Kaizer's POV
The room was quiet except for the faint scratching sound of my pen moving across the notebook.
Night had settled deeply outside by now.
Final exams were approaching fast.
And somehow, without properly realizing when time passed,
within less than two months, I would already be in the final year of high school.
The thought itself felt strange.
Outside, seniors were already busy preparing for entrance exams, colleges, futures…
Seniors.
That one word alone reminded me of her.
My eyes unconsciously shifted toward the black rubber band still resting around my wrist.
I still hadn't taken it off.
Then my gaze slowly moved toward Mumma's photo near the study table.
For a moment, I just looked at it quietly before leaning back in the chair.
"Mumma…" I muttered softly.
A tired smile appeared on my face.
"I know I should've listened to you…"
I lowered my gaze briefly.
"But I just can't help it."
Silence lingered around me for a second.
Then another thought crossed my mind.
"Do you remember this song?"
Without realizing it, my fingers lightly tapped the desk rhythmically.
And quietly,
I sang.
> "My helpless heart has brought me again to her… what can I do?
Living apart didn't suit me… what can I do…"
A small laugh escaped me afterward.
Then I simply shook my head and returned to studying again.
---
The next morning,
the sound of a message notification pulled me out of sleep.
I frowned slightly before grabbing my phone from beside the pillow.
A message from Iris.
Today was a holiday.
Which also meant,
today was the day she would shift here.
My eyes widened slightly.
Then I looked at the time.
10:03 AM.
"…I overslept."
I immediately sat up.
A reply was quickly sent before I rushed to get ready.
After all,
I was the one who offered to help her shift.
And now I was the one sleeping peacefully while everyone else probably already started working.
When I finally stepped outside after getting ready, I froze slightly.
Iris, Anya, and Lux were already standing near the gate.
Lux looked personally offended the moment he saw me.
"Look who finally woke up."
I ignored him and looked directly at him again.
"Why are you here?"
Lux gasped dramatically.
"Angry bird told me that Sister Iris and you are gonna live together."
Silence.
Both me and Iris looked at him at the exact same time.
Before either of us could react, Anya slapped Lux's arm.
"Why are you making it sound like they just got married?"
Lux rubbed his arm dramatically.
"But they genuinely look like..."
"We need to work."
Both me and Iris spoke simultaneously.
The four of us paused briefly afterward.
Then Lux started laughing loudly.
I looked away immediately.
Beside me, Iris quietly adjusted her hair near her face.
And somehow,
the silence became even more awkward.
Thankfully, work solved that quickly.
There honestly wasn't much stuff to move.
Just books, clothes, kitchen items, and a few boxes.
While Lux and I carried the heavier boxes toward my house, Anya stayed back helping Iris arrange and pack smaller things properly.
After placing another box inside the hall, I turned to go back again,
when I noticed Iris standing in the courtyard.
And beside her,
that same little girl.
My steps slowed slightly.
Iris had kneeled down near her.
"What are you doing here, little cutie?" she asked softly.
The girl said nothing.
"That box belongs to big sister," Iris continued patiently. "Can she take it?"
The girl quietly shook her head.
I frowned slightly.
Something about her presence felt strange.
Not dangerous.
Just…
out of place.
Before I could think more, Iris noticed me approaching.
"What happened?" I asked.
But before she could answer,
the little girl suddenly smiled sweetly.
And softly said,
> "A single glance carries such a light…
that the courtyard of the heart lights up completely."
She jumped off the box.
Both me and Iris looked at her in confusion.
Then she looked toward Iris again.
> "Bound by love, a young girl's steps falter and stumble…"
The courtyard became silent again.
Me and Iris unconsciously looked at each other afterward.
Then suddenly,
Iris lifted the box.
And immediately lost balance slightly from its weight.
I quickly caught both her and the box before she could fall.
Her fingers tightened around my arm instinctively for balance.
"…Careful."
Meanwhile slowly walking away, The little girl continued humming softly,
> "The playful, teasing touch of love
plucks the strings of two familiar hearts…"
For a second, neither of us moved.
Then I quietly took the box fully from her hands.
"Let me carry it."
"It's heavy," she protested automatically.
"I noticed."
She looked away slightly afterward before helping me carry it from one side anyway.
And together,
we walked back inside.
---
Lux's POV
I dropped another box inside Kaizer's hall dramatically before shaking my hands in pain.
"What a tragic misuse of such pretty hands."
Nobody appreciated my suffering.
As expected.
I walked toward the window lazily and looked outside.
Across from us, Anya was packing books inside Iris's house.
Perfect timing.
"ANGRY BIRD!" I shouted.
She immediately appeared near the balcony.
"What?"
I looked at her for two seconds.
Then said,
"Nothing."
Her dead stare almost killed me through distance.
She turned around to leave,
when suddenly music started playing somewhere nearby.
Probably from a wedding function.
A romantic couple song echoed softly through the area.
Anya paused slightly.
And suddenly,
an amazing idea entered my genius mind.
