A thick silence hung between them, dragging on just a beat too long, awkward, tense, like the air itself didn't know what to say. Then, with a loud clap, Umire shattered the stillness.
"Alright!" she said, clapping her hands together like she was brushing something off. "Anyway, let's get to playing, okay? I still can't believe you've never played video games before."
The sudden cheer in her voice felt like whiplash, but it was bright, playful—a shield, maybe, but a warm one. She tugged her legs up onto the bed, tugging her knees closer to her chest as she leaned back against the wall with practiced ease. Her phone was already in her hands, tilted up toward her face like nothing at all had happened a minute ago.
"You ready?"
Lena blinked, trying to keep up with how quickly Umire had changed gears. The previous conversation—that photo, that strange tension when she'd said "We're 'sisters'"—still echoed in Lena's head like a song she couldn't unhear. So Yuna was her sister? That explained their closeness… the way Umire had fed her so gently, like it was second nature. But then why had it felt off? Why did their relationship sometimes feel like it was held together by threads about to snap?
The questions tangled themselves into knots inside her, but one look at Umire—her gaze already fixed on the phone, her voice light, her smile returned—made it clear.
She didn't want to talk about it.
So Lena swallowed her curiosity, nodded wordlessly, and tried not to look as stiff as she felt while sitting at the edge of Umire's bed.
"Okay! So I already added you as a friend on the app and got us into the same server," Umire said, all business now. "Just press play, and we're in."
She leaned further back against the wall, her knees bent up and skirt slightly lifted, showing off the black stockings and fitted shorts beneath. The way she sat was casual—confident. Unapologetic. Like she wasn't even thinking about it.
Lena stared for a second too long, then quickly looked away, cheeks warming. Was this what friends were like? Comfortable. Open. Bare without worry. It seemed foreign. Nice. Umire didn't shrink herself. She didn't measure her space. She just was—and Lena, slowly, began to ease out of her shell too.
She let her legs relax, sank deeper into the mattress, and for the first time since entering the room, let the softness of Umire's bed cradle her fully. Her body stopped bracing for something bad to happen. She let herself exist there.
It felt strange.
It felt safe.
"Game's starting," Umire said, eyes narrowed in focus. "We're getting first place, no question. You might not know the rules, but it's simple—shoot anyone who isn't me."
Lena let out a quiet laugh, glancing sideways at Umire. She didn't even look up—her face was glowing softly in the light of her screen, all focus and fire.
"Okay," Lena murmured, returning her gaze to her phone. She tapped play.
Normally, Lena would be overwhelmed. She'd freeze, overthink everything, and drown in the fear of messing up. But right now, with Umire beside her—so sharp and sure—Lena didn't feel nervous. She felt something else entirely.
Peaceful.
Sunlight filtered in through the window, casting golden light over the bed. It lit Umire's hair like it was on fire and turned the air around them warm and hazy. The soft tapping of screens filled the room. For a while, nothing existed outside that moment—just two girls on a bed, sitting comfortably in silence and shooting pixels on a screen, slowly lowering the walls between them.
Then—
"ARGHH! NO, NO, NO—I'LL KILL YOU!" Umire exploded, her voice full of rage and disbelief.
Lena nearly jumped out of her skin.
Umire hurled her phone across the bed with a dramatic flair. It bounced once before landing facedown, silent and still. Lena stared at the screen. Dead, it read in glaring red letters.
Umire's hands flew to her head, fingers tugging her hair. Her calm, practiced expression was gone, replaced with something far more raw and real—pure frustration.
"Lena!" she groaned. "You're the only one left—you have to win! Kill him for me!"
She launched forward on all fours, crawling across the bed until she was right next to Lena. Their shoulders brushed, and Lena's screen was now half-shared with Umire's gaze.
"Ah—okay!" Lena squeaked, still reeling from Umire's sudden transformation.
She'd never seen Umire like this before—this unfiltered. It was… surprisingly endearing. Even if Lena had no idea how Umire had managed to die first when she was the better player. Lena had mostly been running around and hiding, dodging everything, never engaging. A familiar survival tactic.
Kind of like her life.
That realization hit her like a slow, bitter wave. All she'd ever done was run and avoid. Whether it was school, family, or even emotion, she hid.
But now, Umire was leaning close, her expression intense and full of faith, and Lena didn't want to let her down.
So she tried.
Thumbs were lumpy on the screen, she did her best to aim, fire, move, and do something. She wasn't good, but she was trying. For Umire.
