Became an Observer in Love Company

I opened the familiar door and stepped into the familiar entrance, leading to an eerily unfamiliar home.

As always, it was quiet.

The space felt like time had frozen.

Everything seemed preserved in its place, untouched.

This house was always silent and always the same.

“Wow… it’s cleaner than I thought.”

A casual remark cut through the still air.

I closed the door and replied nonchalantly.

“Yeah, well. Just that there’s not much stuff around.”

She slipped off her shoes and stepped inside.

The sound of her wet socks brushing against the floor spread awkwardly through the house.

It was the first time someone else’s footsteps had echoed in this home.

My damp body shivered slightly, not from the cold, but a strange unfamiliarity.

“I’ll get you a towel. Just wait here a moment.”

Without waiting for a response, I headed to the room.

I retrieved a clean towel from the wardrobe.

I also needed to grab something to change into.

What should I give her?

She’s smaller than me. My clothes might make her shoulders sag.

I hesitated for no reason.

It was starting to feel real — I’d invited a girl into my home.

I thought I could handle it, act cool about it, but my heart kept racing.

The quiet house seemed louder with my heartbeat.

I slowly stood up and moved toward Lee Jian.

I extended the towel to her.

“Here’s a towel.”

“Oh, thank you.”

She took the towel and began drying her hair.

I watched her for a moment before offering her some clothes.

“Change into these.”

“Alright.”

She accepted them.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t have any undergarments.”

“Isn’t that more surprising if you did?”

“Oh… it was a joke.”

“Sure, let’s go with that.”

Lee Jian giggled.

I finally managed a small smile.

The tension seemed to ease slightly.

I could hear her gentle movements.

The sound of her drying her hair.

The moisture soaking into the clothes.

Her soft breath.

It was as if, for a brief moment, this space transformed.

Lee Jian hesitated as she looked at the clothes I handed her.

She touched her arm.

A subtle frown appeared on her face as if she was discomforted.

It was understandable after falling into muddy water like that.

“If you want to shower, you’ll have to wait until the hot water comes out.”

She clutched the hem of her clothing with her fingertips, slightly biting her lip.

“…Alright. I’ll wait a bit and then shower. I’ll change clothes then too.”

I sighed unnecessarily and turned my head.

“I’ll go change too.”

I was just as damp and equally uncomfortable.

But more than that, being together felt unbearably awkward.

So I ran away.

When my heart finally calmed down a bit, I headed back to the living room.

The evening rain that had seemed to have stopped was falling again.

The humid air slowly seeped into the room.

I looked at her sitting on the couch.

She was wearing a slightly oversized gym uniform.

The same school gym uniform with the name tag on the chest, bearing my name.

Something felt strange.

With the collar slightly loose, her shoulders were slightly askew.

The sleeves were long enough to cover her fingertips.

She had her knees drawn up, crouching slightly, staring outside the window.

The faint street lamp outside illuminated the room softly.

The yellow light gently touched her wet hair.

A dry towel lay nearby, yet her hair was still damp at the ends.

Drops of water were seeping into the collar of her clothes.

Her quiet breath floated through the room.

The space, though familiar, felt foreign.

It was always quiet.

Always stayed the same.

But now, it felt different.

The house remained the same, but the atmosphere was different.

Still quiet, yet not suffocating.

On the couch sat the girl in an oversized gym uniform.

A stranger placed in a familiar space.

Her hunched body made the gym uniform appear even larger.

She gripped the edge of the sleeve with her fingertips, opening and closing it while deep in thought.

Her fingers were quietly drawing attention in the silent room.

Her playful tone from before had disappeared, leaving only a quiet silence.

“Sniff… Are you checking if it smells?”

“Whoa! What? How long have you been standing there?”

“Have been here all along. You’re acting like you own the place.”

Lee Jian’s face turned red.

“So, does it smell? Is it sweat? Should I offer you something else?”

“…No. It’s fine. It just feels uncomfortable.”

