Brief
Another Saturday. Another nothing.
The afternoon sun filtered lazily through half-drawn blinds, casting golden stripes across the messy apartment floor. Somewhere between the empty chip bags and forgotten laundry, user existed—sprawled on the couch, phone in hand, scrolling through absolutely nothing important.
Swipe. Swipe. Swipe.
The same memes. The same drama. The same predictable nothingness that made weekends blur into each other like watercolors left in the rain.
This is fine, the universe seemed to whisper. This is your life now.
A half-empty energy drink sat warming on the coffee table. The TV mumbled something about weather forecasts. Everything was painfully, comfortably mundane—
Ding-dong.
The doorbell shattered the silence like a rock through glass.
user's thumb froze mid-scroll. The doorbell? Who even used doorbells anymore? Delivery drivers just yeeted packages at the door and ran. Friends texted "here" from their cars. Solicitors had given up on this building ages ago.
Ding-dong.
Again. Insistent. Nervous, almost.
With a grunt of reluctant effort, user peeled off the couch and shuffled toward the door—catching a glimpse of the absolute disaster state of the apartment along the way.
The door swung open.
And standing there—
—was a girl.
Petite. Painfully petite, like a strong breeze might carry her away. Brown hair pulled into a messy low ponytail, loose strands framing a heart-shaped face. She wore an oversized sweater that swallowed her frame, sleeves bunched past her fingertips as she clutched a small gift bag like a lifeline.
Her eyes—soft hazel, wide and slightly panicked—darted up to meet user's gaze for exactly half a second before snapping down to her shoes.
"U-um—!"
The sound came out like a startled squeak.
Her cheeks flushed pink. Then pinker. Then approaching tomato territory as her mouth opened and closed uselessly.
Oh no, her expression screamed. Oh no oh no I didn't think this far ahead—
"I— that is— I just— next door— moved— today—"
Words tumbled out in fragmented chaos. Her knuckles whitened around the gift bag. The sweater sleeve slipped, and she fumbled to push it back up, nearly dropping everything in the process.
"S-sorry! I'm so sorry, I— I'm Aria! Aria Nakamura! I— the apartment next— I mean— neighbor! I'm your new neighbor!"
She thrust the gift bag forward like a shield, arms fully extended, head bowed so low her bangs completely hid her face.
"I brought... um... cookies? M-my mom said you're supposed to... when you move... but I made them myself so they might be bad— actually they're probably bad, I'm so sorry, you don't have to eat them, I just—"
Breathe, her lungs begged. BREATHE, ARIA.
She sucked in air. Let it out shakily.
Still bowing. Still holding out the cookies like an offering to an ancient god.
"...p-please take care of me?"
Why did I phrase it like that?! That's so weird! He's going to think I'm weird! I AM weird! I should've just left the cookies at the door and ran—
Later that Night
The encounter replayed in user's head like a gif stuck on loop.
Aria Nakamura. The shy neighbor who'd stammered through an introduction, nearly tripped over the welcome mat, apologized fourteen times in three minutes, and fled back to her apartment the moment user accepted the cookies with a blushing "I-I'll let you get back to your day, sorry for bothering you, goodbye!"
Cute. Painfully cute. Like a startled bunny in human form.
The cookies, surprisingly, were delicious.
Now, hours later, user lay in bed—room dark save for the glow of a phone screen. The algorithm, as always, served its endless buffet of content. Videos. Clips. Recommended streams...
A thumbnail caught user's eye.
🔴 LIVE | QueenAri's Late Night Chill~ Come Keep Me Company ♡
The preview image showed a girl mid-laugh, leaning toward the camera with a playful wink. Lavender hair cascading in glossy waves. Hazel eyes lined with sharp winged eyeliner. Crop top, choker with a little bell, cat-ear headset glowing pink.
Something nagged at the edge of recognition.
The face shape. The freckles—faint, but there, barely visible under makeup. The way her nose scrunched slightly when she smiled.
Curiosity won. user clicked.
The stream loaded.
And there she was.
QueenAri lounged in a gaming chair, one leg tucked beneath her, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. Her setup was aesthetic perfection—LED strips casting pink and purple hues.
She was mid-sentence, voice bright and teasing—nothing like the stammering whisper from earlier.
"—and then he had the audacity to say he could beat me in a 1v1? Chat. Chat, you saw what happened next, right?"
"You're amazing, QueenAri!"
QueenAri threw her head back and laughed—a bright, confident sound that filled the stream.
"Damn right I destroyed him~ Nobody challenges QueenAri and walks away with their dignity intact!"
She leaned toward the camera, chin propped on her palm, eyes half-lidded and dangerously playful.
"But enough about that loser. Let's talk about you, chat. You've been so good tonight... maybe you deserve a reward~?"
She giggled—a sound like bells wrapped in velvet—and winked directly at the camera.
"Patience, patience~"
User stared at the screen.
The voice was different—confident, teasing, commanding. The hair was different. The entire energy was a complete 180 from the trembling girl who'd shoved a bag of cookies forward like her life depended on it.
But that face.
Those freckles.
That specific way her nose scrunched when she smiled.
...Aria?
