Four years ago - Ninth grade
The hands of the clock were positioned to read as five in the afternoon. For the senior students, it was time to wrap up after-school activities and go home.
Groups of them went to the gates and finally started the weekend. They all volunteered to stay back to finish a group activity from one of their classes.
When some groups opted to do their work at a classmate's home, others planned to stay back at school for another day.
Neru's group was one of the three groups that stayed back today. Luckily for them, they managed to finish everything and were done for the whole project.
A few hiccups, like the one occasion the leader snapped at some inconsiderate members that slacked off, was resolved during the process.
The combination of all their work was successful with some final touches left that can be done later. Another big project finally ticked off and brushed away from the never-ending list of requirements.
Kokone and Neru walked together to the gates. They were in different groups but that did not stop them from hanging out in between the hours they were supposed to work on their own groups.
Unfortunately for Neru, her friend was to be picked up by her parents. So she was alone to take public transport and go home by herself.
"See you on Monday, Neruru!" Kokone waved to her friend and walked faster to cross the other side of the gate.
Neru resisted the urge to bring out her phone. She actively tried to change her habit and lessen her screen time.
Times like these when she was alone was the hardest; temptation was closer than she expected.
But what she noticed distracted her.
On her way to the gates, Kokone greeted another person she passed by.
"See you on Monday, Rin! Have a good weekend!"
Before Kokone called her, Rin's body language was downhearted. Her hair was slightly unkempt and her ribbon was a bit displaced. Her shoulders were slumped and her eyes looked unfocused. They just had a long day at school.
But Neru knew there was more than the fatigue in Rin.
Right after she realised Kokone called her, Rin's expression immediately shifted.
A bright smile appeared and energy mysteriously came to her body when she waved and greeted back.
"See ya, Kokone! Have a safe trip home!"
Neru remembered her family had no plans for tonight. She rushed to catch up with Rin, who was almost at the school gate, with a plan in mind.
Lessened screen time helped Neru be observant and noticed the little details. One of those observations was Rin Shimoda.
Rin got better at hiding her misery from the break-up these days.
It was all dependent on whether she was with other people. She was back to her old self—goofy, klutzy, witty Rin—when someone accompanied her.
But when she was alone, either to recharge or by circumstance, the signs of her struggle were most evident.
There were deep but softer frowns that made her eye bags more profound. Alongside the slumped shoulders and the constant sighing. Even when Rin walked, she seemed to stare in empty space.
The girl was known to sleep like a koala on every chance she got on vacant periods, or when there was no substitute teacher—hell, even when she finished the work was done during class.
If she did not sleep, Rin read a book and was content with the solitude.
After the break-up, Neru never saw Rin open a book nor laid down her head on the desk to doze off.
Neru knew Rin's huge progress was the less frequent mental breakdowns, at school at the least.
But there was still room for improvement, if it included her obvious avoidance and passive-aggressiveness to Len.
"Hey, Rin! You have plans for tonight?" Neru called out as she approached Rin from behind.
Just as she was about to cross the gate, Rin stopped and turned her head to see Neru behind her.
"Uhhh… I don't? Why did you ask?" Rin's tone was sceptical at best.
They were not the closest pair nor the most bitter rivals in class. They were civil and casual acquaintances at best. So the sudden approach was very unexpected.
"You wanna grab a bite with me?" Neru mentioned the nearest fast food chain, a half-trip away by bus. "I know it's your favourite. My treat! I'm also starving."
Neru smiled, close to a smirk, as she leaned her weight to her right and rested a hand on her hip.
Rin was silent and stared at Neru. She restrained her expression to show her doubt on this whole invite with contemplation.
But Neru waited not too long when Rin replied. "Yeah sure. But you don't have to treat me. I can pay for myself."
Neru did a lip trill to show her disagreement. "Nope. I make the rules here, Shimoda. It's my treat and that's final. Now let's get on that bus!"
And so they both left the school grounds and walked to the bus stop. It was a quiet five-minute walk. With the lack of people in the footpath and their fast phase, they cut a good minute to the walk.
Neru rarely felt awkward around other people. But this simple walk with Rin today gave the tick on the bucket list of things that unexpectedly happened.
