Day 3 – April 03, 2024
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It's just another typical day for an average guy like me, working in the animation office. Three days in—nothing special, nothing gruesome, nothing stressful. But… nothing but fun either.
Sure, I haven't been selected for a project yet. I'm still just the rookie, tagging along, assisting my colleagues with their work. I'm exhausted, no doubt. My eyes are burning from staring at the screen all day. My hands feel like they're about to fall off, and my back… don't even get me started. But it's okay. I tell myself it's fine because I know—this is just the beginning. I need to earn my reputation, prove myself. Maybe someday I'll be lucky enough to get a project of my own.
But I can't help it. A part of me is starting to daydream, to hope for something bigger. The reality of this company stings a little though. No rookie has ever been selected for a project within their first three days. The norm? You have to work for at least three years before they even consider you for a real contract.
But it's fine. I'm staying positive.
Why?
Because of her.
Fujimoto Airi.
The one and only person who has made my heart feel things I thought it had forgotten. I'm still not entirely sure what this feeling is, but I know for a fact—this is because of her. Only her.
I glance up from my station, and there she is. Just like before.
The world around me seems to freeze. My vision blurs, and the sounds of clicking keyboards and phone rings fade into the background. The room becomes slower, quieter, like the whole office is spinning but she's the center.
Her presence is a delicate, irresistible force. I can smell it before I even see her—the light fragrance of something floral, something ethereal. She walks by me, as graceful as ever. Her smile… It's a smile that can light up an entire room, maybe even an entire city.
I glance at her, and she turns to meet my gaze. For a moment, everything stops. She's looking at me, and I'm looking back. Neither of us breaks the eye contact. It's like we're in a silent contest to see who will look away first, and I don't want to lose.
My heart races, and my body is frozen in place. I can't look away, even though my hands are sweating and my face is burning. If she's Medusa, then I've willingly turned to stone, unable to move. I don't care. I don't want to care.
I wish this moment would never end.
But of course, it does.
A sharp pain suddenly strikes the back of my head.
BAM.
My world jolts back into reality. I wince, rubbing the spot where I've been smacked. My colleague, Tanaka Hiroshi, is standing behind me with a grin plastered across his face. Hiroshi is the kind of guy who thinks nothing of ruining a perfect moment. He's playful—sometimes to the point of being annoyingly loud—but I know he's just teasing me.
"Hey, don't look so much, rookie. You'll melt her." He chuckles, shaking his head like he's already seen it all.
The teasing isn't angry or malicious, but it stings nonetheless. Not the physical pain—no, the emotional sting of my daydreams being shattered, of reality crashing in at the worst possible time. I quickly glance back at Fujimoto Airi, but she's already gone. She's walking further down the hallway, leaving me alone with the ghost of her smile.
My face feels hot. I can't seem to hide the embarrassment, the longing that was just exposed.
"I know you've got eyes for her," Hiroshi continues, his voice lighthearted, "but you're not the only one, you know? Back in line, rookie."
I know. I know he's right. Airi is a heartbreaker, and every guy in this office is head over heels for her. I'm not special in that way. In fact, I'm one of many who've been entranced by her beauty, her charm, her warmth. It's like she's set a trap, and without thinking, I've walked right into it. My body, my heart—everything just followed her.
But…
But here's the thing.
Among all the men in the office, I'm the only one she's noticed.
And maybe that's something to be proud of. Maybe it's nothing at all. But at least, for now, it's mine to hold on to.
As Hiroshi continues to tease me, I try my best to ignore it, my mind distracted, my heart still aching from the brief glimpse of her. Hours pass in a blur of work, a blur of exhaustion. There's no time for breaks. No time for anything but the work piling up around me. But somehow, I push through. The clock ticks toward midnight, and finally—finally—we finish.
We've wrapped up the last task of the day, ahead of schedule. Hiroshi looks pleased, slapping me on the back in appreciation. "Hey, good job today, rookie. You made it through the madness. Let's grab a drink later to celebrate."
I smile, a bit too tired to make a real decision. "Maybe another time," I reply, shaking my head. "I'm still trying to keep my dignity intact." I joke, but there's truth in it. I can't shake the feeling of being out of place.
As I gather my things to leave, I see her again.
Fujimoto Airi.
She's still here, too.
I blink, thinking it's just some strange coincidence, but no—she's standing near the exit, looking a little more tired than usual. I wonder if she's been working overtime just like me.
"Still here, huh?" I ask, trying to sound casual, though my voice betrays me. It's shaky.
"Yeah," she replies, her voice soft, but teasing. "A lot of demanding work today. But hey, I got overtime. Can't complain." She laughs lightly.
I smile, relieved that she's being her usual friendly self. "That's impressive," I say, unable to hide the small blush creeping up my neck.
"Well," she says, her eyes glinting mischievously. "On your third day, too? You must be special."
Her words catch me off guard, and my face turns an even darker shade of red. She's teasing me, but there's something in the way she says it that makes it feel more… real.
I feel my heart racing, but I manage to force myself to stay calm. "I guess I'm just trying to impress the right people," I joke, but deep down, I'm only trying to impress her.
She pauses for a moment, glancing down the hall before asking, "You're heading home, right?"
My breath hitches in my throat.
"U-um, yeah," I stutter, "I'm heading that way too."
She tilts her head, looking at me thoughtfully. "How about we walk to the station together? It's not far from here, right?"
