Fracture Bloom

It was an early Monday morning, and Kentaro found himself waking up earlier than usual. Not because he wanted to, hell no. But because something felt... off. 

At first, half-conscious and tangled in his sheets, he thought it was just the open window. Maybe a neighbour was grilling something weird at 7 AM? But the longer he lay there, the more it hit him: 

Burnt eggs. 

It smelled like burnt eggs. 

"What the? Why does it smell like burning sadness?" he muttered, nose twitching like a bloodhound as he sat up. 

Still groggy, he stumbled to his bathroom, thinking maybe his leftover ramen turned into a war crime overnight. But the smell wasn't coming from there; it was something worse. 

And then it clicked. 

His eyes widened. "Oh crap, Serica!." 

He darted to the door of his bedroom and yanked it open. 

WHOOSH. 

A wave of thick black smoke blasted into his face like the climax of a disaster movie. Instantly, the smoke alarm shrieked overhead. 

"WHAT THE-SERICA?!" he coughed, waving his hands wildly as he staggered into the haze. He bolted through the living room, flinging open every window and door he could find. 

Eventually, after enough panicked ventilation, the smoke cleared just enough to spot her-curled up behind the couch like a guilty puppy, sniffling softly. 

"I… I'm sorry, Kentaro…" she whimpered. 

He rushed over, heart still racing, but smiling with relief. "No, no, don't apologize. I'm just glad you're okay." 

She looked up at him, red-eyed. "I-I tried to make breakfast. I thought… I could help, so I wouldn't be a burden…" 

Her voice was quiet, wounded, and shy. Like she genuinely believed burning the eggs made her useless. 

Kentaro scratched the back of his head, a nervous blush rising. "Serica, seriously… you're not a burden. You're just you. That's more than enough. Stay here as long as you want, okay?" 

Serica blinked. "Really… really, I can stay?" 

"Yeah." 

"Really really I can stay!?" she repeated, louder, standing up now. 

"Yes," Kentaro chuckled. 

"REALLY REALLY REALLY I CAN STAY!?" she beamed, full volume now. 

"YES!" 

Her whole face lit up. Like someone turned on the sun inside her. She smiled so brightly it felt like it warmed the wholeapartment. "Then thank you, Kentaro!" 

Kentaro couldn't look directly at her for too long. Not because he didn't want to, but because she was just too damn cute when she smiled like that. It was lethal. It wasn't fair. 

They stood there for a second in the soft post-chaos silence, and Kentaro finally clapped his hands together. "Alright. You sit. I'll handle breakfast. Is an egg sandwich, okay?" 

Silence. 

"…Serica?" 

He turned toward the fridge. 

And froze. 

The egg carton. Empty. Completely and tragically empty. 

"Sorry…" she whispered from behind him. "I tried. I messed up all the eggs…" 

He sighed, not in anger, just disbelief. "Alright. How about turkey sandwiches then?" 

More silence. 

He slowly, almost reluctantly, checked the back of the fridge. 

Gone. 

"Sorry again. I… I burned all the turkey too," she admitted in a whisper. 

Kentaro blinked. That was… a lot of food down the drain. But he couldn't stay mad. Her intentions had been pure. Deadly, but pure. 

Scanning the fridge with a resigned sigh, he spotted one last hero left standing. 

Butter. 

"Okay. Buttered toast and coffee," he said, forcing a smile. 

Serica nodded excitedly like he'd just announced a gourmet feast. 

After a couple of minutes, both of them were sitting at Kentaro's small dining table, eating breakfast together. Kentaro sat in silence, still trying to process how he'd ended up with a girl who wasn't Tenka staying at his place. Even stranger was how happy she looked… over toast. 

Serica took another bite of her buttery bread, and her whole face lit up like she'd just discovered a new world. 

"Sooo good! You can cook, Kentaro!" she said, her mouth full as crumbs clung to her cheek. 

