It was a rainy evening in Shillong. Raghav sat curled up near the window, headphones resting lazily around his neck, Discord open on his laptop. Outside, clouds hung low like they were listening in, just like he was — half-present, half-wandering. It had been a long week of school, and his mind ached for something new.
Scrolling through a gaming Discord server he had joined two days ago, he noticed a new user pop into the chat. Her name was 「 iShani 🍥 」.
A pink flower emoji. A Naruto symbol. Cute.
She had sent a GIF in the general chat — something anime-related, with a sarcastic caption:
"Bro said he's a Hokage but can't even reply to a ping."
People started reacting. Laughing emojis, flames, and one "W" floated in. Raghav smiled faintly and replied with a message.
@iShani "Yo, that was cold 💀💀. Respect."
He didn't expect a reply. But she did.
「 iShani 🍥 」:
"Someone's gotta humble these anime boys 😂"
A pause. Raghav chuckled. Her profile picture was a blurry selfie with an anime filter. He hovered over her name — Mumbai, India. 15. Just one year younger than him.
He didn't know why he did it. Maybe it was boredom. Maybe it was fate.
He clicked on her name.
Private Message – New Conversation
Raghav🖤: "That Naruto GIF actually made my evening. You into anime or just memeing?"
He stared at the screen. Maybe this was weird. Random DMs can be cringe, he thought. But before he could overthink it…
「 iShani 🍥 」 is typing…
Typing…
Stopped.
Typing again…
Ishani:
"Depends. If you say Boruto's better than Naruto, I'm blocking you rn."
Raghav laughed out loud. He typed fast.
Raghav:
"Block me then. Boruto solos 😌✨"
No response for 30 seconds.
Then:
Ishani:
"Blocked."
He grinned. She wasn't serious. This was banter. And it felt... nice. Not the usual dry replies or robotic greetings. It had rhythm. Playfulness.
They kept chatting that night — from Naruto to food to favorite songs. She liked lofi beats when it rained. He liked old Hindi songs his dad listened to. She sent a Spotify link. He sent a meme. Hours passed. Thunder growled outside. Inside, it was soft laughter and glowing screens.
By 1:30 AM, his eyes were burning, but his heart was calm in a way it hadn't been in weeks.
Ishani:
"Okay, I'm gonna sleep. School tomorrow 😭"
Raghav:
"Same. Sleep well, little Naruto hater."
Ishani:
"Shut up Boruto simp 💀"
Ishani:
"…goodnight tho :)"
And just like that, it began.
Not a spark. Not a lightning bolt.
Just a message.
But sometimes, that's all it takes.