They walked together side-by-side in the street. A few students from neighbouring schools were also on their heels, alongside adults who finished work with the forgotten I.D. straps or the uniforms they wore.
Despite the heavy foot traffic, it was a peaceful time to walk before the buzz of Friday nights.
Neru tried to be subtle as she looked at her classmate without being obvious.
Rin stared straight ahead as she walked, on a one-track mind to complete the task.
Until then, there was nothing else.
Neru's classmate neither smiled nor frowned. Yet there were no scrunched eyebrows, which was a good indicator Rin was not secretly abhorrent to the whole after-school bite, nor of Neru's existence.
Ugh, Rin's unreadable. Did I force her to join me out of her will? Neru berated herself privately.
The young woman bit her lip in frustration. All she wanted was to break the ice, but not hit the glacier.
She did not know what interested Rin that could start a conversation. But what if her classmate did not want to talk at all!?
Why am I so worked up over this!? I shouldn't even care what other people, or even Rin, think about what I do! Neru breathed to get the air she needed, and get the ball rolling.
With the playful nature of fate, Rin was the one who broke the silence when they sat on the unoccupied bench.
"So uhh… Why are you bringing me to go out and eat all of a sudden?" Rin placed her bag on her lap as she sat on the bench.
Neru sat down right after. Both women awkwardly stared straight ahead to the street across them. Vehicles passed by on the roads and were slow enough to be gazed upon before they disappeared on the horizon, thanks to the speed limit.
"Well, I'm really hungry and I could use some company instead of feeling miserable eating by myself in public. Lucky for me, you're someone I'm comfortable with; whether or not that was obvious to you." Neru confessed with an attempt of a suave and relaxed tone.
Underneath it all were nerves and hesitancy. Dear heavens if Neru actually imposed on Rin.
And on today of all opportunities where she was more sensitive and prone to use her knife-sharp silver tongue.
It was the first time Rin had turned her head to look directly at Neru. Her eyes were wide open and her mouth was agape.
But Rin did not say anything else, even when she started to vocalise her first word until it did not come out at all. Then she gave up.
She gathered the courage again, only to suddenly evaporate and then did not force herself again once more.
There was a minute left before their bus arrived. Neru gave Rin the time to collect herself, or simply basked in comfortable silence.
And it seemed her decision was right when Rin finally talked.
"I didn't expect you would think that of me, honestly. Maybe I'm just distracted this year to actually notice what's happening around me…" Rin's gaze was downwards, stared at the bag on her lap where her arms rested on top of it.
"About that…" Neru was cut by the bus that stopped in front of them. "I'll tell you when we're settled and eating." Without any other word, the two girls entered the bus.
They sat beside each other. Rin was next to the window and Neru beside the pathway. She initiated a conversation related to a TV show she remembered her classmate also watched. It felt good, Neru thought to herself. Now they were finally on the same page with something in common.
Internally, she felt worried Rin secretly forced herself. Not until the girl with the ribbon actually felt comfortable, with how she started to smile and even let out a few chuckles and cheeky comments.
Her posture lightened up, as if she did not bear the weight of the world on her shoulders any longer.
Neru and Rin got so engrossed in their conversation that they almost missed their stop.
It was a good thing Rin had her phone track their journey that it alarmed the girls of their situation. Neru pressed the red button on the bus at the speed of light.
Once departed, they made their way to the fast food chain and stood at a corner while they looked at the overhead menu.
"Tell me what you want. I'll combine our orders together." Rin initiated and turned her head to face her classmate.
"So that you pay for all of it? I told you, not on my watch, Shimoda! You get us a table, or else I annoy you for the rest of your life. Do you want that?" Neru scolded her classmate in return; left no room for Rin to counter-argue.
Rin only sighed, accepted her defeat, and conceded a smile at Neru.
There was a short queue to the registers, so Neru waited for her turn.
Rin took ownership of an empty table. It was exactly for two people and they were close to being in the middle of the floor.
Beggars can't be choosers, Neru thought as they came in at a pretty busy time with the late afternoon rush of everyone going home.
While she waited in the queue, Neru took a few glances at Rin. Her reserved classmate either typed something and scrolled on her phone, or gazed at the window.
