A Chance Encounter

Years had passed since Haru Takahashi’s sudden departure from Koganei. Akemi Tanaka had graduated from high school with top honors and was now preparing for her first day at Tokyo University. The city’s vibrancy was overwhelming yet exhilarating—so different from the calm and simplicity of her old neighborhood. She had matured in these years, but one thing remained constant: her dedication to her goals.

Life at university was fast-paced, with new faces, new challenges, and new opportunities. Aiko Yamamoto, still the extroverted force of energy she always had been, had followed Akemi to the same university. The two girls had been inseparable for as long as anyone could remember. Aiko, as cheerful as ever, would often drag Akemi to social events, insisting she “loosen up” and meet new people. Akemi, though introverted, valued her friendship with Aiko more than anything else.

“Akemi, come on! It’s our first week! You can’t just study all the time,” Aiko teased, her bright eyes practically glowing with excitement. “There’s this welcome event tonight. Everyone will be there. Including Shota!”

“Shota’s here too?” Akemi asked, surprised. She hadn’t seen Shota since high school, but she remembered how close they had been as friends. They’d always been comfortable around each other—Shota’s easy-going personality complemented her calm nature.

“Yes! He’s doing sports science,” Aiko grinned, her voice full of mischief. “And you’ll never guess who else is on campus…”

Akemi’s curiosity was piqued, but she shrugged nonchalantly. “Who?”

Before Aiko could respond, her phone buzzed, and she waved the question off. “You’ll see tonight. Come on, you’re coming, right?”

Despite her reservations, Akemi agreed. She had been too absorbed in her studies for too long—maybe it wouldn’t hurt to reconnect with old friends and take a break.

---

That evening, the welcome event was bustling with activity. The courtyard of Tokyo University was filled with students, chatting, laughing, and exchanging introductions. Akemi, standing on the fringes of the crowd, felt slightly out of place. Aiko, as usual, was in the center of attention, animatedly talking to a group of new acquaintances.

As Akemi scanned the sea of faces, she caught sight of Shota, standing by the refreshments table, laughing with a few friends. Aiko waved energetically in his direction, urging Akemi to follow her.

“Akemi! It’s been forever!” Shota called out as she approached. His familiar grin immediately put her at ease. They exchanged a few words, catching up on each other's lives, but it was hard for Akemi to concentrate. Her thoughts kept drifting back to Aiko’s cryptic comment from earlier.

And then, as if fate itself had intervened, Akemi’s gaze fell on a figure standing near the entrance to the courtyard.

Haru Takahashi.

Akemi’s heart skipped a beat, and she blinked, unsure if her eyes were playing tricks on her. He stood there, quietly observing the crowd, much like he had done all those years ago in high school. But this was a different Haru. He looked older, more refined, but his serious demeanor was unchanged. He still had that air of calm confidence that had always intrigued her.

Aiko caught Akemi staring and smirked. “I told you, didn’t I?”

Akemi barely registered Aiko’s words as she continued to stare at Haru. The flood of emotions surprised her—she hadn’t thought about him in a long time, but now that he was here, all the memories came rushing back. The sudden departure. The unanswered questions. The unfinished chapter of their friendship.

Haru, noticing her gaze, finally locked eyes with her. For a moment, everything else faded away. His expression was unreadable, but Akemi couldn’t help but feel like there was something he wanted to say, something that had been left unsaid all those years ago.

Before she could react, Aiko nudged her playfully. “Go say hi. It’s been, what, four years?”

Akemi hesitated. She wasn’t sure what she would say or if Haru even wanted to talk to her after all this time. But before she could make up her mind, Haru was already making his way over to her.

“Akemi,” he said softly, his voice deeper than she remembered, but still familiar. “It’s been a while.”

She nodded, still processing the fact that he was standing in front of her. “Yeah… a long time.”

There was a brief, awkward silence between them. Haru shifted his weight slightly, as if unsure how to continue. Akemi, always calm and composed, found herself struggling to keep her emotions in check. This was the person who had left without a word, and yet, seeing him now made her realize how much she had missed their quiet friendship.

“I didn’t expect to see you here,” Haru finally said, breaking the silence. “I heard you were at Tokyo University, but… I didn’t know we’d end up on the same campus.”

“I didn’t know you were here either,” Akemi replied, her voice soft but steady. “I thought you stayed back in your hometown.”

“I did, for a while,” Haru explained. “But after some time, I decided to come back and finish my studies. My mother’s doing better now, so I had the chance to return.” He paused, his eyes studying her face. “How have you been?”

“I’ve been good,” Akemi answered, though she wasn’t sure if that was entirely true. Seeing Haru again had stirred up feelings she hadn’t even realized she’d buried. “You?”

Haru nodded. “Same. It’s been… complicated, but I’m managing.”

Before the conversation could go any further, Shota appeared, throwing an arm around Haru’s shoulders with a grin. “Look at this! The whole gang’s back together again.”

The lighthearted interruption broke the tension, and Haru gave Shota a small smile. “Good to see you, Shota.”

Aiko, always the social butterfly, was quick to join the conversation. “We need to do something to celebrate this reunion. How about we grab dinner together tomorrow? The four of us?”

Shota and Aiko exchanged excited glances, clearly on board with the idea, but Akemi hesitated. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to dive back into this old dynamic, especially with Haru in the picture now. But before she could voice her doubts, Haru nodded in agreement.

“Sure. That sounds good,” he said, his gaze flicking back to Akemi as if waiting for her response.

Caught off guard, Akemi found herself nodding along. “Yeah, okay.”

---

The next day, the four of them met at a small ramen shop near campus. The atmosphere was much more relaxed than the previous night, with Shota and Aiko providing plenty of laughs and lighthearted banter. Haru, while quieter, seemed more at ease, and Akemi found herself slipping back into her old role as the listener, content to watch her friends interact.

But every now and then, she would catch Haru watching her, his expression unreadable. It was as if he was trying to figure her out all over again, and Akemi wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

As the evening wore on, the group split into pairs—Shota and Aiko off to one side, talking animatedly about their classes, while Haru and Akemi ended up sitting by the window, the city lights flickering outside.

“I’m sorry I left the way I did,” Haru said suddenly, his voice low enough that only Akemi could hear. “I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye.”

Akemi looked at him, surprised by the apology. It was something she had long accepted, but hearing him acknowledge it brought back memories of the confusion and sadness she had felt back then.

“It’s okay,” she said, though part of her still felt the sting of that abrupt departure. “I understand why you had to leave.”

Haru’s eyes softened. “I wanted to say goodbye. But everything happened so quickly…”

Akemi nodded, her heart heavy with the weight of things unsaid. There was so much more she wanted to ask him, but she didn’t know where to begin.

“Do you think…” Haru started, hesitating for a moment before continuing. “Do you think we could start over? As friends?”

Akemi glanced down at her drink, unsure of how to respond. They had been friends once, but so much time had passed. Could they really go back to the way things were?

But then she looked up at him, seeing the sincerity in his eyes, and realized that maybe it didn’t have to be the same. Maybe it could be something new.

“Yeah,” she said softly, offering him a small smile. “I think we can.”

**End of Episode 2**

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