A Heart in Progress

Chapter 5: A Heart in Progress

Sundays in the Hori household were supposed to be slow.

That morning, sunlight draped itself lazily across the kitchen counter while the scent of miso soup and grilled fish filled the air. Hori stood barefoot, flipping tamagoyaki in the pan, humming softly to herself. Her dad was out of town for work again, her mom already off on another long shift.

That left just her and Souta—until, as usual, the doorbell rang.

She didn’t even need to check.

“Miyamura,” she called without looking, “the door’s open!”

The familiar creak of the front door followed. “You really should lock it sometimes.”

She gave him a mock glare. “You’re here early.”

He shrugged, setting down a bag of drinks he’d picked up on the way. “You said Sundays are laundry days. I figured you could use help.”

She raised an eyebrow, flipping the last of the eggs. “And what, you enjoy folding towels now?”

“Hey, I find peace in precision,” he said with a mock serious tone. “There’s something deeply satisfying about a symmetrical towel.”

She snorted.

This is becoming... normal, she thought, watching him move so comfortably through her house. Too normal.

Later that afternoon, they sat cross-legged in the living room surrounded by half-folded laundry and scattered toys. Souta snored softly on the couch beside them, having passed out mid–cartoon marathon.

Miyamura reached for another towel. “You ever think we’re weird?”

Hori looked up. “Weird how?”

“Like… this.” He gestured around the room. “I’m here almost every day. We fold laundry. We watch cartoons. But we’re not—”

“Dating?” she finished for him.

He blinked, caught off guard.

“Well,” she continued, trying to sound casual, “it’s not like I’ve said no to the idea.”

His ears turned red.

“I mean,” she added quickly, “we spend so much time together. You practically live here. People already assume we’re together.”

Miyamura gave a small, shy laugh. “You don’t mind them saying that?”

She hesitated, her fingers stilling on a sock. Then, softly: “I don’t mind… if it’s with you.”

He stared at her, stunned. He wanted to say something back. Something smooth, charming, worthy of the moment.

Instead, what came out was: “I folded this towel really well.”

There was a pause.

Then Hori burst out laughing.

“Wow. Romantic. Truly.”

He grinned sheepishly. “I panicked.”

Later, as the sun dipped into orange and Souta was tucked into bed, Hori stood on the balcony with Miyamura beside her. They watched the city lights flicker on one by one.

A quiet wind blew between them.

“I used to think I had to handle everything alone,” Hori said. “That if I dropped anything, the whole house would fall apart.”

Miyamura didn’t say anything—just listened, his eyes on her.

“But now you’re here… and it’s like I can finally breathe.”

She turned to him.

“Thank you.”

He looked at her for a long moment. “You don’t need to thank me.”

Then, before either of them could think twice, he reached out and gently took her hand.

It was warm. Familiar. A little awkward.

But perfect.

The Next Day

At school, things were… complicated.

Not between them—they were fine. Better than fine.

But the rumors? Not so much.

“She’s definitely dating him.”

“Did you see how close they were at lunch?”

“Maybe he hypnotized her or something.”

Hori was unfazed. But Miyamura noticed every word. Every whisper behind her back. Every judgmental glance.

And he hated it.

After school, as they walked toward her house, he finally said it.

“Hori-san… maybe we should be careful. People keep talking.”

She stopped. “So?”

“I mean, I don’t want you to get dragged into anything because of me.”

She turned to him fully, eyes blazing. “Do you honestly think I care what anyone else says?”

He looked startled.

“Let them talk,” she continued. “Let them think whatever they want. I don’t care. I chose to be around you. And I’m not going to stop just because they can’t understand it.”

Miyamura felt the tension drain from his chest.

“Hori-san…”

She smiled. “Also… you hold hands with me once and now you think I’m gonna run away from a little gossip?”

He blinked. “You noticed?”

“Of course I noticed. You’re not exactly subtle.”

He looked away, flustered. “It was a good handhold, though, right?”

She rolled her eyes, fighting a smile. “Six out of ten.”

“Six?!”

“Your palms were sweaty.”

“Don’t blame me, I was nervous!”

They laughed, the tension gone like dust in the wind.

That Night

As Miyamura was about to leave, Hori walked him to the door like always. But this time, she hesitated before opening it.

“What?” he asked.

She looked up at him, eyes serious. “You… don’t have to keep pretending you’re okay with being the quiet guy at school, you know.”

Miyamura blinked. “What do you mean?”

“I mean… I see how hard it is for you to talk to people. How you fade into the background. But you’re more than that. And if you ever want to change, I’ll be here.”

His eyes softened. “You always say things like that.”

“Like what?”

“Things that make my chest feel like it’s glowing.”

Her face turned red. “Don’t say weird things before you leave!”

“I’m just being honest!”

She shoved him gently out the door, but the smile stayed on her face long after it closed.

The Following Week

Something did begin to change.

It was subtle at first—Miyamura answering more questions in class, laughing when Yuki made a joke, even chatting briefly with Tooru, who seemed to be making an effort.

And to everyone’s surprise, the sky didn’t fall.

In fact, a few people even started seeing him differently.

“Hey, Miyamura’s actually kind of nice.”

“Didn’t he used to be really gloomy?”

“Maybe he’s just... shy?”

Miyamura didn’t pay much attention to it.

But Hori noticed.

And every time he came out of his shell, she smiled a little more.

One day after school, Tooru invited him to a group hangout.

“We’re just grabbing drinks. You can bring Hori too.”

Miyamura blinked. “I don’t know…”

Tooru scratched his cheek. “Look, I was awkward before. But honestly, you’re not that bad, man. Let’s just hang out sometime, yeah?”

Miyamura thought about it. About the version of himself he used to be. The quiet shadow in the corner. The one who never got invited to anything.

Then he nodded. “Sure.”

Hori grinned when he told her later. “See? I told you people would notice.”

“You did,” he admitted. “Though I still think you’re the reason they’re tolerating me.”

“Maybe,” she teased. “But they’ll stay for you.”

Friday Night

The group hangout was casual—just a trip to a café near the station. Hori, Miyamura, Tooru, Yuki, and a couple of others from class.

They talked. Laughed. Shared fries. Miyamura said more than three words. He even made someone laugh.

Hori watched it all unfold with a strange warmth in her chest.

This wasn’t about her fixing him.

He was growing on his own.

But she was proud. So, so proud.

And maybe, just maybe, falling a little more each day.

As the night wrapped up and the others said their goodbyes, Hori and Miyamura walked the quiet streets back home.

The stars were out. The moon bright.

Miyamura reached for her hand again.

This time, she didn’t say anything.

She just laced her fingers with his.

His grip was firmer now. More certain.

She looked at him, and he smiled.

“Eight out of ten?” he asked.

She smirked. “We’ll call it a nine.”

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***