Moments passed until Neru carried their tray of food to their table. Once the food was settled, they began to dig into their meals.
"Thanks for tagging me along, Neru. I didn't realise I was starving until we left school." Rin chuckled and ate her meal with gusto.
"No problem, Rinny rabbit. I told you, you're good company." Neru answered.
Even though they were not as talkative as they were to their own friends, Neru did not mind one second of it.
There was a hidden sense of serenity in Neru and Rin's table in the midst of voices from the people and the machines of the kitchen equipment. All of it added life in the establishment.
For Neru, the background noise faded when she and Rin talked.
"There's also a reason why I brought you here. I feel as if I need to tell you some things." Neru began, her heartbeat echoed in her mind. Rin raised her head up from her plate.
Rin had not said anything nor hummed a sound. But rather, she looked straight to Neru and dedicated all her focus to her.
"Okay, I'm aware of what's happening with you and with that certain someone. So I feel like walking on eggshells with you right now. But I badly need to say this to you because I want to assure you. Maybe also lighten you up because it honestly makes me uncomfortable when you're sad and quiet."
Rin simply stared. Neru thought her classmate would have flinched or physically reacted with the start of that sensitive topic.
Yet Rin's expression confused Neru.
Rin seemed to be in a daze. But a subtle move on her eyes was what convinced Neru that Rin listened.
Well, here it goes.
"Len is a piece of shit I never plan or even think of getting back to. Whatever happened briefly between the two of us was just that, only in the past. Even if Kiyo and I are fighting, it never crossed my mind to notice Len because he pisses the living hell out of me. I was the asshole at that time playing with his feelings, I'm not denying it." Neru inhaled, and continued on.
"And I'm aware we're not close friends. I don't know the specifics of what happened between you and Len beyond an outsider perspective. But I know you didn't do anything wrong in that relationship. He's the asshole, not you. That's why you shouldn't feel worthless and blame yourself for not satisfying someone who can't even satisfy himself."
"Ha- What?" With wide-open eyes, Rin could not believe it.
Neru suddenly said everything that was in the back of her mind recently.
It definitely hurted her. All those times she feigned ignorance on Len's intervention between Neru and Kiyoteru—her current boyfriend she was on not-so-good terms with.
To think that Len moved on as easy as to count one, two, three over a relationship that Rin assumed was stable and long-term.
"Listen, you're amazing Rin. Everyone loves you, and I'm not even kidding. I never heard anyone talk shit about you—"
"That can't be true, Akita. There's got to be one person who talked shit to me." Rin quickly rebutted with an unimpressed look.
"I'm calling bullshit on that, because I seriously don't recall one. And I've got the connections to back it up, lady! Besides, I used to not like you back in seventh grade. But you're not fake as everyone else after all. You're a person everyone respects." Neru replied and left no crumbs for Rin to counter-argue about.
"That's hard evidence on how well-respected you are in class, or even in the whole high school department! You unfortunately ended up with a jerk who was stupid to see what he had with you, and just carelessly abandoned all of that. For what? Nothing. Not even dust.
"You don't deserve that, Rin. I'll tell you that. That's why you deserve someone who enjoys being with you! You are someone who will be loved!"
Neru finished. She heaved a sigh after that heartfelt admission.
Rin continued to stare back at her classmate dumbfoundedly.
Neru thought Rin needed some help to understand everything, and so was prepared to start over again.
But she saw Rin's eyes glistened, until a single tear had slid down her cheek.
A few more followed shortly and Rin poorly concealed a sob; an onset of tears came out.
"Y-You don't know how much I needed to h-hear that. I-I—"
Rin stuttered through the overflowed emotions and the sobs she desperately suppressed to not catch the attention of the neighbouring tables. Yet the tears slowly made its descent on her cheeks.
"Oh crap! I'm so sorry Rin! I didn't mean to do that to you! I was trying to cheer you up, oh my god…" Neru became agitated and desperate to stop the girl's cries. Her words backfired from its original intention. She shook her palms towards Rin in a confused attempt to calm her down.
"N-No, it's alright. You did nothing wrong. I let my emotions get the best of me." Rin managed to calm herself down, a few sobs came out but with longer intervals.
