Mid-afternoon sunlight poured zily through the living room windows, casting warm golden streaks across the carpet.
It was quiet in the house for once.
Their mom was in the kitchen humming softly while prepping something for dinner, Yui finally quiet in her room, and Mira was sprawled across the floor with a notebook and her ptop open, pretending to do homework.
Eri, meanwhile, was stretched across the couch on her stomach, tails swaying slowly behind her as she absentmindedly scrolled on her phone.
Her ears twitched at the faint rumble of a car engine outside.
She didn’t think much of it at first.
Cars passed all the time.
But then the engine idled.
Stopped.
A door shut.
Her ears perked upright instantly.
Her heart skipped before her brain caught up.
She rolled slightly toward the window.
And there he was.
Alex.
Standing outside his car, running a hand through his hair like he was second-guessing something.
Her entire face went pink in half a second.
Her tails fluffed slightly behind her without permission.
“Oh no,” she whispered.
Mira looked up immediately.
“…What?”
Eri didn’t answer.
She just kept staring toward the window.
Mira followed her gaze.
Saw him.
Then slowly looked back at Eri.
And grinned.
“Oh.”
“Don’t,” Eri warned faintly.
But it was too te.
Mira shut her ptop dramatically.
“Well,” she said, standing. “Guess I’ll go answer the door.”
“No!” Eri shot upright so fast she nearly fell off the couch.
Her ears fttened briefly in panic.
Mira raised an eyebrow.
“Why not?”
“I can do it.”
“Can you?” Mira tilted her head. “Because you look like you’re about to short-circuit.”
“I am not!”
Her tails betrayed her by swishing anxiously.
Mira’s grin widened.
“You’re blushing.”
“I am not!”
“You absolutely are.”
Eri covered her face for half a second.
“I hate you.”
“Love you too.”
The doorbell rang.
Eri froze.
Mira patted her shoulder with far too much satisfaction.
“Rex. I’ve got this.”
Before Eri could protest further, Mira strode toward the front door with the confidence of someone who absolutely intended to cause chaos.
Eri scrambled upright and tried to smooth her hair, her sweater, her ears—
“Stop moving,” Mira called from the entryway.
The door opened.
“Hi, Alex,” Mira said sweetly.
Eri could hear the smile in her voice.
“Uh— hi,” Alex replied, clearly caught off guard.
“Mid-afternoon visit? Bold.”
“I, um—”
Eri stepped into view before Mira could escate further.
Alex’s eyes found her instantly.
And for a moment—
Everything else blurred.
She couldn’t help it.
The blush deepened.
His gaze softened.
Mira leaned casually against the doorframe, watching the exchange like a spectator at a tennis match.
“Well,” she said lightly, “I’ll just… leave you two to whatever this is.”
Eri made a strangled noise.
“Mira—”
But Mira was already walking away.
Mission accomplished.
Alex stepped inside hesitantly.
“Was this a bad time?” he asked.
“No,” Eri said too quickly.
Then, softer, “No. It’s fine.”
Her ears twitched nervously.
He noticed.
He always noticed.
“I just… wanted to see you,” he admitted.
Her heart flipped over itself.
“You saw me at school.”
“That was different.”
“How?”
He hesitated.
Then shrugged slightly.
“That was school.”
She understood immediately.
School meant eyes.
Questions.
Whispers.
Here—
It was quieter.
Safer.
Her tails swayed gently behind her.
“Oh,” she said softly.
From the kitchen, their mom peeked around the corner.
“Oh! Alex! Hello!”
“Hi, Mrs. —” He corrected himself smoothly with her first name, still a little shy about it.
“Monday visit?” she asked with a knowing smile.
“Yeah, just for a bit.”
“Well, don’t let me interrupt,” she said cheerfully, disappearing again.
Eri felt her blush return full force.
This was unfair.
Everyone could see it.
Alex shifted his weight awkwardly.
“So,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Hi.”
“Hi.”
There was a small, nervous pause.
Then—
“You’re staring,” she murmured.
“I am not.”
“You are.”
“I— okay, maybe a little.”
Her ears twitched upward in reflex.
“Why?”
He hesitated.
Then smiled faintly.
“You do that thing when you’re flustered.”
“What thing?”
“Your ears.”
She froze.
“They— what about them?”
“They tilt back slightly.”
Her hands flew up to cover them instinctively.
“They do not.”
“They do.”
She groaned softly.
“Why do you notice these things?”
“I don’t know.”
He sounded almost sheepish.
Silence settled between them for a moment.
Comfortable.
Different from school.
Less pressure.
Eri stepped a little closer without fully realizing she was doing it.
“You just came over to see me?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
Her heart did that annoying flutter again.
“You didn’t even text first.”
“I thought about it.”
“And?”
“I decided if I texted, I might overthink it and not come.”
She stared at him.
Then smiled.
“That’s surprisingly brave.”
“I’m full of surprises.”
“Oh really?”
“Sometimes.”
Mira’s voice floated from down the hallway.
“If you two are going to stand in the entryway blushing at each other all afternoon, at least move somewhere comfortable!”
Eri’s entire face ignited.
“Mira!”
“What? I’m helping!”
Alex looked like he wanted to disappear into the floor.
“Your sister is terrifying,” he muttered.
“She enjoys it,” Eri sighed.
They migrated to the living room.
Eri sat on one end of the couch.
Alex hesitated for half a second—
Then sat closer than he usually did.
Not touching.
But close.
Her tails curled loosely around her legs.
“So,” she said softly. “What made you really come over?”
He gnced at her.
Then away.
“Last night.”
Her breath caught slightly.
“What about it?”
“I kept thinking about what you said.”
“Which part?”
“That you didn’t want that to be the st time we did something like that.”
Her ears slowly tilted back again.
“You’ve been thinking about that all day?”
“Maybe.”
She swallowed.
“I meant it.”
“I know.”
Silence again.
But this one felt heavier.
Charged.
Mira peeked around the hallway corner, eyes narrowing slightly in assessment.
Then—
She disappeared again.
Two seconds ter, the TV in her room turned on loudly.
Very loudly.
Eri blinked.
“…She’s giving us privacy.”
“Your sister is terrifying,” Alex repeated.
Eri ughed softly.
The tension eased just enough.
He shifted slightly closer.
Their shoulders brushed.
Her entire body reacted instantly.
“You’re doing that thing again,” he murmured.
“My ears?”
“Yeah.”
She huffed softly.
“Stop looking at them.”
“Can’t help it.”
“Alex.”
“What?”
“You’re impossible.”
He smiled.
“You don’t seem to mind.”
She didn’t answer that.
Because he wasn’t wrong.
Outside, the afternoon light began to soften into early evening gold.
Inside, the space between them felt smaller than it had ever been.
And from down the hallway—
Mira smirked to herself.
