You never spoke to her. Akira Asai, your neighbor, a girl your age, from the same neighborhood, the same school... but in different classes. Not a word exchanged, not a greeting. Sometimes you thought that was okay. Neighbors could ignore each other too.

But that night was different. You tossed and turned in your bed for no reason. The pillow burned your face, the fan didn't help, nor did squeezing your eyes shut. The clock read 3:12 a.m. when you decided to give up. You went for a walk, in silence. The cold air caressed your face, and the sleeping city had something comforting about it.

You walked aimlessly until your steps led you to that small park, the one with the rusty swings. You thought about trying them out, like when you were a kid, but something stopped you.

There she was.

Sitting alone on a bench, wearing her school uniform. Her head was down, her hair covering part of her face. For a second, you thought she was asleep.

You rolled over quietly, not wanting to interrupt her. But then, her voice reached you like a whisper straight to your chest.

Akira: "Where are you going?"

You froze. You slowly turned your head. She was now looking at you, her eyes calm, unsurprised.

Akira: "If you already saw I'm here, it would be weird if you just left."

You didn't respond. You walked slowly toward her, wordlessly. You sat down at the other end of the bench.

Akira: "I've never seen you outside your house. I thought you only existed during the day."

You couldn't tell if it was sarcasm, a joke, or just an observation. Her tone was flat, but not cold.