She shook her head dismissively, but her wet hair continued to drip onto the collar.

The hot water is taking longer than usual to come out. Is there a problem with the heater?

There was none before.

Nervously, I spoke softly.

“You didn’t dry your hair properly.”

Without responding, she looked at me.

Then, she bowed her head and leaned forward, placing her wet hair toward me.

“Can you dry it for me?”

I sighed softly and picked up the towel nearby.

I placed the towel and gently pressed it against her hair.

I could hear her quietly inhale.

Why did she say that if she was going to be this nervous?

The sound of the towel rustling seemed unusually loud.

I tried to act as if nothing was different and continued my actions.

Quietly, I grabbed the ends of her hair and moved the towel.

Warmth was gradually seeping into her wet hair.

“That’s fine. Now you should dry it.”

Quietly, I sat on the floor, leaning against the sofa.

Lee Jian was kneeling on the couch.

Between the sofa and the floor, we shared a space just a few centimeters apart.

“Where are your parents?”

Her voice broke the silence.

I replied briefly.

“They’re not here.”

“Oh… they must be working?”

She naturally interpreted it that way.

I hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“No, they’re simply not here.”

The air momentarily froze.

I could sense her hand gripping the sleeve stopping.

“…Sorry.”

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

Yet the awkwardness had spread.

I looked at the floor, and she seemed to be watching me cautiously.

Thus, the silence stretched even longer.

The rain continued.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

The somewhat irregular rhythm was softly erasing the silence in the room.

“Your house is really quiet.”

She said.

Her voice was slightly softer than usual.

I remained leaning on the sofa and slowly turned my head.

“It’s always like this.”

Outside the window, the rain was still falling.

The sound of the rain enveloping the room covered the calm silence.

I turned my head again to look at her.

Her hair was slowly drying, though moisture still lingered at the ends.

And those droplets were slowly disappearing.

As if gradually seeping into the space.

“A near disaster.”

“What?”

“There was no umbrella. If it had gone on a bit longer, I would have run home drenched in the rain.”

“Isn’t there a spare umbrella?”

“None.”

I sighed while speaking.

“It’s the rainy season. You should bring an umbrella just in case.”

“Are you worried about me?”

“…No.”

It was a lie. I ended up lying without knowing why.

Click. Click. I could feel the poking fingers on my back.

I turned my head.

Leaning on her knees, Lee Jian was looking at me.

Staring directly into my eyes, she murmured softly.

“Won’t it be alright if you worry…?”

The loose gym top, the partially unzipped jacket, and what showed between the gap…

In an instant, my heart dropped.

My mind went blank. I didn’t know what to say.

Without a moment to think, I reflexively turned my head sharply. My fingertips trembled slightly.

“What the… Be more careful! You’re a girl!”

My voice was pitch higher than usual.

Before even thinking, I turned my head sharply. My fingertips trembled slightly.

“Why are you so surprised?”

She asked calmly. But I couldn’t stay calm.

“Be more careful! You… entered a guy’s house without any caution!”

My words got tangled. My breath got tangled. My head was a mess.

What on earth was I even saying? I was the one who invited her in.

But then—

“It’s because it was you.”

A quiet, low voice.

In an instant, my heart beat strongly.

I couldn’t tell if the feeling I was experiencing was nervousness or something else.

She was calmly looking at me.

Serious eyes.

Calm voice.

And within them, some kind of confident emotion.

I unconsciously inhaled, but I couldn’t exhale.

My lips dried, and my fingertips tingled.

This was undoubtedly…

“…”

I couldn’t speak and froze.

“He he, you’re clearly nervous.”

There was delight in her voice.

“You really never act like this in front of others, huh…”

That statement couldn’t continue because she grabbed my head and turned it.

I ended up facing her very closely.

Our breaths were nearly touching.

The moment she came closer, I instinctively inhaled but couldn’t exhale.