She wiped her tear-streaked face with the tissue next to her plate. "I just didn't expect you would say exactly what I needed to hear. As you know, I'm not taking this whole… break-up… properly."
Rin gazed at her plate with a forlorn look. "I know what everyone says. That I was too stupid to even consider Len in the first place." A quick sob escaped from her lips.
"I know eventually this will all be over, this whole moving on business, which I badly suck at the moment. It seems so far away thinking, imagining what it would feel like—not feeling miserable or seeing his face cross through my mind once a day. But for now, I have to cope and let it all out until then…"
"That's right, Rin," Neru assured her.
Rin sighed and took another bite from her dish. A few more spoonfuls was all it took before she finished her food.
Neru gave her friend some space to let her emotions settle down. Then she gently asked a question. "He was your first love, right?"
Rin gently nodded and wiped her tears with the back of her hand. She heaved another sob.
"I just want to know why…" Rin sobbed. "If it was entirely my fault… If I could have done something to not let this happen… What did I do wrong or what had I missed… If only I knew better…"
Neru allowed Rin to let out her pent up emotions. She glared at someone nearby their table who stared at them more than the inspectional glance.
"It's been a year. But I still feel like it's been the morning after that night. How I still wish all of this is a nightmare and I wake up soon. All of it still hurts for me, Neru… How can I move on when I'm still in love with him?"
"I know. First loves always hurt. Especially when it ends." Neru commented. She stretched her arm and held Rin's clenched fist with her utensil.
Neru squeezed Rin's hand briefly and smiled at her friend for assurance.
"T-Thank you… Neru," Rin stuttered and returned her smile with her own tearful one. "You went out of your way to comfort me like this even when I didn't ask for it. I really appreciate your help. I know you're more experienced with stuff like this… You would know what to do…"
"You give me too much credit, Shimoda. Kiyo is actually my first 'actually serious' boyfriend. I'm not as experienced as you think I am." She chuckled and finally finished her with one last bite.
"Really? I didn't know! I thought you would have dated around a few people before him." Rin was dumbfounded once again.
"That's what everyone assumes. But the truth is, it's only Kiyoteru." Neru shrugged her shoulders.
"Everyone paints this picture of me based on their assumptions that are so far from what I actually think, do and like. You may think I'm among the people who run the rumour mills. But in reality, I regret just associating with them. I don't like their attitudes. Not only was I hurt from what they would say about me, but I felt uncomfortable whenever they would talk about you and Len as if it was the primetime shitshow." Neru sighed at the conclusion of her confession.
"I admit, I see you in a different way now," Rin began her own admission. "But Neru, you don't know how touched I am with your concern for me. I don't know what else I can say on how much I'm so thankful… We're not even that close before today. But you seriously went out of your way to comfort me in my lowest point right now…" Rin's soft whisper had a rasped edge, as if she was about to cry again.
Yet a smile from her face was the sign that eased Neru to assume her friend was alright.
Neru felt weird. She thought to herself all this time how she could barely carry herself together whenever she and Kiyo fought; always felt she did not know what to do.
But right in front of her was Rin who saw her as this saint who blessed her with wisdom Neru herself would appreciate in dealing with her complicated relationship.
For that, Neru simply sighed. "We women should stick together, and help one another in messed up situations like these. God knows how isolating it must feel to see couples being all healthy and loving. While you're the only one who feels trapped in a loop you want to escape."
Rin nodded with a gentle smile. "I don't really want to impose… When was the last time you and Kiyoteru talked without ending up in a fight?" She followed, just as she had her last bite of her meal.
"... When was it? I think it was a week ago. Every attempt after that we ended up disagreeing with each other about having the mood to talk, that kind of stuff. In the end, every time I initiate a decent conversation, he outright refuses to listen. That's why I'm sick of doing it again. Then when he does it, of course I have trust issues and won't talk to him." Neru sighed out of fatigue.
"That is frustrating. But what's your end goal? If it's making up, then you need to be consistent with seeking it. I know it's annoying when you start the process and he doesn't respond. You're completely valid there. You think it's your revenge that he should experience, like tasting his own medicine.
"But if you end up not responding to him once he wants a healthy conversation, then that's already a huge opportunity for miscommunication. He'll think you're not taking it seriously." Rin began her statement. She paused to check Neru's reception.
