Len only brought the important stuff he needed on his rucksack. He had a supply of clothes at his grandparents so he didn't have to take those he had in his house there. As he waited for the train to arrive, he scrolled through his WhatsApp contacts while listening to music through his headphones when he stumbled on Miku's name. Her profile picture was of a cute little kitten which looked like hers as half of her face was visible in the picture. He gave a slight smile at her silliness. He looked at her 'last seen'. It was a time before they met that night. He half expected her to text him farewell or something. He wished for something that was less likely to happen. He hesitated on whether to text her farewell too, but his ego overwhelmed him.

Len slid his phone back inside his pocket when he heard the announcement that his train was to arrive in a few seconds. Lining up to get inside as the train arrived, he entered when something caught his eye seconds before he was in the train. He swore he saw Miku at the corner of his eye, or at least he thought that person looked like her. Taking a seat at the half empty car, he craned his neck over to the car where he thought she entered. He couldn't see anyone similar to Miku. He shook his head and tried to shake off thoughts of Miku.

It was a long train ride to where he went. He took the earliest train that departed so that he wouldn't be arriving there in the middle of the night or anything. With the train having to make 10 stops, along with possibilities of delay due to the weather, it could take, give or take, 10 hours. Len was proud of himself for being smart enough to have brought food supplies enough for the 10 hours. It was then he realised that eating wasn't allowed inside the car. He bit his lower lip in frustration and buried his face in his hands, stifling a frustrated groan.

Len sighed. He decided to put on his headphones and listen to his music when a notification from twitter popped up. He stood upright when he saw that the girl he had a crush on accepted his follow request and requested to follow him back. He accepted her request instantly. He then realised she didn't even know who he was. His profile picture was of his cat. He didn't even mention any details of himself. All that crush vanished in an instant when he knew what she was like.

The girl was taking the same course as him. Len could only eye from afar without anyone noticing. Well, no one notices him anyway. She always smiled and was respectful to other people. She helped anyone who asked her questions. She stood up for others when they were in trouble. Was all of that a facade? Did she just wanted attention? Len decided to observe her for a while. He couldn't let himself jump to conclusions. Sighing again, he closed his eyes and let himself be swayed in his sleep playlist. He set an alarm for him to wake up in 2 hours interval so that he wouldn't miss his stop or anything.

Len arrived in his hometown just past dusk. He took a deep breath and scanned his surroundings. The snow thickened as it started to fall heavily. The drastic temperature change was expected. He'd been here too many times he knew the place by heart. Len looked towards where bikes were supposed to park. His was still there, locked safely. A little dusty, but it looked unharmed. Crimes don't usually happen in these parts. Taking out the keys stashed somewhere in his wallet, he unlocked the bike locker and wiped off the dust with some tissues. Checking whether it was still rideable, which it was, he rode the bicycle to where his grandparents' house was.

The night lights were on, and the vicinity became silent. The streets and roads were left empty, giving off an eerie vibe. The townspeople don't really go out much at night. Len recalled it was because of an old tradition or something. Their house wasn't much. It was the size of an old cabin cottage, with two floors, and it was entirely made out of wood, except the roof, and windows. Len reached the doorstep and knocked on the door. The usual caretaker, Fukase, opened the door. Len became friends with Fukase over the years. He took care of Len's grandparents like they were his own for more than 10 years. He was like Len's childhood friend. Fukase didn't want to go to school, even if Len insisted. He said he was sincere in looking after Len's grandparents. Len couldn't force him anyway. He smiled brightly when he saw Len at the door, his ruby hair swaying in the light winter gust.

"Kagamine!"

Len was still having a hard time with Fukase calling him that. Len told him just to call him by his own name, but he insisted that Kagamine was much cooler. He still couldn't make any sense out of it.

"Hey! How's it going?" Len went in after giving him a bro-hug.

"Oh, the usual. Peaceful as ever," Fukase shrugged.

"Where is ojii-san and obaa-san?"

"Oh, we were just about to have dinner. Come on, put your bag in the living room first."