And for the first time in a long time… she didn't feel useless.
Lena hunched forward, her character crouching awkwardly behind a stack of crates on the glowing screen. She didn't know what she was doing—just mimicking what she'd seen Umire do earlier. Her thumb hovered over the shoot button, but hesitation paralyzed her.
That was when she felt it—a shift on the bed behind her.
She glanced back instinctively and froze.
Umire had moved. She now sat fully behind her, knees folded beneath her, her thigh brushing softly against Lena's side. One hand anchored her against the mattress, planted right beside Lena's leg, and the other was pointing at her screen from over her shoulder, fingers dangerously close to brushing her cheek. Lena could feel the warmth of her breath against the shell of her ear, warm and featherlight. It made her chest tighten.
"Okay, careful... he's behind you," Umire whispered, voice low and urgent, her breath ghosting across Lena's skin.
Lena jerked slightly, startled by the sudden proximity and the way her voice shot through her like a jolt. She hadn't even noticed the sound of gunfire in the game anymore—all she could register was the closeness, the way Umire's hair had slipped loose and fallen forward, brushing against her shoulder like silk. A strand tickled the base of her neck, and she had to clench her hands around her phone to keep from reacting.
She didn't dare move. She couldn't breathe. Every nerve in her body was alert—alive.
"Run, Lena!" Umire cried out behind her, all intensity now. "Don't look back, just go!"
Lena moved on instinct, guiding her character into a panicked sprint. She barely even knew which direction she was going. Her heart was thudding hard—not from the game, but from the way Umire's voice wrapped around her like a second skin, how her presence soaked into Lena's senses until the room, the bed, the game—everything—blurred.
A burst of gunfire.
Lena's screen flashed. Her character crumpled to the ground with a final, dramatic headshot.
She blinked, stunned. "Oh…"
"NOOOO!" Umire groaned loudly, flopping backward onto the bed. She covered her face with both hands and kicked her feet into the air in exaggerated frustration. "Ugh, we were so close. I swear I'm gonna lose my mind!"
Lena turned to look at her, phone still loosely clutched in her hands. It was... disarming, seeing Umire like this. Not cold or composed or the effortlessly graceful girl everyone admired at school—but messy, dramatic, human. Her voice was pitched, her hair fanned out around her head like an exasperated halo, her expression twisted in mock agony.
It was... kind of cute.
No—really cute.
Lena's mouth opened before she could second-guess herself. "We can play again. If you want. I don't mind."
Umire peeked between her fingers, lifting her hands away slowly as she sat up. Her gaze fixed on Lena with something unreadable flickering beneath it.
"You don't like playing, though, do you?" she asked softly.
Lena flinched a little, caught off guard. How could she tell?
"I mean… It's not that I don't like it," she said honestly, fiddling with her phone. "I just… haven't done it before. But I really don't mind. I like… watching you play."
The moment hung there, quiet and soft, stretched out like a ribbon between them. The air felt heavier somehow.
Umire stared at her for a moment longer, then her expression melted into something gentler. "That's sweet, but I want to do something you like too. I mean… I invited you here. You should have fun, too."
Lena blinked, warmth curling in her chest. No one had ever really asked her that before, not and meant it. Not her classmates. Not her teachers. And least of all her mother.
She looked at Umire again, now sitting comfortably beside her, the remnants of her over-the-top meltdown fading into soft amusement in her eyes.
"Um…" Lena hesitated. "I… I'm not used to doing stuff with other people, so I'm not sure what I like. But I… I want to figure it out."
Umire's smile returned—softer this time, almost knowing. "Then let's figure it out together."
The afternoon sun filtered lazily through the curtains, casting gold across the bedspread. The game forgotten, the two girls sat shoulder to shoulder, breathing the same quiet air, something unspoken blooming between them, uncertain but warm.
"I'm fine with anything…" Lena murmured, voice barely above a whisper, the words slipping from her lips like petals carried by the wind. Then, hesitantly, she added, "But… you really like gaming, don't you?"
Umire paused. Her head tilted slightly, and as she moved, a loose strand of her hair slipped forward, cascading softly over her shoulder like ink trailing down porcelain. Lena's eyes followed the movement without thinking, utterly caught in it. The way that single strand swayed… how light seemed to catch on its ends. When the hair stilled, her gaze reluctantly rose to meet Umire's.
Umire was watching her. Quiet. Unblinking.
