Episode 1: The Night of the Class Reunion

On Friday night, Sayo Matsubara pushed open the door of an izakaya near the station. The smell of fried food and the sound of laughter rushed over her all at once, making something deep in her chest lift ever so slightly. On the blackboard by the entrance, written in white chalk, were the words: Class 3-C Reunion. She quietly wiped the sweat from her palm against the lining of her bag.

A staff member led her to the tatami room in the back, where she was immediately greeted by a flood of familiar faces and names. Everyone was dressed in suits or neat casual clothes, as though the twelve years that had passed had carefully refined each of them.

“…Matsubara?”

A low, familiar voice came from behind her.

Sayo turned around.

Standing there was Haruki Koyama.

It wasn’t so much that he had grown taller as that his posture had improved. His back was straight, and the suit suited him perfectly. His tie was a calm navy blue, very much in keeping with the serious boy she remembered.

“…It’s been a while, Koyama-kun.”

The moment she said it aloud, something inside her chest gave a faint little jump.

His eyes softened into a smile, and for just a brief moment, their gazes met.

Twelve years ago, he had sat diagonally in front of her in the same classroom. Even back then, simply hearing him call her name had been enough to make her breathing catch.

“Have you been well?”

“Yeah. Um… how about you, Koyama-kun?”

“I’ve been good. What kind of work are you doing now?”

“I… work as an administrative assistant at a dispensing pharmacy. What about you?”

“I’m in sales at a trading company.”

As she spoke, Sayo noticed that her voice had risen just slightly.

Haruki’s gaze was directed straight at her. There was something comforting about that earnestness, and at the same time, it made her feel strangely self-conscious.

Even the way his fingertips brushed condensation from his glass overlapped with the image of the “Koyama-kun” she remembered.

“Haruki-kuuun! Come take a picture with us! Over here!”

At the cheerful voice, Sayo’s shoulders tensed slightly.

She turned to see a group of women waving smartphones and beckoning him over.

Haruki glanced at Sayo for just a second. His expression seemed hesitant, but still polite.

“Sorry, I’ll be right back. Let’s talk again later.”

“Okay. Go ahead.”

He gave her a small nod and was quickly swallowed up by the group of women.

A camera flash burst white for an instant, followed by overlapping laughter.

Sayo stared down at the surface of her glass.

The ice clinked softly.

For some reason, the sound seemed to match the quiet restlessness inside her chest.

“Matsubara, right? Remember me? Eita Saito.”

A bright voice came from beside her.

She turned and saw a broad-shouldered man smiling widely. Even beneath the cardigan worn over his T-shirt, his well-built physique was obvious. His hair was short, and cheerful wrinkles gathered at the corners of his eyes.

“…Ah, it’s been a while.”

“Long time no see! Wow, you’ve really changed. You look more mature now, I guess? You’ve got this whole atmosphere about you.”

Unused to being complimented like that, Sayo felt her cheeks grow warm, as though someone had tickled a spot she didn’t know was sensitive.

Without hesitation, he sat down beside her and called out to a staff member.

“Excuse me! Could we get some fried chicken and potato salad over here too?”

His energy seemed to brighten the entire room.

“Saito-kun, what do you do now?”

“I’m a trainer at a gym. I’ve always liked working out. What about you, Matsubara?”

“I do administrative work at a pharmacy. Entering prescriptions, calculating insurance payments, things like that.”

“Oh, wow. Sounds reliable. If I catch a cold, can I come see you?”

“Sure, of course. …Actually, don’t catch a cold.”

Sayo surprised herself with how lightly the response came out.

Around him, words seemed to slip naturally from her mouth, as though his easygoing energy pushed them forward.

He was the kind of person who scattered smiles around like lucky charms, she thought.

At the end of the table, the organizer was holding up raffle prizes and getting everyone excited.

Beyond the circle of people taking photos, Haruki was still surrounded by women, smiling.

Click.

Sayo quickly looked away.

She didn’t need to watch, yet the sleeve of his suit kept flickering at the edge of her vision.

Something deep in her chest went cold for just a moment.

“Hey, by the way.”

Eita took out his phone and unlocked it with his thumb.

“Since we ran into each other again, want to exchange contact info? We could grab dinner sometime.”

The suggestion was casual, wholesome, and perfectly natural.

