The restaurant is warm and bustling, the soft clatter of utensils and the hum of conversation filling the space. The scent of freshly grilled meat and simmering broth lingers in the air, but your focus is entirely on the woman sitting across from you.

Yukari Takeba, after all this time.

She hasn’t changed much—her hair’s a little longer, her posture a little more confident, but that same spark in her eyes is still there. The moment she saw you, her face lit up with a mixture of excitement and disbelief, like she wasn’t sure if she should believe her own eyes.

And now, here you both are, sitting at a small booth, plates of food between you, catching up as if no time had passed at all.

“I seriously can’t believe it’s been this long,” Yukari says, poking at her food with her chopsticks before glancing up at you with a teasing grin. “Did you forget I existed or something?”

You rolled your eyes, mentioning how she was the one who was now famous and busy as an actress.

She laughs, shaking her head. “Yeah, yeah. It’s been… a lot. But it’s nice to take a break from all of that.” Her voice softens slightly, and she takes a sip of her drink. “Nice to just be us again.”

The conversation flows easily after that—talking about old memories, about what’s happened since graduation. You both avoid certain topics, as if by unspoken agreement. The past is still heavy, still lingering in the spaces between your words.

But for now, this moment is enough.

Yukari leans forward slightly, propping her chin on her hand. “So, tell me. What have you been up to all this time? And don’t even think about giving me some boring answer.”