Chapter Text
October 23, 10:30 PM
- And in the end, I couldn't even find Hirose to walk back home because Aokiyama and Tamura were chasing me! Ugh! Can you believe it, Icchan?! It's so unfair!
- Aokiyama wouldn't stop talking about the new activities of the Occult Club, and Tamura kept saying he needed me in his new play! It took me so long to escape those two lunatics that by the time I got to the school entrance, Hirose was already gone!
Nakamura threw himself face-first onto the bed, collapsing defeated with a long sigh and a loud groan. He slightly raised his head to look at Icchan's fish tank, where his beloved pet was staring back at him.
- Sometimes I feel like you're the only one I can really talk to, Icchan. You always listen to me and never judge me.
Nakamura smiled at his beloved pet as he turned off the bedroom light, preparing for bed.
"Tomorrow I'll be 18, Icchan, and I feel like I haven't made any progress these past two years. I'm still the same shy, insecure boy I was when I was 16. My feelings for Hirose are still as strong as ever, and yet I haven't been able to get any closer to him."
Nakamura stared at his bedroom ceiling as memories with Hirose replayed in his mind: their first meeting, the first time they walked home together, and his best memory of them all—their "date" at the aquarium and on that pier. He felt embarrassed and somewhat guilty for calling their outing a "date," but deep down, he couldn't help but call it that—a small mark on his limited record of victories.
"Goodnight, Icchan. Sleep well."
Nakamura said between yawns as sleep slowly took hold. It took hold of him until he fell into a deep sleep.
October 24th, 12:05 AM
The room was dark, with only the dim streetlight and the light night breeze drifting in through the window. Nakamura slept peacefully until he began to stir in his sleep, as if a small thought were crossing his mind. Okuto's movements were being closely observed by Icchan, who watched from his fish tank.
Octopuses weren't exactly known for their expressiveness, but it was quite obvious that Icchan was excited.
Excited to see Nakamura asleep, levitating in his own bed.
Nakamura, still asleep, was unaware that his body had moved away from the safety of his bed, floating several centimeters above it. And of course, he was also unaware of the people watching him through the half-open door of his room.
"Look at that, our little boy has grown up."
Whispered a man's voice as he watched his son sleep, oblivious to what was happening around him.
"Awww, I can't wait any longer! Let's wake him up now and tell him the news!"
An excited woman's voice called out, almost entering the room, before being stopped by the man.
"Patience, my dear. The first levitation is a very special event. Besides, our little one's world has just changed forever. We'll tell him the news in the morning."
The man replied, looking proudly at his son.
"Look at him, so sweet, so innocent. Our son is quite the wizard!"
The woman added, with the same proud expression.
The couple stood admiring the scene for a few more seconds before leaving and closing the door, confident that their son would be alright. He was now 18 years old, and the world he knew had just expanded to an endless array of possibilities.