There was no reason to refuse.

Sayo nodded and took out her own phone. She rubbed away a fingerprint smudge with her thumb and opened the contact-sharing screen.

“Can we do it with AirDrop?”

“Yeah… ah, wait. Your name showed up.”

“This one’s me.”

Their phones moved closer together and made a short beep.

For just an instant, Eita’s fingertip brushed against Sayo’s.

The difference in their body temperatures shot through her with the sharpness of a needle.

Her heart skipped.

Sayo reflexively caught her breath.

“Sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. …Did it send?”

“Yeah, I got it. Look.”

On the screen were the characters for Eita Saito, along with a small smiling profile icon.

Still grinning, he said, “I’ll send you a sticker,” and sent one of an energetic rabbit giving a high five.

The rabbit bounced around on the screen.

Sayo’s lips loosened into a smile as well.

“Oh, let’s take a picture too. Since we’re here.”

“Okay.”

The two leaned their shoulders closer together while Sayo adjusted her bangs with one hand.

Eita’s arm naturally started to move behind her back, but the moment he noticed, he subtly adjusted the distance between them.

His thoughtfulness lingered in the space between them, a kind of gentleness created precisely because he chose not to touch her.

Click.

When Sayo looked at herself on the screen, she seemed happier than she had expected.

At that moment, something bright caught the edge of her vision.

Across the room, still surrounded by women, Haruki was facing the camera when he suddenly seemed to glance in her direction.

Just for an instant.

Sayo thought their eyes had met.

The next moment, he was smiling and making a peace sign again as the camera light illuminated him.

Was he looking at me?

Careful not to let anyone notice the thought crossing her mind, Sayo smiled and tapped the mute button on her phone.

Then she went back to the previous photo.

There she was, smiling with Eita, their shoulders close together.

Ah.

She understood.

From a distance, they probably just looked like “two people having a great time together.”

“So, are you going to the after-party tonight?”

Eita asked innocently.

“Hmm… I have an early shift tomorrow, so probably not.”

Even as she spoke, Sayo carefully avoided moving her gaze.

Every time Haruki’s profile appeared somewhere in the noise across the room, her heart beat irregularly.

That first call of “Matsubara?” was still lingering in her ears.

Eventually, the organizer began the closing speech, and the atmosphere of the room gradually came together as one.

“Class 3-C is the best!”

Someone shouted, prompting a spontaneous round of applause.

Sayo clapped along.

Somehow, it felt as though the contact information she had just exchanged carried a strange weight in the palm of her hand.

A line formed at the register, and everyone began moving toward the entrance.

While putting on her shoes, Sayo happened to look up.

Near the entrance, Haruki was smiling and saying, “See you,” to the women around him.

His gaze drifted toward her.

Sayo gave a small bow.

He seemed to nod back briefly.

Maybe she had imagined it.

But even that was enough.

Once they stepped outside, Eita casually spoke while holding his phone.

“Sayo-chan, let’s really go out for dinner sometime. I’ll invite you soon.”

His tone wasn’t pushy at all.

It was refreshing and natural, the kind of invitation that was difficult to reject.

“Yeah. Thanks.”

When she replied, he smiled in satisfaction before being called over by his friends and walking away.

Her phone vibrated inside her pocket.

A reunion album is up!

It was a notification from the group LINE chat.

Among the list of participants was the name Haruki Koyama.

It was perfectly ordinary.

And yet Sayo felt her heartbeat quicken just a little.

Maybe this would end as nothing more than an ordinary class reunion.

Or maybe it wouldn’t.

Somewhere inside her chest, she imagined the faint sound of a thin page being turned.

The scent of a brand-new page.

Sayo breathed in the night air and slowly exhaled.

The traffic light in front of the station turned green.

Inside the still brightly lit restaurant, Haruki was finishing his payment when, for just a moment, his eyes followed the two figures beyond the door.

Sayo knew nothing about that.

She only felt, for some reason, as though the lingering trace of someone’s gaze had gently touched her back.

Unconsciously, she drew her shoulders in.

Even so, her steps felt light.

Inside her pocket, her phone now held a newly registered contact:

Eita Saito.

And there, faintly among the names in the group chat, was:

Haruki Koyama.

The night of their first reunion in twelve years had undoubtedly begun to set something into motion.