"No, that's good, Rin! I'm keen to listen."
"In no way I'm defending Kiyoteru. I don't know him that much to even consider him as a friend. But what I want to say is you need to be more patient with him, if you think there is hope for him to listen. The people who want to fix something are often the ones who have to be more persistent. Because not everyone will understand them at first. That's why they need to be more patient and adjust themselves more than they like to if they want to resolve the problem.
"If he sees you're consistent in wanting to fix your relationship, then he will finally understand it. If he's still stubborn not to listen to you, then he's the issue and that's the time you need to confront him more directly. You are already strong for wanting to save the relationship, and that's dedication right there. It shows your love… Uhh that's all I could think of right now…"
Neru is shocked. She could not believe it. A hour ago, Rin had a mental breakdown in a public restaurant.
Now she gave advice to Neru as if she had not just cried out from her own failed relationship.
"...Wow." Neru was still wide-eyed and had to blink to gain her focus back. "Now look who's the wise dating coach here." She chuckled.
Rin's eyes travelled side-ways, anywhere to avoid Neru's smirk. "Well.. You just said it yourself. We women have to help each other. And I cherish this bond we now have…".
It was true, Rin's closest friends had no experience in romantic relationships at that time. She needed a different kind of support from someone who had the previous similar experience as her.
Lucky for her, Neru was the answer.
Her new friend hummed in agreement.
On that day, Neru saw Rin visibly more comfortable around her than ever before.
Her classmate usually acted orderly and calm towards people outside of her friend group.
A direct contrast to the more chaotic and boisterous personality towards her trusted friends.
But Neru liked to think that she saw a different side of Rin that everyone else may not have discovered yet.
The two bonded over the stupidity and the trash behaviour of the men in their life, and common experiences and opinions in life.
When their plates were empty and new people went in and out of the neighbouring tables, Neru and Rin remained at their table.
They were trapped in their own world that forged a newly strengthened bond.
Yet their comforting bubble had to be broken, and they were forced to come back to the real world.
"I have to leave now. My family's in the other shopping centre and I don't have the keys on me. I have to join them in getting home." Rin shyly chuckled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Do you want me to accompany you? It's getting dark and I want to make sure you'll be fine before joining your family." Neru suggested, which her friend politely declined.
"Thank you for that. But I know how to get there, just two buses. They're pretty busy areas anyway. I'll be fine and I'll send you a text when I'm with them soon."
The two friends cleaned up their table, threw out their rubbish and returned the tray.
They left the establishment and Neru accompanied Rin to her bus stop that would begin her journey to her family.
"Thank you so much for tonight, Neru. I don't think I'd be able to forget this. It's a special thing, what you did to me. I'm very grateful for it." Rin hugged Neru.
The girl in question was shocked and had not expected the embrace.
Until Neru smiled and returned the hug, tightly clutching the girl in her arms.
This was the warm feeling of being in a hug from a good friend.
The two girls separated and smiled one last time. When they parted ways, Rin towards the bus stop and Neru to the other side of the street.
It was a night that they held to their hearts.
Neru walked on the busy streets of the evening. There was a small night market that gathered more people than the usual locals in their area.
The usual establishments and the small shopping centre they were in brought out the usual buzz and traffic that made the area lively in this hour of the night.
Only two blocks left before Neru arrived at her block and was closer to home.
She ingrained the memory of evening street lights as she walked, basked in the illumination of it and the brightened faces of the people that added life to the footpaths they all shared.
Neru arrived home and unpacked her stuff for a relaxing Friday night. Her early dinner with Rin still lingered in her mind.
She still felt worried about Rin.
There was no doubt her friend could manage and overcome her adversity eventually.
Now as a trusted friend, Neru felt rightfully concerned for Rin's mental wellbeing.
With a sigh, Neru gave herself a mental pat on the shoulder for a job well done.
Self-reflections were hard and uncomfortable. But it was worth all the effort when she approached Rin and helped her.
She did everything she could have done. And she was hella proud of herself, if she could say so herself.
.
.
.
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"I still felt worried for Rin most of the time after that night. But before you noticed, it's already a year later, she was improving. I think she was so close to getting over him.
