We made our way to my dorm, and this time, there was no playful banter about pillow fights. Instead, a heavy silence hung between us, laden with the weight of unspoken thoughts and unaddressed emotions.
As we entered my dorm room, I couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. Regret for burdening Ichika with my problems.
For a while, we just sat there, not saying much, but it didn't feel awkward. Then, on a whim, I asked, "So… what's your favorite food?"
Ichika raised an eyebrow. "Out of nowhere, huh? Fries, probably. Easy to make, hard to resist."
I grinned. "Classic. Solid choice. I feel that."
She tilted her head. "Okay, your turn. Favorite food?"
"Uh… Yakisoba… Right?"
"Of course," she said, rolling her eyes playfully. "No shame in yakisoba."
We kept bouncing little things back and forth, from favorite drinks and snacks to random guilty pleasures. She liked vanilla iced coffee, dark chocolate, and sneaky late-night cookies. I told her about my weird obsession with spicy food and cereal for dinner.
After a few laughs, I couldn't hold back. "Hey… why didn't we ever do this sooner?"
She shrugged, a small smile tugging at her lips. "I guess we never really had the time to just… hang and talk. We were always busy or in a rush. But now we are, so here we are."
I smiled, feeling lighter than I had in a while. "Yeah… feels nice."
She nudged me with her shoulder. "See? Sometimes catching up is easier than you think."
Ichika stretched lazily on the bed. "Okay, your turn. Tell me something random about you."
I thought for a second. "Hmm… I sometimes do pss pss to cats."
She blinked, then burst out laughing. "That's… adorable!"
She giggled and nudged me with her shoulder. "Okay, my turn. I… I still sleep with this comfy stuffed bear from when I was little." She blushed a little.
I raised my eyebrows. "No way. Really?"
I couldn't help but imagine Ichika sleeping with a teddy bear…
She nodded, hugging it close for emphasis. "Don't judge me!"
"No! I.. T-That's…uh, a-adorable t-too!"
We fell into a rhythm, sharing little habits and quirks, favorite snacks, silly fears, the shows we liked when we were kids. Every time one of us laughed, the room felt warmer, like the world outside didn't exist.
Ichika stretched and flopped onto her back, staring at the ceiling. "Okay, last random question… what's the silliest thing that makes you laugh?"
I grinned. "Honestly?" 'You.' "People tripping over nothing. Not too mean, just… clumsy stuff. You?"
She scrunched her nose, thinking. "Hmm… my little brother making weird faces when he's mad. It's impossible not to laugh."
"You have a little brother?"
"Yeah, I do! He's like 7, but he's super cute," Ichika said, smiling softly.
"Does he get into a lot of trouble?"
"Oh, all the time," she laughed. "Like yesterday, he tried to ride his scooter down the stairs… I freaked out, of course."
I chuckled. "Wow… that does sound dangerous. Did he at least survive?"
"Barely," she said, giggling. "I caught him just in time. But he thought it was the funniest thing ever."
I shook my head, laughing. "Kids are fearless… or crazy. Probably both."
"Both," she agreed. "He always has this big, goofy smile, even when he's doing something really stupid."
"Do you have brothers or sisters, Kenji?"
"No, I'm an only child," I said, shrugging.
"Oh really? Must've been… quiet at home, huh?" she asked, tilting her head.
"Pretty quiet, yeah," I admitted. "Sometimes too quiet. I didn't have anyone to get into trouble with, or annoy on purpose."
Ichika laughed softly. "I guess that's the upside of having a little brother… someone to annoy constantly."
"Yeah," I said, smiling. "And someone to steal snacks from."
She giggled. "Mine does that all the time! He'll sneak cookies when I'm not looking."
"I can totally picture that," I said, laughing. "Little kids are sneaky like that. Always plotting."
"So… you like having a brother, even with all the chaos?" I asked.
"Yeah," she said softly, nudging me with her shoulder. "Even when he's annoying, I wouldn't trade him for anything."
I nodded. "I get that. Maybe that's why family's kinda… special."
Her smile was gentle. "We should do this more often."
"Y-yeah, we will…" I said, a little shy, but happy.