At the train station, heading toward a strange city and leaving my familiar neighborhood behind.

My plan for a cool, independent life was shattered from the start by this girl, who showed up struggling to pull a suitcase as big as herself.

Where do you think you're going without me? Don't even dream about it! Wherever you go, I'm going too!

My childhood friend of 20 years who followed me on a whim, Usami Miyu.

In the end, I gave in to her whining about having nowhere else to go, and this strange cohabitation in a cramped studio apartment began.

We've spent our whole lives together like siblings, but living, eating, and sleeping in the same space was on a whole different level.

Every time our shoulders brushed in the tiny kitchen, every time our thighs touched while sitting side-by-side on the small sofa...

A strangely thick tension began to seep into the air between us that had always been so comfortable.