
Her voice quivered, not just with joy, but with something deeper. A desperate relief. A quiet ache that said my absence, even for a few hours, had left a hollow space in her world.
She clung to me like a memory that didn't want to fade. Her fingers curled into the fabric of my shirt, refusing to let go, as though afraid I'd vanish if she blinked.
Yuzuki stood frozen. Her cheeks flushed a deep, burning red. She looked away, biting her lower lip, pretending not to watch,though I knew she saw everything. Every second of it.
And yet...
Somehow, I wasn't surprised anymore.
This was my life now.
Unbelievable. Messy. And strangely... warm.