The Misunderstanding of a Romance Story
Lin stood near the bookstore entrance.
Her arms were folded, her expression as blank as ever.
"Arou, Akari," she said quietly.
"I'm heading home."
Akari nodded politely.
"Okay. Take care."
Lin glanced at Akari before looking back at Arou. The look was brief, but somehow it made Arou feel like he was being examined from head to toe.
"Don't stay too long," Lin said casually.
Arou blinked.
"…Okay."
Without waiting for another response, Lin walked out of the store. The glass door closed behind her, leaving the small bell swaying for a moment before falling silent.
Akari stared at the door for a few seconds before turning back to Arou.
"Your friend is pretty weird," she said honestly, without any judgment in her voice.
Arou paused.
She isn't my friend, he thought.
But all he said was,
"…Yeah. She is."
Akari let out a small sigh.
"But she doesn't seem like a bad person. She's just… hard to figure out."
Arou gave a dry laugh.
"That, I agree with."
Akari then looked at him curiously.
"By the way, why did I even come here?"
Arou frowned.
"Weren't you the one who came?"
"Yeah, but I mean…" Akari scratched her cheek.
"I just suddenly felt like waiting for you to finish work. No particular reason."
Arou stared at her for a moment before giving a small nod.
"I see."
He stepped aside.
"Then come in. It's warmer inside."
Akari smiled.
"Thanks."
They went back inside the bookstore. The lights above the shelves glowed steadily, and the soft sound of turning pages filled the room, as if nothing unusual had ever happened outside.
---
Outside the bookstore, Lin walked alone along the quiet sidewalk.
The streetlights cast a faint yellow glow over her light-blue hair.
After walking a few steps, she stopped.
She looked back toward the bookstore one more time.
"The human world isn't as boring as I thought," she murmured.
Her body then shrank, her form fading until she became a small bat. Its thin black wings spread before it flew silently into the night.
As she disappeared into the sky, her thoughts remained focused on one thing.
Arou.
And another name—
Akari.
Their meeting had been brief.
Too brief.
And to Lin,
that meant…
it wasn't over yet.
---
After the bookstore closed, Arou and Akari walked home together.
The streetlights cast a dim glow over the road, while the night air felt cool and peaceful. There wasn't much traffic, and the only sound nearby was the occasional rhythm of their footsteps.
"Are you tired?" Akari asked.
"A little," Arou answered honestly. "Working while going to school isn't as easy as I thought."
Akari smiled faintly.
"But you seem pretty serious about it now."
Arou didn't answer. He simply nodded.
Not long after, they reached the house they now shared.
Inside, everything was quiet.
The living room lights were off, with only a faint glow coming from the kitchen.
Nora, Hikari, Priscilla, Shi, and Lumina were already asleep in their rooms.
The whole house was peaceful.
As Arou put his bag down, Airi came out of the bathroom. Her hair was still slightly wet, a towel draped over her shoulder.
"You two just got back?" she asked.
"Yeah," Arou replied. "You haven't gone to sleep yet?"
"I just finished showering." Airi yawned lightly. "You two should get some rest. You still have school tomorrow."
Arou smiled faintly.
Akari nodded, and the two of them headed to their respective rooms.
---
Morning came far too quickly.
The clock in Arou's room read 4:02 AM.
Arou opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling for a few seconds.
No strange dreams.
No mysterious voices.
Just the quiet of the early morning.
He slowly got out of bed.
"It's a school holiday…"
A small smile appeared on his face.
A few minutes later, the peaceful house was no longer peaceful.
Arou began waking everyone up.
"Akari, wake up."
"Shi, get up."
"Lumina."
"Priscilla."
"Nora."
"Hikari."
"Airi."
No one was spared.
A few minutes later, everyone had gathered in the living room—with expressions that were anything but awake.
Airi folded her arms.
"Why?" she asked flatly.
Shi yawned.
"It's way too early…"
Lumina rubbed her eyes.
"Arou… what time is it?"
Arou stood proudly before them.
"Since it's my day off, I'm taking everyone out for a morning run."
Silence.
A few seconds passed.
Nora immediately raised her hand.
"I'm skipping."
Arou turned toward her.
"You're so lazy."
Nora clicked her tongue.
"Who goes running this early in the morning? Are you even normal?"
"Everyone's coming," Arou said firmly. "No exceptions."
Akari sighed softly.
"How far are we running?"
Arou thought for a moment.
"Around the city. Maybe even to the village if we feel like it."
