It was a normal day in Otheon. Rody didn't have work today so he was just walking around the streets with Pino on his shoulder. The streets were crowded, causing him to have to dodge multiple people just to go into a small grocery store to pick up food for him and his siblings. As he picked up a can of meat, his mind slipped to his childhood friend.

Mizu. She had visited Otheon back when they were both around five years old. He didn't know what a Japanese kid was doing in a town like Otheon but he wasn't complaining. The few months of her visiting had been the happiest months of his life. For once, he had a friend who didn't care about the fact that his dad worked for Humarise. He had a friend who cared about him and not his past.

This happiness was very short lived as she had to return back to Japan after a few months. But before she left, she promised Rody that she'd be back. She even gave him a silver necklace with a sapphire pendant that matched her eyes. Even though he knew the necklace would fetch quite a bit of money, he never dared to sell it since it was his only memory of her, a reminder that she was real and not someone he just made up to cope with his past. He never wore the necklace in fear that it would get stolen. He kept it in his closet instead, thinking of her everyday.

He didn't know why he was suddenly thinking of her, since it was usually only in the morning when he'd think of her. But he didn't exactly try to push the memories away. It made him feel at peace knowing that she'd be back.

After he paid for the groceries and went back to the street, he wondered when Mizu would visit. He was 16, and he estimated Mizu was around that age. So that meant that it was 11 years since she left.

He decided not to dwell on it as he walked through the streets, Pino chirping on his shoulder. He wasn't exactly paying attention to the crowd but his head snapped up when someone with a familiar presence passed him.

Mizu?!

He couldn't be too sure. It was too crowded.