"It was good timing, if you ask me. There was more pressure with our academics than ever before. You all know how much Rin values that more than anything else, even stupidly at the expense of her health."
Miku, Luka, Oliver, and Gakupo nodded. They all had first-hand experience on Rin's reckless behaviour on her health.
"But as they say, time heals wounds and I think that's what happened with Rin. But honestly speaking? Not all the wounds healed."
That perked the set of eyes on her.
Miku thought it was too intriguing, from someone who played a huge role to help Rin.
"There is no doubt, if you look closely enough, that Rin is still hurting inside from what happened with Len. As far as I've heard, and I didn't want to push her into this, there was no proper closure." Neru revealed.
Miku awkwardly replied. "Sorry to break it but yeah, she's still hurting. She wouldn't have bullied our class's biggest mean girl if it weren't for her recalling the trauma with her past relationship."
"There's more than that, might I add," Neru continued. "I can only say from my perspective but Rin still has feelings for Len, based on some things that I saw."
Not a sound was emitted from anyone else at the table.
But the silence felt damning that Kaito might have imagined he heard some gasps.
"Listen, I'm not a hundred percent sure whether it's sheer stubbornness, or that Rin focused on her life and didn't allow herself any room for thought on her feelings for Len. She kept saying she 'doesn't need closure anymore'.
"But I think it's fucking ridiculous. Without closure, there's still unanswered questions and unspoken answers, and Rin has a lot of those. I honestly think she's holding on to something."
There was more silence until Kaito broke it. "Of course Rin would never say anything. She could talk about literally any other thing but will never admit about something if she thinks it would make her look weak or vulnerable. Everything that involves Len is her sore thumb."
Neru nodded. "Exactly. She has inconsistent reactions whenever Len, or even a hint of him, is brought up in conversation. Rin would either pretend she's not listening or grimaced.
Then there are the random moments she would say 'oh thank god I'm not dating anymore' that seemingly came out of nowhere, with no context as if to reassure herself. And the flowers—"
Neru was cut off by Miku. "Hold up my good friend. Flowers? Rin's not into them."
"That's true, she never was. Before Len that is." Neru answered. "On Valentine's Day at YMH, Len gave Rin a bouquet of flowers—yellow honeysuckles. It was honestly the ugliest bouquet I've ever seen. And I wasn't the only one who thought of it!"
"Surely it wasn't that bad?" Luka commented.
But Kaito disagreed. "Nah. It was bonkers, Lu. Here, let me show you a photo."
The amazing thing in Kaito's phone was not only the supply of ice cream photos that could be a lifetime's worth.
He dedicated his cloud storage for an intricate and well-organised collection of personal photos through the years.
It was the huge factor that he was able to quickly navigate a folder that contained the photos of that Valentine's Day event and retrieved the photo of the bouquet in question.
In the photo focused was Len with a wide grin on his face, together with a blush that made his freckles all the more obvious. His arm rested on Rin's waist, as evident with his palm on her side where they stood together.
Rin shared the same expression as Len's with the wide smile and seemingly sparkling eyes.
Held lovingly in her arms was the bouquet in question—along with the highlighted yellow honeysuckles were baby's breath, statice and billy balls; all wrapped with brown burlap.
Both of them looked far younger.
Kaito's friends could only vouch for Rin as they never met Len. In the photo, it was obvious with their appearance.
Rin had her hair above her shoulders, an unfamiliar sight for Miku, Luka, Oliver, and Gakupo who had met her with hair below her chest. While Len had his usual spikes of hair and his ponytail.
It was a candid photo of a young couple in love during their early years of high school.
"You're right, that bouquet's boring. Has no one taught him how to pick a proper one?" Gakupo whined.
"I thought the bouquet was a bit nice," Miku analysed the photo from Kaito's phone.
She continued. "It's simple and kind of suits Rin's style, I reckon. But I agree it's too plain. And the choice of bouquet wrap didn't really help with making it stand out a little bit. It made it look like he just picked the first bouquet he saw in a hurry and called it a day."
Neru had a sad smile, hands rested on the table. "As you see in that photo, Rin was head over heels and loved it with all her heart. She carried it throughout the day and on the way home. There was a time that she rocked up to school in a crown of honeysuckles, or a flower on her ear. She would get every chance to hold a honeysuckle and gush on it.
