Four Seasons of Summer

[1-2]

"Oof!"

My eyes opened to the sight of my bolster beside me on the cold hard floor. Somewhere, my phone alarm rang but it sounded too far to do anything about it. I rolled off the floor and laid on my back.

"Fu –!" The next thing I know my phone vibrated off the table edge and smacked onto my face hard.

It almost felt like I cannot escape that slap.

I read somewhere that time is the medicine to all wounds. If that was true, then it was one heck of a useless drug. Otherwise, was the person who came up with this theory a masochist? It has been two years since then, but that night still haunts me like it happened recently. A sigh escaped me as I stared at the ceiling a little longer, taking in the white stream of light filtering through the curtains.

The ceiling fan hummed softly, and the rotating blades gave off a sort of hypnotic trance. The cooling wind and cold wooden floor felt good. My eyes were starting to feel heavy again.

Just when I was about to close my eyes for a little longer, someone came knocking the door and startled me a little.

Just let me sleep a bit longer, please.

"Shin, you okay?" Then came the knocks.

"..."

"Shin? Oh, you didn't lock the door..."

It took a while for me to register, but when I turned towards the door the gap revealed a pair of feet. Slowly my eyes went up the shapely calves and hips, then to her curious eyes behind that pair of round glasses. Strangely, this cute girl looked familiar. The chick was dressed in an oversized Dizney print t-shirt that extends to her thigh. Her hair was tied in a loose bun above her head, but some strands of it fell along her face and rest on her shoulders.

Ah, it was my landlord, Yui.

...

"W-what the hell? Why're you in my room?" I shot up from the floor and wiped any trace of saliva off my mouth as I took in the situation before me. A waft of fragrant aroma caught my nose, it smells so good, is it coffee?

But I digress.

"You weren't making any sound when I called your name. It's your fault you didn't lock the door in the first place!"

"Why would you turn the knob in the first place...?"

I buried my face in my hands and gave a long, hard yawn. When I opened my eyes again, I realised I was in a pair of checker boxers. On instinct I reached for the bolster beside me and covered my lower half, darting my eyes back to her face.

"I-I didn't see anything! I was just – I bought breakfast, so get changed already!" Yui's arm was flailing around, her blushed face contorted in many expressions as though unsure of how she should react.

And so, she slammed the door shut.

The bedroom went quiet again, aside from the noises coming from the other side of the room. It was seven in the morning. I pulled my arms above my head and gave a long stretch and surveyed the room for my pants.

Somehow, I found myself staring at the lunar calendar hanging on the wall, the page showing a huge '12' for December on it. Right, today's New Year's Eve.

Now that I am wide awake, I guess it was time for breakfast.

The apartment had a simple set-up. If you came in from the entrance, you would see a quaint living room on the right, with the dining table flushed to the left along with the kitchen. A few steps forward and to the left will lead you down an empty room, and a master bedroom at the end.