I stretched my hand dramatically toward her.
"Hey angry bird," I announced proudly, "would you like to dance with this handsome man?"
She stared at me silently.
Then narrowed her eyes.
"Though you have certain misconceptions about being handsome…"
I gasped.
"…I can still think about dancing with you, soap brand."
And through the distance,
she placed her invisible hand in mine.
I immediately placed my other imaginary hand near her waist while she pretended to rest hers on my shoulder.
And just like that,
we started dancing.
Across two houses.
Without logic.
Without shame.
Surprisingly,
our movements somehow synced perfectly with the beat.
We spun dramatically.
Almost fell twice.
And continued anyway.
Only when the music finally stopped did both of us pause, breathing heavily.
Then suddenly,
we laughed.
Actually laughed.
Anya pushed her hair back before pointing toward the boxes again.
"I still need to pack Iris's books."
"And I still need respect in this friendship."
"That one is impossible."
She disappeared inside again before I could answer.
I grinned to myself and turned around,
only to find Kaizer standing nearby staring into space again.
As usual.
The moment I reached him, he looked toward me suspiciously.
"Why are you smiling like that?"
I blinked.
Was I smiling?
"I smile all the time," I replied proudly.
He nodded once.
"That's true. You are a joker."
"…Why are you like this?"
But he had already started walking away again.
---
Kaizer's POV
It took almost two full hours to move everything.
Thankfully, I had already cleaned the extra room yesterday.
So now all that remained was arranging the things properly.
Anya was helping Iris organize the room while Lux wandered around the house dramatically because apparently standing still was impossible for him.
At one point he almost picked up my guitar.
I stopped him immediately.
"No."
Lux looked offended.
"You don't trust me?"
"No."
I took the guitar from him myself and searched for a safer place to keep it.
Just then Anya walked out of the room and immediately pushed Lux away from the sofa before sitting there herself.
Lux stared at her dramatically.
"You treat me like society treats artists."
"You're not an artist."
"I danced emotionally today."
"That looked like electrical malfunction."
While they argued, Anya suddenly looked toward me.
"I've only heard you sing during the performance," she said. "Where did you learn guitar?"
Before I could answer,
I noticed Iris stepping out of the room too.
She quietly stood beside Anya, waiting for my response.
I adjusted the guitar slightly before replying.
"Mumma's best friend used to play guitar."
My fingers lightly brushed across the strings absentmindedly.
"When I was small, she used to teach me random things about chords and melodies."
A faint smile appeared unconsciously.
"Later I forced Mumma to enroll me in guitar classes."
Anya nodded slowly.
"Ohooo."
Then suddenly,
"Sing something."
I blinked.
"Now?"
Lux immediately joined.
"Yes. I also want to listen."
And then both of them looked toward Iris too.
She stayed quiet for a second before softly saying,
"You can sing… if you want to."
I looked at her.
And like always,
she looked fully ready to listen.
Carefully.
Completely.
Eyes calm.
Waiting.
Something inside my chest softened slightly.
Without thinking much anymore, I sat down on the floor properly and adjusted the guitar in my lap.
Anya and Lux settled nearby while Iris say beside Anya, resting her head lightly against her knees like always.
Completely ready to listen.
I looked down at the guitar strings for a moment.
Then finally looked towards her.
And suddenly,
A melody entered my mind naturally.
My fingers moved on their own.
Soft chords filled the room.
Then the lyrics followed.
> "What the heart cannot even say…
can the eyes express it like this instead…?"
My gaze unconsciously lifted toward Iris.
She was already looking at me.
Still.
Silent.
Like her eyes really were speaking.
> "How does just one thought of you
bring a smile to my lips every single time…?"
A smile appeared on my own lips too.
Because Iris immediately hid half her face behind her knees afterward.
Probably hiding her smile too.
My fingers slowed slightly across the strings.
> "If I speak the truth inside my heart…
if I speak the truth inside my heart…"
This time I looked down.
> "Will you understand it
even if I never say it aloud…?"
Silence settled softly around the room.
Then quietly,
I looked toward her again.
> "What I have started feeling now…
have you felt it too…?"
This time,
the moment our eyes met,
Iris immediately looked down.
And somehow…
that alone made my chest feel strangely lighter.
The song ended softly after that.
For a second nobody spoke.
Then Lux and Anya immediately started clapping dramatically.
Iris followed a second later.
And while the other two argued loudly about how good the song was,
I quietly looked toward Iris again.
Her cheeks looked faintly pink now.
Before I could think more, Anya stood up suddenly.
"Come on Iris, we still need to arrange things."
Iris nodded quickly and followed her back inside.
The moment they disappeared,
Lux suddenly appeared beside me like a criminal.
Then whispered near my ear,
"So… who exactly was that song dedicated to?"
I almost dropped the guitar.
Lux grinned immediately.
Then whispered again,
"Maybe I should stop saying Sister Iris and start saying sister-in-law..."
He didn't even finish the sentence before my foot kicked his leg hard.
"OW—"
"Shut up."