"Even after they broke up, Rin still kept a small vase of honeysuckles. I went to her home once and the vase was there on her bedside table."
"I saw Rin doodle flowers one time in our vacant period. I asked her what kind of flower it was and she told me it was honeysuckles." Oliver enthusiastically leaned closer to the table and shared his past experience. "I thought it was the most random choice of flowers. But now I understand there's a meaning behind it."
"See," Neru gestured to Oliver and acknowledged his story. "I may be giving too much benefit of the doubt here. But I'm assuming Len improved his own issues through the years, especially since you guys mentioned he's still interested in her today. I just think they both deserve to start over if they want to."
Luka, Gakupo and Kaito sighed in relief. Miku and Oliver had their eyes sparkled at what their new friend just mentioned.
"Oh my god, you don't know how much you made me so relieved from what you said!" Miku exclaimed excitedly. "We were all seated here with our feet tight on the floor and feared you had a similar opinion as Megumi!"
Kaito nodded in agreement. "Your whole stance is interesting here, Neru. We just heard from Megumi a few weeks ago on how she's hesitant with us reuniting those two. In the end, she still gave us her half-hearted permission for all of this." He mentioned carefully.
Neru began to explain. "With what Len did to Rin, I can't blame her. Compared to Lily and I, Gumi was Len's classmate for the longest time. She saw everything on Len because she grew up with him. And Rin is her best friend, she is naturally protective and concerned for her.
"She, out of all of us, will hit hard on Rin's migration the most. If adding up the possibility of Len hurting Rin again, it would just not sit well with Gumi."
"Megumi really looks like Rin's mama bear, it's sweet." Luka commented with a relaxed smile.
Neru smiled. "Yup. And it's not only us, it felt like the whole class. I never heard anyone talk shit about Rin in an actual serious way. She was just that powerful. Am I right, Kai?"
Kaito chuckled wholeheartedly, "Yup! Even the teachers seemed to trust her out of all of us."
"There's a reason why our class had this silent rift when they broke up," Neru's serious tone once again returned. "Most of us sided, or at the least sympathised, with Rin. I never heard anyone sided with Len.
"Even some of the guys and his few friends at class didn't comment anything about that. Which meant they were hesitant to defend Len. So I can say most people thought Len was the asshole. Though keep in mind Rin's influence in our class."
Gakupo's comment earned sympathetic looks from Oliver, Miku and Kaito. "If I were in Len's shoes, that's too damaging for me. If the whole class just treated you like you don't exist, even if you would have wanted to improve yourself; based on what Kaito told us at the end of tenth grade…"
Neru agreed with Gakupo. "And I did remember what happened at graduation." She directed her gaze solely at Kaito.
"I saw you and Len running for your lives to chase Rin. You didn't notice but Lily, Gumi and I heard everything. I was so relieved. Len finally came to his senses that night." She simply smiled.
Kaito sighed with a tired smile. "He said he's been thinking about it the weeks that led up to our research defence. Then he made up his mind just when Rin had to head home; an idiot he was."
Neru commented. "That's why I feel more confident in my decision that they should meet to say everything they both need to know."
Miku began. "Okay… I understand completely where Megumi is coming from. But after you and Lily, I'm starting to think maybe Rin and Len can start over again if they want to?"
Miku's hesitance at the end quickly dissipated when Neru nodded eagerly.
Luka followed. "So… Are we starting to plan on hooking up Rin and Len together now?"
"Not quite." Miku replied quickly. "We still have to talk to Len. And besides, we can't get a renewed relationship if there wasn't closure from the past one."
"Correct," Neru added. "Can I add in and say the hook-up part can be a side-effect instead of our main goal here?"
Heads shook in a nod at her suggestion. She continued.
"If they want to do it, they can do it themselves and we'll just watch. But if they don't want to, that's also very much fine. We can't look as if we're forcing them, especially with Rin if she ends up not liking our whole plan. It all needs to be natural."
Oliver then joined the discussion. "So are we supposed to prevent Len from confessing to Rin in case she won't take the reunion well?"
