6:07 AM
The sun was just starting to show, sneaking in through the curtains like it wasn't supposed to be there.
The TV hummed softly.
"MISSION COMPLETE: YOU DEFEATED LASER KING!"
The colorful game-clear screen was still frozen there, triumphant in its obnoxious font. Bright. Loud. Untouched.
The controllers had long since slipped from our hands.
Kiro was on the carpet, one arm thrown dramatically over his face like a Shakespearean ghost.
Ryusuke was flat on his back, mouth open, snoring softly with Mitsuri curled up next to him in a blanket she must've fetched herself. She was clutching one of the gamepads like a plushie.
Zay—
He was sitting on the floor, legs stretched out, arms crossed, head leaned back against the side of the couch.
Fast asleep.
And me?
I was slumped at the corner of the couch, a cushion as a pillow, hair fully escaped the ponytail, hoodie half covering my face.
The room was a mess of limbs, crumbs, and wrappers. A soft battlefield of the dumbest night we'd had in forever.
And into that peaceful, chaotic stillness—
Creak.
The floorboard near the stairs sounded.
Ray Nakahara stepped down slowly, in black joggers and a white hoodie, eyes red from lack of sleep.
He stared at the scene.
Silent.
Blank-faced.
Walked over to the table. Pushed a bag of chips aside with one finger. Picked up a cup noodle someone forgot to throw away.
Still no reaction.
Then finally—
"...That's it," he muttered.
Everyone stayed asleep.
Ray grabbed a throw blanket from the back of the couch and draped it over Mitsuri and Ryusuke without a word.
He looked over at me, rolled his eyes, and placed my phone (which had been buzzing all night with alarm snoozes) next to my hand gently.
Then finally, he glanced at Zay, whose head was still tilted slightly back, mouth faintly open in that rarest state: unguarded. Peaceful.
Ray looked at him for a long second.
"...Don't you snore?" he whispered.
Zay didn't move.
Ray snorted once—just once—then walked away without another word and turned on the rice cooker in the kitchen.
---
6:30 AM
Steam from miso soup started drifting through the air. The smell of cooked rice followed.
Kiro was the first to stir.
Then me.
Then Mitsuri.
Ryusuke kept snoring.
Zay shifted, opened one eye halfway, blinked.
I rubbed my eyes, voice raspy. "...What time is it?"
"Too late to pretend this didn't happen," Kiro said.
I sat up slowly. "Did we seriously finish the whole game?"
Zay murmured, "…And the bonus level."
I groaned and sank back into the cushions.
From the kitchen, Ray called out flatly, "I hope you're all going to school anyway."
A collective groan rose from the floor.