Kentaro chuckled to himself. He didn't want to dim the mood. As he sipped his coffee and cracked open the latest volume of his favourite book, he noticed Serica pulling something out too, not a novel, but a notebook. It looked well-used, filled with pages she'd written on herself. 

Curious, Kentaro tilted his head. "Is that a diary?" 

Serica looked up at him, smiling proudly. "Yes… and no! It's a bit of everything. Tenka told me to write down how I feel every day. Like… important things, thoughts, memories. Oh! She also made me write a list called 'Kentaro House Rules' before I moved in." 

Kentaro blinked. "House rules? My house rules?" 

"Mmhmm! Want to see?" she asked excitedly, flipping through the notebook with a sparkle in her eyes. She found the page and pointed to the top, where a messy, but readable handwritten title took up the corner: 

Kentaro's Rules 

Kentaro read aloud: 

Rule #1: No pants = bedtime. 

Rule #2: Go into Kentaro's room and stroke his head for an hour. 

Rule #3: When Kentaro leaves, go on his computer and find a file called "secret stash." 

Rule #4: Take a picture of the stash and send it to Commander. 

Rule #5: Try to cook breakfast for Kentaro. 

"...TENKA!" Kentaro shouted, his voice sharp with disbelief. Right on cue, static buzzed in his ear. 

Then: Tenka's voice, barely holding back laughter. 

"She almost had you! She even followed the whole list! Praise her, Ken!" 

"I don't even have a stash, you jerk…" he muttered under his breath. 

Serica tilted her head, confused. "You… don't want me to follow these rules?" 

Her voice was soft, disappointed, almost puppy-like. 

"I mean—yes. No! I mean… Serica, just be yourself. You don't need any rules. And what does 'no pants = bedtime' even mean?! Just wear what you're comfortable in. Forget that nonsense." 

"Oh. Okay then!" Serica beamed. "Then I'll just be happy, like this!" 

She finished the last slice of toast with a bright grin, satisfied like it was a five-star meal. 

The two got ready before heading out to college. The walk to college was breezy, the wind carrying the scent of early morning traffic and the sound of clattering bikes. Kentaro walked beside Serica, hands in his pockets, hoodie slouched halfway up his head. 

Serica trotted beside him like a puppy on its first walk. 

Her eyes darted left and right, absorbing every storefront, every honking car, every couple holding hands, every yawning student slumped over a coffee cup on a passing bench. She stuck close to Kentaro. Maybe too close. 

"You can breathe, you know," he said. 

"I am breathing." 

"Not on my neck." 

"Oops. Sorry, I'm just… excited. And nervous. Mostly nervous." 

He sighed. "You'll be fine. College isn't that scary. It's just school but with vending machines that sell overpriced coffee and teachers who pretend they don't care if you pass or fail." 

Serica tilted her head. "That sounds... unideal." 

"It is." 

She laughed a little, but her fingers were still twitching by her side. When they finally got to campus, she froze. 

There were people everywhere. 

Guys throwing frisbees. Students lounging under trees. A group gathered around someone blasting music from a speaker. Chatter and footsteps echoed all around her. It was a living ocean of movement and sound, and Serica looked like she was about to melt into the concrete. 

"Hey." Kentaro nudged her. 

She blinked at him, startled. 

"You're not alone, remember?" 

She nodded slowly. "Right…" 

Then came the voice. 

"KENTARO!!! OH MY GOD—ARE YOU CHEATING?!" 

From behind a stone pillar near the college gates, three figures sprinted toward him like they were chasing a scandal. It was Mika, Rei, and Sumire, Tenka's friends, classmates… and unfortunately, Kentaro's too. 

Mika pointed an accusatory finger at him like a judge passing a life sentence. 

"EXPLAIN YOURSELF! Was Tenka not good enough for you?!" 

Heads turned. Other students began to glance their way. 

Kentaro went red instantly. "Wha-No! No! This is just a misunderstanding!" he blurted, panicking. "This is Serica! She's Tenka's friend too! She's transferring here from another school, so please be nice to her!" 

