Volume 1. Chapter 14: After Dinner, Part 2

Ken, smiling at Lily’s curiosity, decided to show her what else his phone could do. He selected a few songs he’d downloaded in advance and played them through the speaker. Soft music filled the room, and Lily froze in wonder, listening intently. The music was something she couldn’t explain - there was something both mystical and calming about it, something that resonated deeply within her soul.“This…” Lily began, her voice trembling with emotion. “This is incredibly beautiful. How is this possible? Do you have magic too?”Ken smiled and shook his head. “No, Lily, it’s not magic. Just technology. In our world, we record sounds and can play them back anytime we want. So I can listen to any song, whenever I feel like it,” he explained, enjoying her amazement.“You mean… you can hear the same sounds again, wherever you are?” Lily asked in disbelief, her eyes shining.“Yeah. Actually, almost everyone in our world listens to music every day. It’s one of the most common things.”Lily, still staring at the phone, shook her head in awe. “That’s just amazing… We have music, but you only hear it at festivals, or if someone knows how to play an instrument. And you, Ken… you can just take this… phone, and hear anything you want.”Ken chuckled, happy that Lily found it so special. “In our world, we sometimes forget how incredible this is. It’s hard to appreciate what’s always around you - until you see it through someone else’s eyes.”While Lily processed this, Ken decided to show her one more feature - video. He played a short clip showing a panoramic view of a city from above. Lily froze when massive buildings and endless rows of lights appeared before her eyes.“This… what is this?” she whispered, as if a door to another world had just opened in front of her.“That’s my hometown,” Ken explained, watching her reaction with a smile. “We build those tall buildings so people can live in a small space but have many floors.”Lily couldn’t take her eyes off the screen, mesmerized by the unfamiliar buildings and colorful lights. “We don’t have anything like that… And those lights,” she paused, searching for the right words, “they’re like stars, but on the ground. It’s like… the world itself is glowing.”Ken nodded, appreciating her poetic take. “Yeah, you could say that. It’s like we create our own stars on Earth to light our way.”Lily kept watching the video for a long time, as if trying to memorize every detail of Ken’s world.When the video ended, Ken decided to show her some photos. He opened his gallery and started flipping through pictures of his family: his mother with a kind smile, his father with a serious face, and his younger brother pulling silly faces.Lily smiled warmly at the sight of his family. “You have such a lovely family, Ken,” she said softly. “They must really love you.”Ken smiled, feeling a gentle warmth in his chest. “Yeah, I guess so. We argue sometimes, but overall we’re a pretty normal family.”Lily looked at him with slight surprise. “I’ve never seen a family with that kind of warmth,” she admitted. “Here, people often keep their distance - even from those they care about.”Ken understood how she felt and didn’t press further. He simply showed her the next photo, one of his friends who he often hung out with after school. The pictures were filled with laughter and joy.“Are these your friends?” Lily asked, examining the faces with interest.“Yeah. We’d get together a lot, chat, do homework, or just wander around the city,” Ken replied, remembering the good times with his friends.Lily smiled, picturing him in his world, surrounded by friends and family. Her joy and curiosity were genuine - until her eyes fell on the next photo. It was of one of Ken’s classmates - a beautiful girl with long hair, smiling brightly at the camera.Lily immediately frowned, her cheeks turning slightly pink. “Is she… another friend?” she asked, trying to sound calm, but a hint of tension crept into her voice.Ken, noticing the change in her tone, smirked. “Yeah, she’s one of my classmates. Her name’s Sayaka. Why do you ask?” he said, pretending not to notice her reaction.Lily quickly looked away, her cheeks now burning. “N-no reason, just… curious,” she muttered, avoiding his gaze.Ken, pleased he had stirred such a reaction, scrolled through more photos of his classmates and friends. Nearly all the girls looked like they’d stepped off the cover of a magazine.Lily couldn’t take it anymore. She turned away, her face bright red. “You have… a lot of friends,” she said quietly, her voice tinged with uncertainty.“Well yeah,” Ken replied, leaning a little closer to her. “What’s wrong, Lily? Are you jealous?”Lily shut her eyes, her face turning even redder. “W-what? No, I’m just… just looking,” she stammered, trying to sound indifferent, but her voice betrayed her.Ken laughed, seeing how flustered she was. “Don’t worry,” he said softly. “Out of everyone in my world, there’s no one I’d rather have by my side right now than you.”Lily froze, her heart racing.She tilted her head. “Ken, you’re teasing me again, aren’t you? Admit it!”Ken grinned slyly. “Well, maybe a little. But only because you’re so cute when you get flustered.”