The train's whistle blew, warning us that we were approaching. I sat with my companions—no sound, not a word. The train stopped, and we disembarked, grabbing our bags. We started to move, but Misaki didn't.
We stopped. "Misaki, why aren't you moving?"
She answered, "There is a place we must visit first."
We were all surprised, but asked, "Where is this place?"
She replied, "Rin's house."
At Rin's house, her mother was sipping tea and gazing at a picture of her daughter. "Oh, Rin..." Suddenly, she heard knocking at the door. She went out to check and found Rin's friends, so she invited them in.
"Hello, Rin's mother," Misaki said.
"Welcome, please come in," she replied.
We headed towards Rin's picture, remembering the past and wishing for her to rest in peace. After we finished, Rin's mother told us that Rin had been planning a reunion before she passed away, but... well, what happened, happened.
Misaki spoke up, "We are the ones who should have taken the initiative."
Rin's mother said, "It's fine. Now, tell me, which universities did you get into? I want to know; I haven't seen you since high school."
Each of us began telling her about our universities. We chatted, but when it was mentioned that Park and Eri were dating, she laughed and said, "They don't suit each other." However, she was surprised to hear that Eri had changed.
"So, she changed?"
"Yes, everyone has changed."
"Hey Kaito, do you visit my daughter's grave or not?" she asked.
I answered, "She never leaves my mind, so how could I forget something like that?"
She continued, "I know. My daughter told me that even if everyone else forgot her, you would be the one to remember."
Kaito's eyes filled with tears. "And I always will."
Rin's mother got up, went into a room, and brought out envelopes containing messages. She gave one to each of us. Misaki opened her envelope and found:
"You are the friend I cannot give up on. So, this is my number—write it down and save it, because I'll be waiting for your call after we meet following this long absence."
In a quiet voice, Misaki whispered, "Rin..."
Then she gave Kaito a folded paper and said, "My daughter threw this paper away while she was writing her diary. I kept it because she sometimes looked for things she discarded."
Kaito opened it and read: "I kissed him and pretended to be brave, but inside, I..."
The message ended there. Kaito remembered that this kiss was their first, back when they were working on a project. And so, that memory returned.
"Ugh, I'm tired, Rin. Why do we have to stay up late like this for the project? I'm comfortable at our university, why do we have to leave it?"
Rin replied, "Huh? To see friends, of course! I've missed them."
"What? But we have friends here—Wang, Song, and Mia."
"Hah, they are our friends, but don't you miss the past when we were all together?"
"Yes, I miss it, but I don't have any energy left. Shall we continue tomorrow?"
"You have no energy? Hmm... you say you have no energy? Then what about this?"
In an unexpected moment, and without warning, Rin kissed Kaito's cheek, making him feel strange and pull back.
"R-Rin? Was that a k-kiss?"
Rin laughed. "What? Is your heart that weak? Yes, aren't you my boyfriend and aren't we dating?"
Kaito said, "Yes, but that was the first one. Let's do it again."
Rin's ears turned red. "What are you saying? It's over! Also, I see you're feeling energized now, so let's continue."
"Hey, don't change the subject! Besides, there are no supplies left to finish the project."
"Then let's go buy them."
"Huh? At this hour? It's already late."
"Don't argue. I've made my decision and I won't back down."
Kaito was forced to go with Rin. They boarded the train and sat down. The train was nearly empty, so a sense of calm filled the place.
Kaito spoke, "So, what are you going to get?"
She answered, "Since we're getting some electronic equipment, why don't we go to a few other places first?"
Kaito looked at her. "You say 'some places,' but it's basically late."
"Yes."
"Rin, you're tired too, but the principle of equality between men and women makes you refuse to admit it."
"Yes, you know me."
"Rin, no matter how much you try to be equal with us, it's impossible. Not because we are better than you, but because you are attempting a role that isn't yours."
"Huh? Really? Like what?"
"Simply because when you get scared or want someone to support you, you always look for a man, don't you?"
Rin couldn't reply, so he continued, "And us too... when we need tenderness, we look for either a mother or a lover."
"Now, you wanted to go to some places. What are they?"
Rin looked at him. "Since you asked, that's easy. First, we'll go drink coffee at this cafe. Then to a doll shop."
"Why are we buying a doll?"
"For a reason you'll know later. And we will also go to a photo booth to take a picture, and it will be the best picture."
"It doesn't necessarily have to be the best."
"Yes, it isn't supposed to be the best for everyone, but for me, it is always the best."
"Huh, okay. The train has stopped, so let's go."
We walked a little until we reached a cafe and ordered Americanos. Rin took a small sip.
"Ah, it's sweet and refreshes the brain. What about you?"
"It is. And now, I want to talk to you about something."
Rin was surprised. "What is it?"
"Well, the thing is... your bag isn't with you."
"Huh? What? You're wrong, my bag is with me."
Rin reached out her hand but didn't find the bag. Rin cried out, "The bag! I bought it a week ago with my part-time job money!"
Kaito stopped her. "It was a joke! A joke! Here it is, I have it. I was kidding."
Rin grabbed the bag and started hitting Kaito. "You idiot! Do you know how much it cost?"
Kaito yelled in pain, "Calm down! Besides, you left it on the train. If I hadn't noticed, you would have lost it. Also, how did you not feel that the bag wasn't with you all this time?"
"I don't know, I thought you were carrying it or something."
"Liar. You forgot it and refuse to admit it."
Rin hit him again. "So what if I did? Being my boyfriend, you are supposed to correct my mistakes."
"Huh? Am I an eraser or what? Stop whining and let's go, we have other things to do."
"Let's go. Also... thank you for that."
"Oh, for what?"
"Never mind, let's go."