My fingertips trembled slightly. Was it tension or another emotion? I couldn’t be sure.

Outside, the rain continued to fall.

Raindrops hitting the ground, indistinct rain streaks under the street lamp.

The endless sound of rain continued to beat against our ears, even in the silent room.

Yet—

There was more in this room than just the sound of rain.

“I told you. I only act like this with you.”

Her voice gently filled the space.

Her pink eyes wavered.

Light seeped into them.

A droplet formed on her damp eyelashes.

Drip.

A cold droplet fell on my cheek.

In that instant, my sense of time froze.

More vividly than the droplet running down my body,

The warmth of her presence engulfed my senses.

Like rainwater pooling on the floor,

Every sensation flowed outward from her.

“I just wanted to try being a little clingy like you.”

Outside the window, the heavy downpour continued.

The wind battered the windows.

And there, right in front of me, was her.

The corner of her mouth slightly lifted.

She was lightly smiling and staring at me—Lee Jian.

“I want to try asking for something.”

At that moment, something inside me shook.

The rain was still falling.

But not the sound of the rain now,

The sound of my heartbeat was ringing louder.

The scenery outside the window was gradually changing.

The raindrops hitting the ground were becoming less frequent,

The ripples spreading out across the small puddle were slowly fading.

The sudden downpour seemed like it was about to pour again,

But slowly, very slowly, it was reaching its end.

The humid air had been completely washed away.

A light breeze seeped through the damp leaves, and behind the dark clouds, the hazy twilight began to spread.

A different kind of air now.

And, her presence approaching differently now.

“Now it seems too late to pretend I don’t know… I’m already too soaked. So, I want to keep going.”

Her pink eyes steadily looked at me.

The thin curtain by the window gently swayed in the breeze.

The scenery after the rain seemed somehow different from before.

“But… what if I get wet again? Will you dry me again?”

She asked in a heavy voice, like the lingering dark clouds.

Something faint reflected in Lee Jian’s eyes. I couldn’t tell if it was me or another emotion.

I parted my lips to say something.

But at that moment— the system interrupted.

Detecting an irregularity in the flow of emotions, it seemed even the system noticed.

[A singularity has occurred.]

Her hand holding mine was cold.

She slowly lifted her hand.

But soon, it lost its way, aimlessly flailing in the air.

Her fingertips awkwardly hovered in the air.

Should I reach out and grab it, or should I leave it as is?

My hand, wavering and hesitating, aimlessly cut through the air.

Seemingly moving closer but not really,

Seemingly touching but not quite.

Indecisively flailing through the air,

My fingertips suddenly stopped.

“…If you want.”

Her expression slightly wavered.

“…If you want, I’ll dry you.”

It was an unimpressive answer.

A shirking of responsibility,

A cowardly statement,

Passing the decision to the other.

But even so,

An undeniable word.

Then.

At that moment,

My fingertips ceased to hover aimlessly.

Cold chill. But within it, a faint warmth remained.

Her soft and gentle hand.

“So, you’ll dry me then?”

She was holding my hand.

While I hesitated, while I faltered,

She was the one who first wrapped her hand around mine.

I couldn’t breathe momentarily.

The aimlessly wandering hand finally stopped.

Or rather, it was made to stop.

The moment she held my hand, there was no escape left.

It was warm.

Smaller and softer than I expected,

But the sensation was strangely strong.

Not light.

Not shaky.

I carefully clasped her delicate fingers.

The room was quiet.

[Your presence is increasing.]

[The singularity has reached a certain phase.]

[System is responding— update in progress…]

The word “presence” made me flinch.

But before I could accept that change—

She slightly tightened her fingers.

A light pressure. Yet undeniably firm.

The gentle vibrations transmitted from her fingertips,

Penetrated deeply into my heart.

“Don’t run away.”

Her words struck more strongly than the system’s message at that moment.

Like the rain coming to a gentle halt,

Everything was slowly and quietly settling into place.

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