Chapter 2 - Back to School, Back to Dreams
Walking through the gates of Nakamura High felt like stepping into a memory Akio hadn't even known he longed for. The familiar hum of students, the chatter carried by the breeze, the faint scent of chalk and cherry blossoms—it all wrapped around him like something lost and suddenly found. He had signed up for school again, and with each step forward, he felt the weight of the past give way to the uncertain promise of his new journey.
The buzz of morning chatter, the faint scent of chalk dust and steamed lunchboxes, the rhythmic squeak of indoor shoes on waxed floors—it was all so ordinary. And yet, to Akio, it was sacred. Every moment a reminder that he'd been given a second chance. A new beginning in the same old world.
He took his seat at the back of Class 1-B, quiet and composed. From the outside, he looked like any other fourteen-year-old. But inside, he carried the weight of thirty-two years—the regrets of adulthood and the calm of hindsight.
Then came the desk.
Dragged across the floor with a groan, followed by an even louder sigh.
"Great. I get to sit next to the quiet, mysterious loner," said a voice dripping with theatrical exasperation.
Akio glanced sideways.
The student was a whirlwind of disheveled hair, crooked glasses, and boundless energy. He plopped down beside Akio, slapped a bento box onto the desk like it was a prized artifact, and grinned as if they'd known each other for years.
"Name's Hikata Yakasuke! Second son of a ramen shop owner and future game show host-slash-scientist-slash-ninja detective!"
Akio blinked. "...That's... ambitious."
"He speaks!" Hikata gasped with mock shock, then gave a slow clap. "I was starting to think you were a highly advanced training robot sent by the government and plus black hair does not suit ya pal."
Despite himself, Akio let out a laugh—a small one, but real. The first in a long time.
From there, the day unfolded with chaotic charm. Hikata tripped over cones in gym class, dramatically shouted lines in literature, and nearly launched a food war during lunch over someone taking the last sandwhich.
But between the nonsense and the noise, Akio saw something sincere in him. A warmth. A kind of relentless optimism Akio had forgotten existed. It wasn't just noise—it was life. Unfiltered and free.
As the final bell rang, Hikata slung an arm around Akio's shoulders like they'd been friends for years.
"Alright, mystery student, I've decided—we're friends now. You're stuck with me. And you need to dye your hair turquoise, because honestly, you've got the vibe of a pharmacist, and that color would totally fit. Think of it as the deal: you get my friendship, I get the new hair. Sounds great, right, Akio?"
Akio smiled—tired, but genuine.
"...Yeah. I think I'm okay with that."
A strange friendship had begun—chaotic, unpredictable, but exactly the kind of energy Akio never knew he needed.
[To be continued in Chapter 3: First Tests, Forgotten Dreams]