I'm frozen, caught off guard by the invitation. But after a moment of hesitation, I nod, a shaky smile spreading across my face. "Sure. I'd like that."
The walk to the station is filled with awkward silence. We're both nervous, neither of us really knowing what to say. It feels like middle school all over again, walking next to your crush, unsure of how to start a conversation.
As we reach the station, she stops and turns toward me. For a moment, it feels like time itself has slowed again. She looks at me, her cheeks flushed slightly, and asks quietly, "Um… can I ask you something?"
"Yeah?" I say, my voice barely more than a whisper.
"Are you free this weekend?" she asks, her words tumbling out quickly, as if she's not entirely sure of herself. "Maybe… maybe we could go visit the park together? I could show you around town… if that's okay with you?"
My heart stops. My body freezes. I stare at her, caught in shock.
I don't know how long I stand there, but eventually, my brain catches up. I nod, my voice stumbling over my words, "Y-yeah. I'd like that. I mean, yeah. Sure."
She smiles brightly, the kind of smile that makes my heart swell.
And just like that, it's settled.
Our first date. Well… for me, at least.
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That night—the one night that now lingers like a half-remembered dream—I walked Fujimoto Airi to her apartment under the silent witness of the moon. The world had slowed, calmed, softened its harsh edges for just the two of us. The moonlight, silvery and pure, poured over her like a divine spotlight. It kissed the edges of her hair and danced in her eyes, making them shimmer like the stars themselves bowed in admiration.
She walked beside me, quiet, composed, and radiant—no sign of fatigue marked her delicate face, not a trace of the stress that should've been there after such a long day's work. While my back screamed and my legs ached from exhaustion, she looked untouched by it all, like a goddess visiting the mortal realm. No. She was a goddess. The Moon Goddess herself—Kaguya-hime. And me? Just a humble man who somehow, by divine mishap or cosmic humor, had been granted this one fleeting moment at her side.
If this was a dream, I prayed with every fiber of my being to anything that would listen. The stars, the moon, the wind, the clouds—even gods I never believed in. Please. Don't let me wake up. Let me stay in this illusion, in this delusion. Let me stay with her forever.
When we finally reached her apartment, she turned to me and smiled, as if the night itself bent and bloomed around that small gesture. My heart clenched. It was a smile that didn't just shine—it warmed. It filled the cracks in my soul I never realized were there. She gave a small wave, her fingers wiggling, and I watched her climb the steps like a final scene in a romantic film.
I turned to go, but I couldn't help it. I looked back.
There she was.
Smiling.
Still.
Our eyes met once more. And just for a heartbeat longer, we stared. Something sacred passed between us then, something that couldn't be captured with words. It was as if the universe nodded in quiet approval. A match made in the stars, destined to cross paths after lifetimes of searching.
If only…
If only…
I didn't finish the thought.
I couldn't.
The night air was colder than it should've been. As I dragged my body toward my apartment, the exhaustion fully hit me. My feet were lead weights, my legs moving purely on memory. But none of it mattered. I didn't care about the soreness in my arms, the stinging in my eyes, the pounding in my head. It was all worth it.
Because I walked her home.
I got to be by her side.
And… we were going to have our first date.
My heart raced at the thought. A chance. A real chance to know her better. To show her who I really was. Maybe—just maybe—make her fall for me, too. Or maybe she was just being kind. Maybe it didn't mean anything more than friendship. Maybe she was just thoughtful like that to everyone.
My thoughts spiraled, twisted, and tangled. I didn't know what to think. Every possibility ran wild in my head. Hope and doubt danced like fire and water, endlessly clashing.
Then it happened.
A gust of wind.
Not just any breeze, but something else—colder, sharper. It rushed past me like a whisper laced with ice. My skin crawled. My breath hitched. The hair on my arms rose.
This wasn't normal.
It wasn't just the night wind.
Something was off. I couldn't place it. Couldn't explain it. A feeling—no, a presence—hung in the air like a faint scent of smoke after fire. It chilled me, but not in a way that made me shiver. It was deeper. Like something ancient and forgotten had brushed past my soul.
I stopped in the middle of the street, heart thudding for a reason I couldn't name. I looked around. Nothing. No one. Just the distant sound of a car engine and the buzzing of a street lamp overhead. But that feeling wouldn't leave me.
Something had changed.
But what?
I didn't know.
I didn't want to know.
I forced myself to move, to put one foot in front of the other until I finally reached my apartment. My room welcomed me like a silent sanctuary. I fell onto the bed without changing, too tired to move. My eyes traced the stars twinkling through my window.
Today had been… unreal.
I had made it to my dream company. I was living the life I always wanted, even if I hadn't earned a project yet. And now, out of nowhere, a new dream had slipped into my reality. A girl. The girl.
Fujimoto Airi.
She was the kind of person who could turn a gray Monday into a symphony of spring. She carried warmth in her laughter and serenity in her steps. Every time she looked at me, it felt like she peeled away the world's noise and made everything still. She was a kind of magic I didn't believe existed—until I met her.
She was everything.
The moment she asked if we could walk together… I felt something shift. When she invited me out this weekend… I felt it again.
This couldn't just be kindness. Could it?
I stared at the stars.
My mind overflowed with all the possible meanings of her words, her smile, her gaze. I wanted to believe. I needed to believe.
It must be love.
Right?
I loved her.
And somehow, I knew… this was only the beginning.