Zen took a deep breath and tried to calm himself as quickly as possible before answering Chairey's question.
"Yeah, this isn't Rei. He... he's gone to his room. He's... he's tired, he said. He hasn't slept for two days straight; I mean for two days."
Zen slapped his own face hard, how could he be so dumb, stumbling over his words over a phone call like this.
There was a laughter from the other end, not mocking or condescending. Just a pleasant, soothing laughter.
"Sorry, I laughed. It's just funny, you really don't like talking to strangers, to the point of misspeaking? Well, I'll call back later then." The friendly voice sounded so sweet, so sweet that Zen hesitated to end the call.
"No, it's just... I'm not used to talking to girls. I always get nervous when... when talking, especially to girls. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable. Rei told me earlier, you're the one who found the phone. I appreciate it, I mean, thank you."
Zen exhaled, slowly leaning back into the large sofa that was there. He let his head tilt back and closed his eyes, letting whatever was happening sink in.
"No big deal, the phone rang in the middle of the library and I couldn't find the librarian, so I had to take it outside. Then Rei called, asking me to just bring the phone. By the way, we haven't properly introduced ourselves, I'm Chairey."
Zen remained silent and didn't immediately respond. He had answered this call to check whether Chairey was an enemy group or not, so he shouldn't be feeling this content now. Yet, an odd feeling he had never experienced before was creeping in, something he couldn't control.
"I'm Zen, everyone calls me that. My full name is Arzen Junior. Nice to meet you, Chairey. Maybe... besides Rei, you can also be... friends with me," Zen tentatively invited. If there were anyone else besides Zen right now, they'd easily see how red his face had turned. Zen covered his face with one hand, he didn't know why or for what reason, but his heart felt that he should also get to know Chairey.
"Hey Zen, that's a nice name. Does it have a meaning? Is Junior your family name?"
Zen smiled upon hearing his name praised, it was the first time he had received praise related to his name. Slowly, without Zen realizing it, he had agreed with Rei's earlier suggestion.
"I don't know the true meaning, but I remember my mom used to say that my name meant the brightest star. It could also be translated as star god, maybe my mom was being fanciful," Zen explained with a bitter smile. He didn't recall much of his childhood, or rather, parts of Zen's memory felt like they were erased. Snippets of his childhood were only a few, the rest of his memories continued when his parents had an accident and passed away.
Now it was Chairey's turn to not answer immediately, a silence hung between them for a few moments.
"Chairey?" Zen called out to make sure.
"Sorry, I was really amazed earlier. Zen is such a great name, the full name is also nice, and the meaning. I'm really envious, I'm always envious of those who have names with amazing meanings! Because I don't know what my name means, my adoptive mom just said that my name is Chairey and can't be changed."
'Adoptive mom?'
"I'm sorry for asking this, you don't have to answer if you're uncomfortable. Have your parents...," Zen's question was cut short as Chairey immediately affirmed it from the other side.
"Yes, my parents are gone. After that, I was placed in an orphanage. When the orphanage caught fire, the head of the orphanage placed me and the other kids with various relatives and acquaintances he had. It happened to be a stroke of luck, I got really good foster parents. Even though... I was abandoned again, but it's okay. I've made new friends now, so I won't be lonely. Thank you for being my new friend, Zen!"
Zen was captivated by every word Chairey uttered, all his suspicions vanished. He no longer wanted to investigate Chairey. If it turned out that Chairey was an enemy, then Zen would accept it, because at this moment, he genuinely wanted to be friends with the girl he was talking to.
"I'm glad too, Rei as well. We're happy to be friends with you, and there will be many others in here who would be delighted to be friends with you."
"Really? Seriously? Aren't you two just living together? You all live together in a group? That must be so much fun! Oh! Is Zen still in school? What are you up to right now?"
"No, I graduated a few years ago. Rei and I went to the same school, that's why we seem close. And also, we share the same job. I'm... not doing anything special right now, just finished a task and decided to relax a bit."
Zen smiled again, his face no longer tense, and there was no sign of sweat. The nineteen-year-old man looked genuinely comfortable talking to Chairey.
As they talked, they discovered more and more similarities. Chairey and Zen both loved the rain; Zen enjoyed the scent after rain, while Chairey liked playing in the rain.
Chairey and Zen both enjoyed reading novels, mysteries, adventures, fantasies, and weren't particularly interested in romance stories. They mentioned numerous titles to each other, exchanging thoughts about them.
Chairey and Zen were both not skilled at socializing. Chairey was the first female friend Zen had spoken with at length. Otherwise, they were just acquaintances or coworkers. Zen was also the first male friend who shared so many likes with Chairey. Meanwhile, Rei was Chairey's first friend. Beyond that, there were only neighbors they exchanged greetings with and classmates they discussed assignments with.
"I like shooting, I often practice at the range, and I also enjoy sports that make me sweat and provide challenges, like rock climbing."
"Shooting? You like hunting? Hunting in the woods? Aren't you scared?"
"No, I don't like hunting. I don't want to hurt peaceful animals in the woods. And besides, Chairey, hunting involves targeting animals. I enjoy shooting at targets that are human, not animals," Zen explained with a serious expression, not wanting Chairey to see him as a cruel person who enjoyed hunting innocent animals.
Elsewhere, or more precisely, on the upper floor, Rei only slapped his forehead upon hearing Zen's words. Rei had lied about feeling sleepy and wanting to sleep. In reality, he just wanted Zen and Chairey to get to know each other. Rei knew that if he had stayed, Zen wouldn't have wanted to talk to Chairey, let alone get to know her. There was one thing Rei was hiding from Zen, maybe not just one thing, perhaps there were many things he was keeping from his best friend. Including Rei's desire for Zen to get to know Chairey.
"How could he explain shooting and hunting to a girl he just met? I don't know what else to say to this kid, but at least Zen has come this far. Zen has tried so hard, I'm truly touched," Rei whispered to himself. Since earlier, Rei had been hiding behind the floor divider, eavesdropping on the conversation between Zen and Chairey.
"What are you doing over there?" someone asked, appearing as if they had just woken up. The loose white T-shirt revealed their shoulders, and the Hello Kitty-patterned shorts that reached their knees added to the disheveled look. Their eyes lazily and suspiciously looked at Rei, with dark lines under their eyes indicating days of sleep deprivation.
"Oh, nothing. Haha, just casually listening to Zen getting to know a girl. So, I'm sitting here," Rei half-laughed. Rei scratched the back of his neck gently. The disheveled woman standing before Rei nodded, let out a small yawn, and crouched down without feeling embarrassed.
"Zen and a girl? Getting to know each other? What are you planning?" the woman inquired with a thin smile. Rei swallowed hard, knowing well that he always struggled to lie and evade from the woman who hadn't even reached seventeen, wasn't going to school, and was the leader of their syndicate. The woman who survived the mass murder of her family, a teenage girl whose name was known in the underworld. The woman who gathered one by one the members of The Wall, the woman named Elle.