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The voice of Nene could be heard through Rui’s window. It was slightly muffled, but Rui knew it was hers.
His purple catlike drone flew over to Nene’s house. Wheeling his joystick, he used it to knock on her window.
The hours of darkness were nothing to Nene, as she spent the night practising a certain song for the troupe’s next performance. She had been doing this a lot. She hadn’t been getting enough sleep lately, and this worried Rui quite a bit.
As she was about to reach a high note, the knock on her window interrupted her.
She pushed her curtains aside and opened the window. When the drone entered the room, she closed it.
“What is it, Rui?” There was a sharp tone in her voice. Of course, who wouldn’t be annoyed if someone interrupted you in the middle of a singing session?
“Nene,” Rui’s drone turned to face her. “You’ve been practising late at night again.”
“I told you not to worry about my health.” She reached for the glass of water placed on her desk. “I’m fine, Rui.”
Rui ignored what she said. “You’ve been getting little to no sleep at all. All your hardwork will lead to nothing if you collapse on the stage tomorrow because of fatigue.”
Rui’s voice was soft. It already told how much he cared for Nene’s wellbeing.
There were times wherein Rui would be the one taking care of her, if not her parents. He’d knock on her door, and bring her food and medicine whenever she was sick. He’d also send her a message frequently, asking her to check up on her temperature. Sometimes, she’d wake up and even see Rui sitting beside her bed, like he was some kind of butler ready to assist her.
Nene’s sickness wasn’t the only time Rui showed his care for her. In fact, he showed it every day. From walking home with her to giving her words of consultation whenever she needed it. He was always there for her.
And should the robot he made for her even be mentioned? He sacrificed a tremendous amount of time and effort just to create a robot that would help her with her anxiety.
Rui cared about her.
Rui loved her.
“Alright, I’ll sleep.” She put the glass down after drinking. “Just one more practice.”
“Good!” Rui chirped. Nene could imagine the happy face he was making right now; the corners of her lips tugged a small smile.
She closed her eyes and opened her mouth, ready to sing again. Before a sound could come out of her throat, Rui spoke again.
“Ah, do you mind opening your window? I want to hear your voice a lot clearer.” The drone moved next to the curtains. “I’ll pretend to be your audience.”
Nene nodded, accepting his request. She opened her window again, and saw Rui waving at her from across his own window.
She smiled at him, and returned to singing.
Nene stood at the centre of her bedroom; she glanced at her stuffed toys as she did so. They looked like they were captivated by the sweet melody of her voice.
Rui was too. He wondered, did her voice always sound this magical? Why did it sound different compared to before? Ah, maybe he was just starting to feel sleepy? …Did that even make sense?
After a short while, Nene’s singing ended.
“How did that sound?” She looked at the drone. “It wasn’t that bad, right?”
The drone didn’t reply.
“Rui?” She walked closer. “Did that sound alright?”
The drone still didn’t reply.
“Are you still there?” She tilted her head.
She waited for a couple of seconds, but no voice could be heard from it. Which is why she decided to walk back to her window again and check up on Rui.
When she did so, her eyes widened.
Rui was there; his head on his desk. He was peacefully sleeping with a smile on his face.
He fell asleep to Nene’s voice.