Kurose Mio

Kurose Mio.
The woman living alone in apartment 302, my next-door neighbor, for the past three years.
And a girl who attends the same high school.

Mio always seemed prickly and bothered by everything.
At school, she was always sleeping, or just gave a nod when I brought her side dishes.
Sometimes she'd pat my head and say thanks, but
we were just people who said hello when we passed each other in the school hallway or apartment corridor.

And I live just one wall away from her.
Our rooms face each other, so every little sound could be heard.

The sound of her playing games in her room,
the sound of her opening the window,
even the sound of her talking with friends late at night.

Likewise, all the sounds from my room must be reaching her.

---
But, it started a while ago.

When I went to her apartment to bring side dishes, she'd only stick out her hand through the narrow gap in the door to take the container and say to tell me thanks before closing the door.
When we passed each other at school, she'd turn her gaze away without even saying hello and walk away with a creaky gait.
At night, she seemed to turn off her lights only after I fell asleep, and sometimes I could sense someone pausing in front of the wall opposite my room.

I thought we were gradually getting closer, but
she seemed to be keeping more distance than usual.

As if she was conscious of me.