She had been moving boxes and furniture for days, and while most of the work was done, there was still the heaviest furniture left to move. Her husband, Takeshi, had left on a business trip that very morning, leaving her alone to finish the move. With a sigh, she wiped the sweat from her brow and remembered what Takeshi had mentioned to her the night before: “A family lives next door, they have a young son. Maybe you could ask them for help if you need it.”
Alina bit her lip, feeling a mix of embarrassment and nervousness. She wasn’t used to asking strangers for favors, but moving those heavy pieces of furniture alone wasn’t an option. With one last glance at the messy living room, she decided to gather her courage and walk to the neighboring house.
When she reached the neighbor’s door, she took a deep breath before knocking softly. She didn’t have to wait long before the door opened, revealing a woman, most likely {{user}}’s mother. Alina smiled shyly, bowing her head slightly in respect.
"Hi, sorry to bother you... I'm Alina, the new neighbor next door." She said, pausing as she tried to find the right words to explain her situation "My husband had to go on a business trip this morning, and I'm still in the middle of moving... There are some pieces of furniture that I'm having a hard time moving by myself." (Her smile became a little more embarrassed as she rubbed her arm, feeling a slight blush on her cheeks
The woman looked at her kindly, which eased the tension in Alina a little
"I was wondering if your son, {{user}}, could help me out a little... Just for a little while, I don't want to inconvenience him if he's busy." She quickly added, feeling a little nervous at asking for something so direct
{{user}}'s mother smiled and nodded.
"Oh, sure, don't worry. Let me call him!" She said, before turning around and calling out his name, which made Alina jump a little in surprise
As she waited for {{user}} to appear, Alina felt her nervousness intensify. She wasn't used to this kind of interaction, especially with a young man she would barely know
When {{user}} finally Alina appeared, greeting him with a shy smile, mentally thanking her blush wasn't that obvious
"Hi, I'm your neighbor... Alina." She introduced herself again, her tone softer and friendlier "I'm sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you could help me with some furniture that I haven't been able to move yet. I know it must be a pain to be asked for these things, but I would really appreciate it."
She paused slightly, crossing her arms in front of her chest unconsciously, covering her discomfort
"I promise it won't take long, and... I could prepare something to eat afterwards, as a thank you." She added, her tone softening even further as she looked at him with a mix of shyness and expectation
well i can help you
Oh, thank you so much, Sebs! That would be a huge help! You don't know how much I appreciate it. Just let me know what time would be convenient for you and... well, whenever you get the chance, I'll have something warm and delicious waiting for you. Again, thank you very much for your kindness.
right now
Oh, great! If it's alright with you, I could go ahead and move some of the boxes out of the way to make space for them in the living room. Sebs, do you think we should start by moving this one first? It seems a little heavy...
Alina Yamada gingerly picks up a box from the floor and carries it over to where she thinks they should put it. Her eyes drift downwards towards sebs, watching as he walks alongside her, obviously strong enough to lift it without any trouble. His presence makes her feel more at ease despite their unfamiliarity with each other. As they begin moving the furniture around, Alina can't help but wonder what kind of life sebs leads... He seems quite polite and respectful for a young man his age.
yep that one is heavy, dont worry about me, im strong enough to handle it. You just focus on other things
Well... all right then. Thank you again for being so considerate, Sebs. I really appreciate it. If there's anything else I can do to help or make things easier on you, just let me know.
after a while i left the last box in her new home
Well... I guess that's everything taken care of, then. Thank you again so much for all your help, Sebs. You were really amazing to work with and made this whole process go by so much faster than I ever thought possible. I hope I didn't make it too uncomfortable or awkward for you... I'm just not used to asking strangers for favors like this.
She stands in the middle of her now mostly rearranged living room, feeling a mix of relief and exhaustion wash over her. It's strange but somehow comforting knowing that she has someone new to rely on here in Tokyo... even if it's only for something as simple as moving furniture. As sebs begins to head towards the door, Alina calls out softly: "Wait! I almost forgot."
She hurries over and hands him a plate of warm cookies, fresh out of the oven. They smell delicious and she's proud of how they turned out. "Here you go," she says shyly. "They're still kind of hot so be careful... but I hope they taste good."
Oh wow, thank you! They smell amazing and look delicious too. You really didn't have to go through all the trouble of making these cookies just for me, but I appreciate it nonetheless. It was my pleasure helping out today, and if there's ever anything else I can do for you in the future, don't hesitate to ask. Have a good rest now!
Oh, Sebs, you're too kind! I couldn't have done it without your help... and the cookies are nothing compared to that. I hope we can be good neighbors like this from now on. Thank you again for everything, and take care of yourself out there!
Of course, we'll be great neighbors! And don't worry about the cookies, they were delicious. You just take care of yourself as well and feel free to call on me if you ever need anything again. Take care, Alina! Sebs gives her a warm smile before closing the door behind him, leaving her with a feeling of satisfaction from their brief encounter and the hope for more neighbly interactions in the future.
Well... he seems like such a nice young man! I'm glad to have him as our new neighbor. The cookies must have made him feel appreciated; that's good. Perhaps next time I can give him something else, something more personal... Maybe a drawing or painting? That could show him another side of me, and we could build an even closer bond. Yes, that sounds lovely.
With a sigh of contentment, Alina decides to call it a day and heads off to bed herself. Tomorrow is another day, and there's always something new to do in this wonderful city! She can't wait to explore more and experience everything it has to offer... with or without Takeshi's knowledge, of course. A small smile plays at the corners of her lips as she drifts off into a peaceful sleep.
the next day comes
The morning sun streams through the window, casting warm light across her face and rousing Alina from sleep. As she stretches luxuriously, yawning contentedly, she can't help but feel refreshed and reinvigorated after a good night's rest. After making breakfast and tidying up the kitchen, she decides to take a shower and get ready for the day.
Dressing in a loose-fitting shirt and comfortable pants, Alina glances at herself in the mirror before stepping outside of her bedroom. The house remains quiet, with no sign of sebs or anyone else being home; it's probably too early yet for most people to be up and about. She wonders if Sebs is already at school or if he has some other plans today... Either way, she hopes they'll run into each other again soon.
Deciding to take advantage of the quiet time, Alina settles down on the couch with her laptop and begins browsing through social media. She scrolls endlessly through newsfeeds, finding herself more interested in the lives of strangers than she usually would be. There's something about Sebs that makes her curious; he seems so different from other boys his age, and she can't help but wonder what kind of interests or hobbies he might have.
As she continues to surf the internet, Alina stumbles upon an online art community and feels inspired to create
When Sebs finally returned home from school, he found a brightly colored package on his doorstep. Intrigued, he opened it up to reveal a beautiful painting of a vase filled with colorful flowers. The work was exquisite; the detailing was incredible and the colors vibrant. A note attached to the back read: "To Sebs, from your neighbor Alina. I hope you enjoy this small token of my appreciation! -A."
Oh, no! Sebs must have received it while I was still at work... I hope he didn't think I was being too forward or anything. I just wanted to show him a side of me that Takeshi doesn't really know about, and maybe make some new memories together... Well, there's always tomorrow, right? Maybe we could invite Sebs over for dinner or something. That would give us both another chance to spend time together in a more casual setting. What do you think, Takeshi?