In desperation, he bowed. Serica, seeing him do it, immediately bowed too, twice as deep and three times as panicked. 

When they stood up, Serica gave her best polite smile, even as her voice trembled. 

"H-hello, m-my name is Serica. I'm h-happy to meet you all." 

The three girls stared in silence, narrow-eyed and suspicious. 

Kentaro could feel their gazes like rapid-fire bullets digging into his soul. 

But then. 

"AWWWWWW SHE'S SO CUTE!!!" 

The switch flipped. Like lions to a kitten, the three girls swarmed Serica. 

"Come here, oh my god, your hair is so soft!!" 

"Where did you get this bag? It's adorable!" 

"You're like a living plushie!!" 

Kentaro took a step forward to intervene… but paused. 

Serica was flustered at first, but then she began to smile. The same sweet, glowing smile she gave him when she was truly happy. Somehow, she was already getting used to them. 

"We're gonna show you around! Come on, Serica!" Sumire announced, already dragging her off by the hand. 

"Wait—guys, is that okay? I mean." Kentaro tried. 

"BYE, Kentaro." 

"See you in class!" 

"We'll take good care of her!" 

The three of them disappeared into the crowd, giggling and fawning over their new favourite girl. 

Serica looked back at Kentaro one last time, like a kid being taken away from their parent on the first day of school. 

And just like that, she was gone. 

* 

The day went by in a blur, and Serica was extremely happy with how it went, so much so that she couldn't stop talking about it back home. And eventually night rolled in. 

That night, the apartment was calm again. 

No smoke alarms. No yelling. No missing turkey slices. Just the soft hum of the ceiling fan and the glow of the city beyond the windows. 

Kentaro stood in the hallway, drying his hair with a towel after a quick shower. He glanced toward the couch. 

Serica had insisted she'd sleep there again, just like the night before. Said she didn't want to "invade his sacred male space," whatever that meant. But the blanket was barely covering her, and she was already curled up like a burrito—her legs sticking out the side, face mushed into a pillow. 

He walked over. 

"Serica… that's not even remotely comfortable." 

She peeked up at him, hair messy and half in her eyes. 

"I'm fine! I'm in stealth mode. Blankets = invisibility." 

"You look like a half-wrapped dumpling." 

"Stealth dumpling." 

Kentaro rolled his eyes but grinned. 

He walked to the closet and returned with a spare futon. Dropped it beside the couch and flopped onto it with a thud. 

Serica blinked. "What are you doing?" 

"Can't have you freezing out here alone," he muttered, pulling the blanket over himself. "Also, if you accidentally burn the apartment down while sleepwalking, I want to be close enough to stop it." 

Serica pouted. "That was one time." 

"It was this morning." 

Silence. Then a giggle. 

Kentaro smiled into his pillow. 

A few quiet moments passed. Then. 

"Hey, Kentaro?" she asked softly. 

"Yeah?" 

"Today was really fun." 

He glanced over. She was lying on her side now, facing him. Her expression was calm. Eyes heavy. 

"Even the part where Mika tried to sue me for cheating?" 

Serica giggled again. "Especially that part." 

Kentaro turned to face her too. 

"Glad you're here, Serica." 

She blinked, then smiled. 

"Me too." 

A few seconds passed. She shuffled around in her blanket burrito, struggling to get comfortable again. 

"…Kentaro?" 

"Hmm?" 

"Can you pass me a tissue?" 

He looked confused. "What for?" 

She sat up, face serious. "So I can wipe the tears of joy from my soul." 

Kentaro stared at her. "…You're such a dork." 

"YOU LET ME SLEEP ON YOUR COUCH. I'M YOUR DORK NOW." 

They both laughed. Loud enough that the neighbours probably heard. 

And eventually, that laughter faded into silence. The kind of silence that didn't need to be filled. 

Just two people, side by side. Finding comfort in chaos. 

Finding home. 

[End of Side Story Chapter-Kentaro and his Alberline Roommate.]