Everyone immediately turned toward him.
Hikari shook his head.
"Just around the city. If we go all the way to the village, we're not surviving."
Priscilla nodded quickly.
"Yeah… that's way too far."
Shi added,
"I still want to live."
Arou chuckled.
"Fine. Just around the city."
He clapped his hands once.
"Now get ready."
Complaints came from every direction, but no one actually refused.
---
A few minutes later, they were all outside.
The morning air was cold, the sky still dark with faint hints of deep blue. The streets were almost empty, with only the occasional sound of a distant vehicle.
Arou stood at the front.
"Ready?"
"No," Nora answered immediately.
"Too late."
Arou started running.
Everyone reluctantly followed.
Their footsteps echoed softly across the pavement. Their breathing gradually became more noticeable, some running comfortably while others already regretted waking up.
"Why does morning jogging even exist…?" Lumina muttered.
Shi chuckled.
"At least this is more normal than our usual weird incidents."
Akari glanced at Arou.
"You seem… more alive."
Arou looked back briefly while continuing to run.
"Maybe because I just want this morning to feel normal."
Akari smiled faintly.
In the middle of a city still asleep, they ran together—not too fast, not too slow.
Just a group of people starting their day far too early, somewhat against their will.
And for a moment,
the world felt…
peaceful.
---
Their footsteps continued in rhythm along the quiet streets.
The morning air was cold, and the last traces of sleep still lingered on some of their faces.
Nora was running at the very back.
Her eyes were half-open, and her steps were barely steady. Every now and then, she yawned before grumbling under her breath.
"Why was morning running invented…?"
She looked down for a moment, trying to focus on her steps—
and almost stepped on something small that was moving.
"Huh—?!"
Nora stopped abruptly.
Everyone else stopped and turned around.
"What happened?" Arou asked.
Nora looked down.
Under the fading glow of a streetlight stood a small quokka, staring up at her with an innocent expression that was almost absurdly cute for such a cold morning.
Nora froze.
For a few seconds, she said nothing.
Then, without hesitation, she crouched down and gently picked up the quokka with both hands.
"Wow," she said flatly, though there was genuine delight in her voice.
"So cute…"
Shi, Akari, Priscilla, Airi, Hikari, and Arou all looked over.
Everyone stopped moving.
They stared at Nora—usually the most blunt and uncaring one of them all—now holding a tiny quokka with an unexpectedly gentle expression.
Silence.
A few seconds passed.
"…Nora," Airi said slowly, "what is that?"
Nora looked at the quokka in her hands.
"No idea. But it's smiling."
Sure enough, the little quokka stared back at them with a cheerful expression, completely unbothered by the situation.
Hikari stepped closer.
"It's really cute…"
Priscilla covered her mouth.
"Oh my… how is there an animal like this here?"
Shi scratched his head.
"Isn't this thing not even native to this area?"
Akari looked at Arou.
"Arou… is this normal?"
Arou stared at the quokka for a few seconds.
His expression wasn't exactly shocked.
It was more like he was trying to figure something out.
"…No," he answered honestly.
Nora clicked her tongue.
"Why is everything cute in this house always abnormal?"
The little quokka twitched its ears and continued smiling.
Nora unconsciously stroked its head.
"…But I like it," she added.
Arou sighed softly.
"The real question is…"
He looked at the empty street.
"Why is it in the middle of the city… and why did it show up right when we went jogging?"
Shi looked at Nora.
"And why does it seem so comfortable in your arms?"
Nora shrugged.
"Maybe it knows I'm scary but kind."
"No," Akari answered immediately.
"You're just scary."
Nora gave her a sharp look.
"Want me to carry you too?"
Akari immediately fell silent.
Airi stepped closer.
"It looks tame… and it doesn't seem afraid."
The quokka even shifted slightly, seemingly trying to find a more comfortable position in Nora's arms.
Hikari smiled.
"I think it likes you."
Arou looked up at the morning sky, which was slowly changing color.
Deep down, he had that familiar feeling again—
the feeling that this morning wasn't going to be completely normal.
"…Alright," Arou finally said.
"Let's run a little more, then we'll figure out what to do with it."
Nora looked at him.
"On one condition. I'm carrying it."
Arou nodded.
"Of course."
They started moving again, this time at a slower pace.
Among them, Nora continued running while carrying a tiny quokka—
something that made absolutely no sense,
yet somehow felt…
perfectly fitting.
And without any of them realizing it,
that little smile
was the beginning of something else.