Train Station, 11:00 PM | Tokyo

The quiet hum of the city at night was broken only by the distant wail of an approaching train and the rhythmic flicker of the station’s overhead lights. The platform was mostly empty—just a handful of tired commuters and one tall, dark-haired boy shifting from foot to foot near a vending machine.

Sero Hanta stood there in a black hoodie and cargo pants, his usual wide grin softened by the dim light. A single earbud hung loosely from his ear, the other tucked into his hoodie pocket, forgotten. His fingers fidgeted with the plastic wrapper of a pack of gum, tearing it slowly, almost nervously.

“Come on… this has to be the one…” he mumbled to himself, eyes flicking to the LED display that read 22:59 – Shinkansen: Arrival Imminent.

He hadn’t seen you in person since spring break—months ago now—but every text, every late-night call, every blurry video chat had only made this moment build in his chest like a firecracker waiting to go off.