And Lena… she had no idea what Umire was seeing. But those eyes-those impossibly dark eyes—seemed to strip her bare without touching her. Her spine stiffened instinctively. It felt like being caught beneath a magnifying glass, exposed and delicate.
"Why do you think I like gaming?" Umire asked softly. Her tone wasn't accusatory—just... genuinely curious, like Lena had unlocked something personal without meaning to. Her gaze never once wavered.
"You just…" Lena started, then hesitated. Her voice came gentler the second time. "You got really into it. It surprised me, I guess. You're usually so calm and collected, but… then you were yelling and flailing and everything. It was kind of nice. So I wondered… do you game a lot?"
Umire's lips tugged into a slow, amused smile.
"Sometimes," she said. "It helps me vent—gets rid of the ugly feelings before they build up too much. Sorry if I scared you. I tend to get… a little intense."
Her smile lingered, and Lena felt it—a strange, crawling sensation prickling her skin. There was something… off about that smile. It looked warm, even charming on the surface, but beneath it lay something else. Something sharp. Her instincts whispered a warning in the back of her mind, but her body refused to move.
It was like watching a predator grin.
She could almost see fangs behind that smile.
Lena swallowed. "You didn't scare me," she said, her voice smaller than before. "Actually… I liked it. Seeing that side of you. It felt… real."
Umire blinked, just once, before her expression softened with something unreadable.
"Oh really?" she murmured. "Then… I want to see new sides of you, too."
Her gaze drifted toward the window, the blinds slatted just enough to let in thin ribbons of afternoon light. It striped across her features, throwing soft shadows across her cheek, her jaw, her neck. For a moment, she looked untouchable. A portrait painted in gold and shadow.
Then she spoke again, her voice quieter.
"Do you like watching movies?"
"I'm okay with it," Lena replied, and she meant it. "I'm fine with anything."
She wasn't lying. Lena wasn't the kind of girl to make demands. She didn't hate much. She didn't love much either. She simply… drifted. Going along with whatever others wanted, blending into the background like she was made for it.
But something about being around Umire made her want to reach past that numbness.
Umire sighed and turned toward her. "Come on. There's gotta be something you want to do. I feel like I'm just dragging you into things without asking."
Lena hesitated, then looked directly at her. "I'm fine with doing anything… as long as it's with you."
The silence that followed felt louder than any words. Umire's mouth parted slightly, caught mid-reaction, eyes wide with something startlingly soft. She didn't speak. Didn't blink. Then—
A blush crept across her cheeks.
The smile that followed was blinding—so full of light and warmth that it hit Lena like the sun breaking through storm clouds. For a second, she forgot how to breathe.
"Really?" Umire breathed, more to herself than Lena. "You like me that much, huh…"
She stood suddenly, the motion fluid and easy, and held out her hand. Her fingers found Lena's without hesitation—cool, steady, firm.
"Come on," she said, tugging her to her feet. "I feel the same way. Let's watch a movie."
Umire pulled her gently through the hallway, their fingers still loosely entwined. Lena barely noticed her surroundings. The feeling of Umire's hand wrapped around hers—it was grounding and dizzying all at once.
They reached the living room, and Umire flopped down onto the couch, picking up the remote.
"You got any favorite genres?" she asked casually, glancing over her shoulder as Lena sat beside her.
"I'm good with anything," Lena replied again, but this time there was a little smile on her lips. She felt lighter. Less like she was just there and more like she was part of something.
Umire didn't push further. She just hummed in acknowledgment and began flipping through titles.
"Okay," she said after a moment, pausing on a horror film. The screen showed bloody handprints smeared across a window, and the title was written in jagged, red lettering. "Let's go with horror."
Lena nodded, barely processing the movie choice.
"I'm gonna order some food. You good with pizza?"
"Sure."
Umire tapped quickly at her phone, placed it back down, and then got up to flick off the lights.
"Okay—pizza's on the way. Let's start," she said brightly, then slid back onto the couch, her shoulder brushing Lena's as she settled in beside her.
With the room now cloaked in dimness, only the flickering blue light of the television remained. It danced across the walls and cast soft shadows on Umire's face, making her expression unreadable—half-devil, half-dream. The only other light came from a thin stream through the blinds, just enough to silver the edges of her hair.
Lena felt the space between them shrink. Not physically—they were already sitting side by side—but in the atmosphere. Something hung between them, quiet and charged, humming like a live wire.
She didn't know what the movie was about. She barely even saw the screen.
All she could feel was Umire. Right there. Radiating warmth. Breathing the same air.
And for the first time in a long time, Lena felt awake.