His grandparents were already in their seats, ready for Fukase's dinner. Len rushed over to them and gave a tight hug. "Jii-san, baa-san!"

"Oh, it's our dear Len. Welcome home. We've missed you so much dear. Come, join us for dinner."

"I've missed you too." Len took a seat next to Fukase's.

"What happened? You are not usually this late," asked his ojii-san.

"The snowstorm was heavier than I thought. We had to stop for a few hours because the driver's route was unclear."

"Oh, I'm thankful nothing bad happened to you," said his ojii-san.

"It's okay jii-san, I'm here now."

"And we are thankful for that dear." Len's baa-san gave a smile, holding Len's hands.

"Come on, the food's gonna cool down if you keep this going," Fukase joked, taking his seat next to Len. They ate Fukase's chicken stew with rice while hearing Len's stories.

"What? Why would you think she's like that?" said Fukase.

Len told him about the girl he had a crush on accepting his Twitter request. They were in Len's room, Fukase helping Len to unpack.

"I... I don't really know."

"Oh come on, Kagamine. If you really wanna make a move, then you have to mean it. Not by putting on a cat's picture."

"You know how I am, don't you?"

Fukase shook his head. "I could never convince you to make friends with other people after what happened, do I?" He leaned on the wall beside the window and folded his arms. Len suddenly remembered Miku.

"Actually... I kinda have one..." Len ruffled his hair and turned his head down in embarrassment, his voice thinning at the end.

"What do you mean 'kinda'?" Fukase raised his brows.

"Well, she.. uh..."

"Oh... it's a 'she'... No wonder..."

"You know what, talking to you isn't doing any good."

"Okay, I was just kidding! So who is she?"

"She's just a customer I met on my part-time work at the restaurant. She asked me to go for a drink after I finished my shift. We talked, and... exchanged numbers... and said goodbye."

"A girl asking that to a guy. Oh, Kagamine, what am I going to do with you..." Fukase facepalmed.

"Hey, at least I have someone else to talk to now besides you."

Fukase suddenly went silent, seeming to remember something. "Kagamine..."

"What, why are you suddenly speaking like that?"

"I'm leaving. Tomorrow. To the city. I want to study and go to school."

Len stopped what he was doing on his bed and faced Fukase, speechless. There was a ton of questions he wanted to ask Fukase. Why and why and why. But those are the questions that he already knew the answer to. He just sat there in silence and stared at Fukase. Len understood more than anyone else why. "I see." It was the only thing that came out of his mouth.

"Someone else will be replacing me. She'll come tomorrow morning around 12 after I leave."

"I see."

Fukase threw his hands and rolled his eyes. " 'I see'?"

"Well what do you want me to say?"

They both went silent again.

"I'll catch up with you soon in college, Kagamine."

"I'll be waiting."

"Come on, let's get these other stuff out . I don't wanna be late for tomorrow."

"Are you sure you don't need any other stuff?"

Len was full of worries. Worried that Fukase might not get a job. Worried that he might not get the money to get settled. Len forced Fukase to take the money he gave him to get settled. Len's grandparents also gave Fukase some.

"For the last time, Kagamine, I'm sure. What you gave was more than enough. So stop worrying, for God's sake."

"Take care of yourself, boy," Len's ojii-san said.

"Stop by here anytime you like. We will be missing you," said Len's obaa-san.

"I will. You were the ones who took care of me more than I took care of you."

"Fukase..."

The taxi they called for arrived. Len helped Fukase put his belongings in the trunk. Len and Fukase stood in front of the taxi door in silence.

"So... this is it," said Len.

"Come here. You know you want to give me a hug." Fukase opened his arms wide and gave Len a hug. Len gave a small laugh and patted Fukase's back. For some reason, it wasn't as awkward as Len thought it'd be. It felt like he was hugging his own brother, and it made him sad. He was crying before he even realised it. Fukase pulled back and gave Len a small laugh.

"Are you crying?"

Len frantically wiped the tears away. "No I'm not." He lied when it was obvious. "I'll see you soon."

Fukase went in the car and waved the others goodbye. A few moments after they went out of sight, he laughed at himself for crying too.