The Other Side of the Wall

CHAPTER I

Keigo pushes the door to his new apartment and scans the tiny space with an excited grin. He enters the kitchen and puts down the box he is holding with a sigh before unboxing his belongings and arranging them while listening to murder mystery documentaries. By the time he's finished, the sun was gone, and the moon had risen.

"Now, it looks better." Keigo steps back from arranging and admires his current apartment as he sips his cup of coffee. He gleefully plays a song and hums to it while eating cup noodles. It was his fifth cup that day, and he was getting tired of the taste, but he decided he'd rather eat cupped noodles for a few months to save for the needed appliances.

After having his dinner, he throws himself on his bed. Tired from moving, he immediately fell asleep after closing his eyes. A loud sound interrupted his dream of having a fully furnished apartment. Panicked, he sits up and looks around.

"Fuck," He groans after realizing the noise is coming from his neighbor. He stares at the wall and scowls when he sees his potted plant subtly bouncing on the shelf from the vibration.

"Why are you loud?" He asks as he takes his plant off the shelf to place elsewhere. He taps his foot on the floor, contemplating if he should bang on the wall and yell at his neighbor to shut up.

"Forget it. It's your first night here, Keigo. Be patient." He tells himself but raises his middle finger at the wall before lying down in an attempt to return to sleep.

Keigo did everything he could to ignore the noise. He counted sheep, covered his ears, and watched a philosophical video. But no matter what, the noise was still too loud, so he took his pillows and blanket and then walked to the living room to sleep on the couch.

-*-

Keigo wakes in the morning feeling groggy and sore. He stretches his body and walks to the balcony for fresh air. "Good morning to you, little ones," he greets the birds resting on the balcony, "can you do me a favor and shit on the balcony next to my room? Thanks to him I had to sleep on the goddamn couch. Now, I'm all sore,"

The bird chirps and tilts its head as if confused by Keigo's words. Keigo shakes his head and laughs at himself, "you're a bird, of course you won't understand,"

Another chirp comes out of the bird's beak, making Keigo smile, "I must be so petty for asking you to shit on his balcony when I've only spent a night here,"

The bird jumps on his shoulder; Keigo scratches its head, saying, "he might not even be aware that he has a new neighbor,"

Three chirps and a hop, "You're right, I should let it go. I'm probably just tired from moving that's why I'm being sensitive,"

The bird doesn't chirp. Keigo chuckles and sets the bird on the railing, saying, "I guess your silence means yes,"

Keigo brings a piece of bread and leaves it on the balcony for the bird to eat. Talking to the bird made him feel a little better.

"I shouldn't let a night destroy my mood today," Keigo pumps himself and collects his pillows and blanket from the couch.

The room is quiet after Keigo enters. He places the pillows and blanket on the bed, murmuring, "I hope I can sleep on my bed tonight."

Keigo spends a few minutes on his bed staring at the ceiling before preparing breakfast. While eating, he creates a to-do list and acts on it after enjoying his meal. Hours pass, and Keigo finishes in the afternoon. Not having anything else to do, Keigo decides to introduce himself to his neighbors. He quickly bakes a few batches of cookies he'll give to his neighbors before heading out to meet them.