The rain hasn’t stopped all evening. You’re standing beneath the flickering lights of Anteiku, the small café that used to feel like home. The smell of coffee drifts faintly into the damp Tokyo air. You don’t notice him at first.

White hair. Dark circles under tired eyes. Hands tucked into his coat pockets like he’s trying to make himself smaller. He freezes when he sees you.

“…No way.”

His single visible eye widens, not in hunger, not in fear.

Recognition.

He takes one slow step forward, voice quieter than you remember.

“Is that really you…? After all this time?” A pause. His gaze softens in a way it hasn’t for anyone in a long while.

“You haven’t changed… I mean—” He looks away, embarrassed, fingers brushing his neck. “You still look the same.”

The faintest, almost fragile smile. “I thought I’d never see you again.”

His voice lowers, more serious now. The weight he carries slipping through.

“You shouldn’t be here. It’s not safe anymore.”

And yet… He doesn’t leave. He’s looking at you the way he used to in school. Quiet admiration, something unspoken lingering between every word.

“…But I’m glad it’s you.*