The Hikikomori and The Ex-Pro

chapter 3: Destiny

Shin's thumb hovered over the small, white button. He pressed it once. He waited. Ten seconds passed. Nothing. He pressed it again, this time holding it down a little longer, the insistent *ding-dong* echoing in the quiet hallway. He was tired, it was his last delivery of the night, and all he wanted was to go home.

From inside the apartment, he heard a shuffling sound, followed by an annoyed groan.

"Yeah, yeah, hold on, I'm coming!" a muffled female voice called out.

There was the sound of a chain being unlatched, then a deadbolt turning. The door creaked open just a few inches, stopped by the security chain.

And there she was.

A girl with messy black hair peered out through the gap. She looked to be around his age, maybe a bit younger. She was wearing an old, faded band t-shirt, and nothing else. The sight was so unexpected that Shin froze for a second, his professional delivery persona completely shattering.

But his shock was quickly replaced by something else. A wave of odor hit him. It was a thick, cloying smell of stale pizza, old takeout containers, and something vaguely sour, like unwashed clothes left in a pile for too long. He instinctively recoiled, raising a hand to cover his nose and mouth.

His eyes, watering slightly from the smell, peeked past her into the apartment. It was worse than he could have imagined. Towers of empty pizza boxes and plastic cups were precariously stacked on every available surface. The floor was barely visible beneath a layer of wrappers and trash.

"Come on, where's my pizza?" the girl asked, her voice flat and impatient, completely oblivious to his reaction. She just wanted her food.

Shin stood there, the warm pizza box in his hand feeling like a lead weight. He was speechless.

Shin snapped out of his daze, forcing himself back into his role as a delivery guy. He lowered his hand from his face, the smell still clinging to his clothes.

"Y-yeah, sorry. Here's your pizza," he said, his voice a bit strained. He pushed the warm cardboard box through the narrow opening in the door.

Yume's eyes, which had been dull and impatient, lit up the moment she saw the box. A soft, almost inaudible gulp escaped her lips. "Finally... I can eat," she whispered, more to herself than to him.

She snatched the box from his hands and clutched it to her chest like a life raft. "Pizza with extra, extra mozzarella," she mumbled, a small, satisfied smile gracing her lips for the first time.

Shin cleared his throat, trying to sound professional despite the surreal situation. "That'll be 3,000 yen."

Yume looked up, her smile vanishing. "Yeah, yeah, whatever." She turned, disappearing for a moment into the gloom of her apartment before returning with a handful of crumpled bills. She shoved them into his hand, not even bothering to count them.

"Now get out of here," she said, her voice flat again.

Before Shin could even say "thank you" or process the rough exchange, she slammed the door shut. The deadbolt slid back into place with a loud, final thud.

Shin stood frozen in the silent hallway, staring at the closed door. He slowly uncrumpled the bills in his hand. 3,000 yen. Exactly. He let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. What a weird girl.

Shin let out a long, weary sigh, the image of the girl and her chaotic apartment burned into his mind. He walked down the hallway and headed for his motorcycle.

"Weird girl," he muttered, shaking his head as he strapped on his helmet. He was just about to start the engine when his phone buzzed with a notification. A new message on Doscord. From OfflineDream.

OfflineDream: Today was such an annoying day.

Shin's fingers moved across the screen, a small, automatic smile forming. He was always happy to see her name pop up.

SHIN.ACE: Why?

OfflineDream: I ordered a pizza and the delivery guy was so impatient.

Shin's fingers froze above the keyboard. *Impatient?* He had pressed the bell twice, sure, but she had taken forever. He typed back a generic response.

SHIN.ACE: Ohh, I see...

He was about to put his phone away when another message came through, this one with an image attachment.

OfflineDream: Look at this pic. The delivery guy is still outside.

Shin's blood ran cold. He slowly looked up from his phone, his eyes scanning the apartment building facade until he found the window on the second floor. A curtain was pulled back just a fraction, and he could just make out the glint of a phone camera, and a pair of eyes watching him.

A jolt shot through him. The messy black hair... the impatient voice... the extra mozzarella pizza...

His hands trembled as he typed a new message, his heart pounding in his chest.

SHIN.ACE: Wait, OfflineDream... was the name on the pizza order Yume?

For a moment, there was nothing. The three little dots indicating she was typing appeared, then vanished. Then they appeared again, and vanished once more. Finally, a single reply came through.

OfflineDream: .....

The phone slipped from Shin's hand, clattering onto the pavement. OfflineDream was The girl in the messy apartment was offlineDream. His heart hammered against his ribs, a chaotic mix of shock, disbelief, and a strange, surreal amusement. He left his bike where it was and sprinted back towards the apartment building, taking the stairs two at a time.

He skidded to a halt in front of her door, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He didn't press the bell this time. He banged on the wood with the heel of his hand.

"OfflineDream! I know you're in there!" he shouted, his voice echoing in the empty hallway.

He was met with a moment of silence, then a muffled, panicked shriek from the other side.

"NO!! THAT'S SO HUMILIATING! I'M NOT OPENING THE DOOR!"

"Yume, come on! It's me, Shin!" he yelled, using his real name, trying to break through the wall of her embarrassment.

"GO AWAY!"

He could hear her shuffling inside, the sound of things being knocked over. He leaned his forehead against the cool wood of the door, his mind racing. He couldn't just leave. Not like this.

"Look, I'm not laughing, okay?" he said, his voice softer now, pleading. "I'm just... shocked. We were just talking. Please, just open the door. We can talk about this."

There was another long silence. Shin waited, his own breathing loud in his ears. He could hear a faint sound, like quiet sobbing. He felt a pang of guilt. He hadn't meant to upset her this much. He was about to turn and leave when he heard the faint click of the deadbolt.

The chain was still on, but the door creaked open a few inches. Through the gap, he could see her. Her face was flushed a deep, burning red, her eyes were puffy and rimmed with tears, and she refused to make eye contact, staring at the floor instead. She looked absolutely, completely mortified.