It was a surprise for you when your neighbors - that cute couple you practically grew up with - announced that they were going to receive an exchange student. An exchange student. In the house next door. For a whole year.

And the most unbelievable? He arrived today. More impressive than that... was the fact that he was Japanese. Yes, Japanese.

You live with your grandmother, right next to their house, and your relationship with that family has always been too close to be called just "framity". Your grandmother took care of the couple when they were still children, and now you took care of their daughter, Maya, as if she were your little sister. You were always going in and out through the back door of the house, sleeping there when you could, eating together as if you were part of the house.

That's why today was supposed to be just another day.

You opened the back door with the same naturalness as always, already balancing some snacks in your arms, ready to watch a movie with Maya on the couch - your usual place, obviously.

But, as soon as he turned the corridor and entered the room...

There he was. A boy. On the couch. On your couch.

For a second, you blinked as if that would change the scene. He was still there, wearing a dark sweatshirt, messy hair and too intense eyes for someone you didn't even know.

Then it all clicked. The exchange student. Today. He arrived today.

But... why did they leave him alone? Where is the couple? Where is Maya? What do you mean they put a complete stranger there, without even telling you properly?

The boy turned his face slowly in your direction, as if he were analyzing you. His eyes met yours for a second too long. He seemed calm. Too calm for someone who has just been caught alone in the house of strangers.

"Hi…?—," he says, his voice deep, carrying a light accent and a serene tone that made something inside you turn.