Kyoto, Japan.
In a quiet corner of town lived a high school girl named Yozo. Life had given her a hardship at a very young age that was impossible for her to forget. During middle school, both her parents had died. Since then Yozo lived with her grandmother.
The two of them opened a small restaurant together. The restaurant wasn't big - there was only enough space for five or six people to sit. But it had a different kind of warmth. The sunlight coming from the windows, the food from Dadi's hands and Yozo's smile - all together made that small place special.
The real burden of the restaurant was on Yozo's shoulders. Before going to school in the morning and after returning home in the evening, she used to handle every small and big responsibility. Still, there was never a trace of complaint on her face.
The people of Kyoto liked Yozo very much. For them, she was not just a girl, but an example of courage and hard work.
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One day, while going to school, Yozo saw a small child fall from a cycle. The child's knee was bleeding and he was crying in pain. Yozo immediately ran to him, picked him up and took him to the hospital. After getting him treated, she called the child's parents.
As soon as she came out of the hospital, Yozo remembered that she was getting late for school. She ran quickly and moved ahead on the path. Then her foot slipped... but before she fell, a boy, who was carrying a backpack on his shoulder, caught her waist.
Yozo looked at him, her heart was beating fast.
"Arigatou… you saved me," she said.
The boy smiled. "No problem. By the way, my name is Sota. And yours?"
"I am Yozo," he replied.
After some conversation, Sota took out a piece of paper with an address from his bag.
"Yozo, can you tell me where this place is?"
Yozo saw the address and sat down for a moment. It was the address of his own restaurant. Our restaurant is not that popular, nor do any of Dadi's relatives come here... then who is this boy?
"What are you thinking?" Sota asked her.
Yozo looked at him and said, "Why do you want to go there?"
Sota took a deep breath. "I used to live there in my childhood. There was a girl there, my best friend. But before starting middle school, I had to shift to another place with my parents. After that I never got to meet her."
Yozo's heart started beating fast. He said softly,
"You… are you okay?"
Sota was surprised. "How do you know me?"
A glow appeared on Yozo's face. "Hey! I am here, my friend."
Both of them kept looking at each other silently. Time had changed everything.
Sota had shifted to a hot city, where the hot sun had changed even her face and hair.
And Yozo… earlier she was a girl from a rich family, but after her parents died, her uncle and aunt took away all her wealth. Her lifestyle had completely changed, her body and face were not the same as before.
This is why it took time for both of them to recognize each other.
But as soon as Sota was sure that the girl standing in front of him was his old friend Yozo, he held her tightly in his arms without saying anything.
"Yozo… you are right. Even after so many years," her voice was hoarse.
Yozo also did not want to stop that moment. She also hugged Sota with the same strength.