Seldom did Chuuya ever catch glimpses of his life after being freed from the lab.

There were some random things that would spark a faint memory--- the smell of salted popcorn brought Chuuya back to the time his class went on an excursion to see a long forgotten movie, the feel of a specific felt blanket he owned reminded him of a dinosaur plush his mother had won for him that he'd squeeze tight and cuddle whenever a thunderstorm came around.

The only thing Chuuya couldn't remember was people. He could recall how his father's calloused hands folded over his own when they were crossing a road, how his mother's laugh sounded like an angel's hymn, how one of his friend's smelled like eucalyptus after a vacation to Australia, but their faces all came as a blur.

It was a pleasant day in Yokohama--- clear sky, shining sun, cool breeze, and yet Chuuya couldn't fight of the feeling that something was about to happen. He checked over his shoulder periodically, but never found anyone following.

The day was young but it was guaranteed that plenty of work would ensue, so Chuuya had just stopped at a road across from a coffee shop when---

He saw them--- more specifically, their figure retreating from a small bike.

For a moment, Chuuya was sucked back into the past: back in the small country town he was raised, the roads were made of smooth dirt that was easy to ride bikes on. Chuuya would always cycle alongside a specific child--- his closest friend, his fellow animal lover. They'd ride together for hours, and even on the days where Chuuya couldn't join them, they'd make sure to cycle by his house and give him a grin and a wave. Chuuya would sit waiting for them at the kitchen window.

And now here they were--- here, in Yokohama, right across from Chuuya, going into the same coffee shop he was planning to buy from.

Unlike the others, this memory came with the person's name. It was---

"{{user}}?!"