"Rinji, you must be about thirty… thirty-six now?"
"Something like that," Rinji smiled.
Though in truth, he was still sixteen.
"Then drinking's not a problem."
"Of course."
"Good."
This time, Kazama Tomohiko spoke up with a smile, pouring beer into Rinji's glass.
At thirty-five, Tomohiko's facial features had grown sharper, and dressed in a suit with glasses, he carried the air of a successful professional.
A sixteen-year-old boy sitting among a group of thirty-five and thirty-six-year-old uncles and aunties, pretending to be their age—Rinji didn't really mind.
Taking a sip of beer, Rinji asked, "By the way, what about Sakakibara? I don't see him."
"Oh? After twenty years, you still remember someone like that?" Tomohiko teased. "Plenty of classmates have forgotten he even existed."
"To be fair, Sakakibara never stood out much."
"He didn't even go to Yomiyama for high school," Naoya said with a laugh. "He moved back to Tokyo then, only kept in touch with me and Kazami. Later he got into a good university, and now he's an associate professor at a university on the Izu Peninsula."
"Not bad."
"And Takeru's now a primary physician at Yomiyama Hospital. Since he stayed in Yomiyama, we'd usually have meals together, but today he had patients so he couldn't come," Naoya explained. "I bet he'd be thrilled to see you too."
"Hahaha, looks like everyone's doing well."
"Yeah, Kazami's doing great too."
Naoya turned and smiled at Tomohiko, who was sipping beer.
"He's already middle management at the bank."
"Not really," Tomohiko adjusted his glasses calmly. "Middle management's tough—gotta please the higher-ups, manage the people below, produce results… and the bank president isn't exactly bright. I doubt I'll last long in this position."
Rinji: "Tomohiko, which bank do you work for?"
Kazama: "A local investment bank under Dai Nippon Bank. You probably heard about what happened—the president, Katahara Metsudo, bizarrely let a high schooler act as president for a couple weeks. That pushed huge pressure down from headquarters to every branch."
Rinji: "…"
Tomohiko sighed.
"Luckily that high schooler didn't cause too much trouble. Otherwise, the blame would've fallen on managers like us."
"Hahaha, you should have more faith in young people."
Seeing Tomohiko's growing irritation, Rinji decided not to mention that it was his recommendation that put Shirogane in that position.
"Kazami, you're already past thirty~"
Maybe it was the alcohol, but Naoya hooked an arm around Kazami's neck, grinning.
"Time you got married, start a family early."
"I'm not interested in settling down," Tomohiko brushed him off. "I just want to rack up some achievements so I can transfer to headquarters sooner."
"You sure it's not because you still can't forget Yukari?"
"You haven't managed to win her heart in twenty years?"
"Shut up! If Rinji hadn't left so soon, would you even have married Izumi?" Tomohiko retorted, blushing.
"Uh…"
"Yukari?" Rinji blinked at the name. "You mean our class rep? How's she doing?"
"Her? After university in Tokyo, she settled there. Seems she's teaching at a school now," Naoya said.
"I see."
"Rinji."
Hearing his name, Rinji looked up.
A handsome middle-aged man stood before him, raising a glass.
"It's been twenty years."
"Yeah, it has."
Rinji rose to clink glasses with him.
Strangely, Rinji felt no memory of this man at all. For him, it had only been two days, so forgetting should've been impossible.
"Good thing you came today, Mochizuki," Naoya laughed. "Otherwise you wouldn't have seen Rinji."
"That's right."
Mochizuki?
Something clicked in Rinji's mind.
"Wait… you're Mochizuki Yuuya?"
"That's me." Mochizuki smiled.
Rinji: "…"
He clearly remembered Mochizuki looking like a cute girl back then. But after twenty years, the change was too drastic—he'd gone from a pretty boy to a mature, handsome man.
Looking at him now, Rinji bowed his head in thought.
"So that's it. The reason people don't see me as manly enough is because I'm still too young. In a few years, I'll grow into a tough guy too."
"Rinji, what are you mumbling about?"
"N-no, nothing."
"By the way, we still don't know what you're doing these days," Naoya suddenly asked. "Are you married yet?"
"Ah… almost."
That was a lie.
He wasn't even of legal age yet.
"Really? Then what kind of work are you doing now? Still traveling around solving supernatural cases?"
"Well…"
In reality, he was just attending high school at Shuchiin Academy.
But he couldn't say that—being in third year twenty years ago and then suddenly first year now was far too strange.
"I… recently set up a pharmaceutical company in Tokyo. I'm basically a shareholder."
"Oh, so you've got a main occupation now."
"…Yeah."
"Then that means you'll be living in Japan long term? If so, we can get together more often," Naoya said happily. "We can even rope in the classmates who missed the reunion this time."
"Yeah."
The meal lasted late into the night, everyone happily chatting about their lives now and their shared past.
Born in the 80s, now all in their thirties, none of them spent a reunion glued to their phones.
Surrounded by mature adults with careers and families, and the kindly Chibiki-sensei watching over them, Rinji joined in their conversations with a faint smile.
No matter what, seeing the people he once protected living happily now meant his efforts hadn't been in vain.
But playing the role of a middle-aged man was only for today.
In a few days, school would start again, and he'd go back to being a high schooler.
They had their lives, and Rinji had his.