‘I never knew you had a job at that restaurant, Aki. I go there about once a month. What’s the matter Aki—’

Katsumi picked up the TV remote and pressed the mute button, abruptly cutting the sound. The room was still. 

Air around him began to feel heavy, only pressing down on his face. He sat slouched on his couch, staring blankly at the ending credits of the show.

His arms lay dormant at his sides.

Katsumi jolted up straight and blinked. The pressure around him quickly faded away and he began to take notice of his surroundings. The golden light of the evening sun shining through cracks in his curtains, illuminating dust particles floating aimlessly through the air. He took in this scene for a moment longer then sank back into his couch. 

“Damnit, to think I’d agree to give her a chance. What’s wrong with me, who cares about her goddamn way!?” And here I was just minding my own business.

Six empty bottles sat scattered on the living room table, and a still lingering tobacco smell was present throughout his apartment.

A pounding sound came from the front door.

“I thought I muted the T.V…” 

Another series of thuds came from his front door. 

Please don’t tell me. No… No, that’s impossible.

Katsumi moved to the front door and opened it—revealing the source of the noise.

“We need to work on the Modern Japanese project. It’s due in two weeks.” Mayumi stepped past him, “Pardon the intrusion~”

She felt a hand set on her shoulder.

“Murakami do you mind? Could you please not—“

“Do you mind?” Katsumi’s voice sounded on edge.

The grip on her shoulder tightened—her eyes widened. She began getting pulled backwards out of the apartment and ended up back in the hallway. 

“Remember? You said you’d give me a chance starting this weekend.”

“Well… It’s Friday. So not actually the weekend.”

“Hello? Police? Yes there—” Mayumi had pulled out her smartphone and put it to her ear.

“Okay okay okay, Friday is part of the weekend… Please, make yourself at home.”

“Thank you.”

Mayumi walked through the apartment, inspecting it. “You’ve started using an ash-tray and there isn’t garbage everywhere. That’s an improvement I suppose.” 

She took a seat in front of the living room table where her eyes fell on the empty bottles scattered across it. After a sigh, she stood them all up-right and pushed them to the edge of the table.

Katsumi stood by the doorway and rubbed his face with both hands in a circular motion. “Ahh~ Alright, let’s do this…”

“Murakami?”

“Yes coming, I was just… just… nevermind.” I’ll just get this done quickly, then she’ll go home.

He found his spot on the couch across from her and stretched. 

I gotta sit up straight. Focus. 

Mayumi was explaining the project but all of her words were going in one ear and out the other. He simply continued to blankly stare past her.

What are we doing here? Modern Japanese? What? I can’t do this… I haven’t been in class at all... No, I’ve been in class, I just haven't been listening. Gotta sit up straight, stop slouching. Focus.

“Murakami, are you listening?”

“Y-yes.”

“Alright… let’s start over on this—”

Oh my god my eyes… This static… my eyes are so fuzzy again. What was the alcohol percentage in those? 

“Murakami…”

“Yes? ”

“We need to get this done,” Mayumi tapped her pencil on some papers.

Why am I slouching again? Come on, sit up straight. “Alright, yes, I’ll get serious.”

“Okay. What we need for—”

My eyes are fuzzy again… I just gotta get rid of that feeling then I can focus. Katsumi hunched over and started rubbing his eyes. He rocked back and forth while making a low-pitched humming noise.

“What are you doing?”

“Fixing my eye,” That feeling of fuzziness had dissipated and he looked up at Mayumi. She was resting her head on her hand staring at him.

He rubbed his eyes for another ten seconds then looked back up. “Sorry, I’m ready now.”

During those ten seconds Mayumi had already continued to work. Katsumi intensely stared at her pencil moving, tracking every movement it made. Seeing each stroke, each line being meticulously drawn on the paper.

“What’s the project anyways?”

Mayumi set down the pencil and started tapping the paper with her index finger. Mayumi’s hair tucked behind her ear slowly came loose and fell in front of it. The black cords on her red-hoodie swang from side to side like a pendulum. Each passing second felt like a lifetime. Mayumi’s mouth was moving but no sound came from it.

He blinked and his senses came flooding back. As if a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. “What? Sorry I’m ready now.”

Mayumi abruptly stopped mid-sentence and silently stared at him for a moment, “Ahh~ alright. I did start this assuming that you knew what was going on, but that was my mistake. Let’s take a break. Maybe go take a bath then come back. Hopefully you’ll be focused then. Sound good?”

“Arata… what are you saying.”

Mayumi looked at him in silence for a moment longer then stood up. She stretched an arm above her head and with the other grabbed it from behind her head. She stretched and let out a sigh, “I need you to focus on the project.” 

“Yeah… I’m trying.”

He wasn’t.

Mayumi ignored his comment and walked over to shut the curtains. In one swift motion she flung them open.

The window was being battered by rain—a sky darkened by an overcast of storm-clouds.

“You think we woulda… heard this uh… this downpour. The rain's coming down so— so you know, it's so violent. That’s really weird though, we should’ve heard it raining this hard—” 

Katsumi continued to mindlessly babble on as Mayumi stood motionless, gazing out of the window. After a moment longer Mayumi broke the silence, “I forgot to shut my windows. I’ll be right back. Please try to focus.”

Mayumi swiftly left the apartment.