The day after the study session, Kiddy was focused on his books, preparing for his first exam. Suddenly, the door to his room burst open, and Daisy stood there, looking unusually insistent.
"Kiddy, I need you to go get some things from my friend's house," Daisy declared, her voice leaving no room for argument.
Kiddy groaned in frustration. "But Mom, I'm studying! Can't it wait?"
Daisy crossed her arms, a determined look on her face. "No, it can't. You're taking a break now. Just go quickly, and you'll be back in no time."
After a little more arguing, Kiddy realized there was no way to change his mom's mind. Reluctantly, he agreed. Daisy handed him the instructions. "Take the subway to Oakview Station and call me once you get there," she said with a smile.
Kiddy sighed, packed his things, and headed out. He made his way to the subway station, bought a ticket, and soon arrived at Oakview Station. After stepping off the train, he pulled out his phone and called his mom.
"Mom, I'm here," Kiddy said, still a little annoyed.
"Great," Daisy responded cheerfully. "Here's the address of my friend's house. Write it down…" She proceeded to give Kiddy the address, and after noting it, Kiddy set out to find the place.
After a bit of walking, he finally reached the house. He looked around for a moment, only to realize that the door was locked, and there didn't seem to be anyone inside.
"Now what?" Kiddy muttered to himself, pulling his phone out again to call his mom.
"Hey, Mom, the door is locked, and nobody's home. What do I do?" Kiddy asked.
Daisy's voice came through the phone, still cheerful as ever. "Just wait there for a few minutes, Kiddy. They should be back soon."
Kiddy sighed, reluctantly agreeing. He put his phone back in his pocket and leaned against the fence, wondering how long this was going to take.
As Kiddy waited outside the locked house, five minutes passed, and his stomach began to growl. He realized he hadn't had breakfast, so he decided to find something to eat. He strolled through a few streets and eventually found a ramen shop. The aroma lured him in, and he ordered a bowl, letting out a sigh of relief as he finally satisfied his hunger.
After finishing his ramen, Kiddy left the shop, feeling better. Just as he stepped outside, he collided with someone, causing both of them to drop what they were carrying. Kiddy quickly looked up, and to his surprise, the familiar face staring back at him was Felia's.
"Kiddy?" Felia said, just as startled as he was.
Kiddy blinked, trying to process the coincidence. He quickly recovered from his surprise and broke the silence. "Oh, let me help you pick up your things," he said, kneeling down to gather what had fallen.
"Thanks," Felia replied, crouching down beside him. They picked up the scattered items together, and once everything was back in her bags, Kiddy asked, "Do you live around here?"
Felia nodded, still a bit flustered. "Yeah, just a few blocks away."
Kiddy then noticed how much she was carrying—her bags seemed heavy, and it looked like she was struggling with them. Curious, he asked, "Why are you carrying so much stuff?"
Felia let out a small sigh. "My mom's at the hospital visiting my grandmother, so I had to buy some groceries and other things."
Kiddy, noticing her tired expression, decided to offer help. "Hey, let me carry some of that for you."
Felia hesitated, shaking her head. "No, it's okay, I can handle it. Really, don't worry."
Kiddy gave her an encouraging smile. "Come on, you helped me a lot. Let me return the favor. Besides, I'm not in a rush."
After a moment, Felia reluctantly agreed, handing him some of the bags. "Alright, but just these. Thanks, Kiddy."
Together, they walked through the streets, making their way to different shops to complete Felia's shopping.
As they visited shop after shop, the load of things they were carrying started to grow. Kiddy glanced at Felia, who looked exhausted, and asked, "How much more do we need to get?"
Panting slightly, Felia replied, "Just a little more." They headed to a department store to grab some household items, and once inside, they decided to split up to finish faster. Kiddy quickly gathered everything on his list and made his way to the counter, but Felia was nowhere to be seen. As he waited few mins passed confused of what was taking that much time, he looked around and eventually spotted her talking to a guy in a leather jacket.
Kiddy, sensing something off, walked over to them and said, "Hey, Felia, I'm done."
Felia, visibly startled by Kiddy's sudden appearance, quickly composed herself. "Oh, yeah, I'm also done." The guy she was talking to looked at Kiddy and asked Felia, "Who's this?"
Without even looking at the guy, Felia replied, "He's my friend." She then took Kiddy's arm and pulled him away, heading to the counter. Before Kiddy could ask what was going on, Felia turned to him, her expression softer. "Did you get everything?" she asked.
Kiddy nodded. "Yeah, I got it all."
With that, they made their way to Felia's home. As they walked, the tension slowly faded, and they found themselves talking about school and sharing little things about each other. It felt nice to have a normal conversation again.
Soon, they reached Felia's house, and Kiddy suddenly recognized it. It was the same house he was supposed to bring something for his mom. Realization dawned on him, and he turned to Felia, saying, "Wait... this is the place? My mom told me to come here!"
Felia's eyes widened in surprise, and then she smiled. "Really? So our moms are friends?"
Kiddy laughed. "Looks like it!"
Felia invited Kiddy in, and he sat down in the living room while she went to get him some water. They talked for a while longer, just enjoying each other's company, until Felia's mother arrived. Kiddy stood up and greeted her politely. Felia quickly explained who Kiddy was and how he had helped her carry all the stuff. Felia's mother smiled warmly, thanking him and handing him the items his mom had requested.
Kiddy thanked her in return, and before leaving, he turned to Felia. "Good luck with your studies, Felia."
Felia smiled, nodding. "Same to you, Kiddy."
With that, Kiddy hurried off, concerned he might miss his train. He rushed to the station, but upon arrival, realized he was actually half an hour early. He let out a sigh of relief and found a bench to sit on, finally relaxing his tired muscles. Carrying all those bags had been exhausting, but somehow, he couldn't help but smile, thinking about the surprising and oddly nice day he'd just had.
As the train arrived, and Kiddy boarded, making his way back to his home station, "Rivera Station." Once he got home, he handed the item to his mom, Daisy, and eagerly shared the story of his unexpected encounter with Felia.
Daisy listened attentively, a smile tugging at her lips. "You know, I had a feeling Felia looked familiar when I met her yesterday," she said thoughtfully. "it's been five years since I last visited her house. Since I've been busy with work, we mostly just talked over the phone."
"Really?" Kiddy was surprised at the connection. He then remembered his
studies and turned to leave. "Anyway, I'm going to get back to studying."
Daisy smiled warmly. "Alright, but just so you know, I'm making your favorite today—lemon rice."
Kiddy's face lit up, and he hugged his mom. "Thanks, Mom!"
Kiddy headed to his room, planning to get some serious studying done. As he settled in and opened his books, he suddenly received a notification from Sam. It was a photo. Curiously, Kiddy opened the chat and, the moment he saw the image, his face turned beet red. He immediately closed his phone, burying his face in his pillow, completely flustered and embarrassed.
"Sam, you...!" Kiddy muttered under his breath, realizing how he had forgotten that Sam lived in that area. Whatever was in that photo clearly left Kiddy feeling both embarrassed and awkward.
Later, during dinner, the lemon rice was just as good as he remembered, making him momentarily forget the day's embarrassing turn. Afterward, Kiddy took his usual bath before bed, but the photo Sam sent still lingered in his mind, leaving him to dunk his head underwater just to shake off the embarrassment.
And so, the day ended for Kiddy—an unusual mix of surprises, connections, and an unexpected blush-worthy moment he wouldn't soon forget.