Neru tiredly sighed and leaned on the back of her seat, "Well, I have to be frank here. Knowing Len's stupid stubbornness, I don't think he will listen to any of your warnings. Dude's a nut head and won't listen if he doesn't want to.
"Let him confess if he wants and let him face whatever Rin has to say. You can't control him. I know you guys would have done everything you could to get that closure for them. That's already enough."
"Wait, wait! Rin definitely wants closure! I have evidence!" Miku held up her palms in front of her and caught everyone's attention.
"She admitted to me she 'fell in love once upon a time' and hinted about Len. But she didn't expound on it. The most important thing is, she said she would talk to him again if she were given the chance. I put all my faith that our plan should proceed. We were preparing ourselves to persuade you, if ever you needed some convincing like her best friend."
"Finally, the stubborn brat admitted it." Neru muttered, leaned her forehead against her palm. And there was her dry chuckle before she continued.
"But that's great news! The only issue we have is how we execute it. But we can think of it once you all meet Len, which I am also excited about! He went under the radar after we graduated. So I have no idea what he's doing these days."
Kaito explained vaguely but enough. "I messaged him weeks ago wanting to tell him something. But until now he hasn't replied."
"Yeah, as I said, under the radar." Neru reiterated. "But what I want to say to finish all of this: Lily and I agree to the reunion, even for a second chance for them to try again. I personally think both Rin and Len had not learnt more about themselves outside of a relationship. It more likely affected them when they were together.
"Now with time and distance they must have discovered more about themselves. Maybe they can finally try it this time." Neru's voice slightly shook. Then her eyes scrunched and her tone was pleading.
"I trust you all—Kaito, Miku, Luka, Oliver, and Gakupo," Neru glanced at each and every person at the table. "Please, do whatever it takes for them to reunite so they get what they need the most—closure from each other."
This was it. The moment Miku always waited for.
Now it was in their hands—they made it. This plan has just been accredited and given the green light by all of Rin's confidantes.
She could not help but release a huge smile on her face.
"Neru, thank you for everything you had confined with all of us here! On behalf of all of Rin's friends here at CFH, I promise you, with all my heart, soul and friendship with Rin, that we will make this plan work to give those two closure." Miku bowed her head in respect.
Neru smiled wide, glanced at Kaito who returned her appreciation with a huge smile. "Thank you all for doing all of this for Rin, even for Len if we think harder,"
She chuckled right after, and then composed herself. "We were not able to help Rin achieve the one hundred percent healing she deserved. I guess we ran out of time and with Len's desertion, we thought it was hopeless to resolve it. But can you believe two years later, here are you all working together for this? I have no words to say how much I am grateful you are Rin's friends… Thank you!"
All smiles were at their table. The busy ambiance of the family restaurant long forgotten with the joyous energy the group radiated from each other.
"Now this calls for drinks!" Luka declared, to which they all cheered in assent and ordered their own drinks.
Miku, Luka, Oliver, and Gakupo had proper socialisation with Neru through their comedy-induced conversations.
Overall, Kaito was glad to witness his friends at his current school get along with the friends he and Rin had grown up.
And before they all realised it, the time for them to wrap up their stay.
Mr Tonio personally bid farewell to Neru and Kaito, and to the new friends, and hoped for their return.
"Hopefully, the other kids like the blonde bunny and the guy with banana hair would be with you!" The restaurant owner shared.
Kaito stopped himself from releasing that laugh. Yet Neru outright burst in laughter from the mention of Len's old (and ridiculous) nickname when they used to eat here.
The two of them both made eye contact with an unspoken wish.
They hoped in their next visit, Rin and Len would be with them.
When they exited from the restaurant, Neru received warm hugs from Kaito's friends (the tightest embrace was from Miku, to her amusement) and from himself.
"Let me know when you plan for those two to meet. I've got to see it! Besides supporting Rin of course."
"Of course we'll tell you, so will Lily and Meg." Kaito replied with a smile.
"Also, good luck with Len. I hope you can coax him out of his shell."
It was unexpected, but Kaito felt his eyes watered with what Neru just said. For everyone else, their plan was close to complete.
But for Kaito, this would be the hardest part for him yet; to get Len into the plan.
"Thank you," Kaito cannot express himself further. But with how his voice broke and the sincere smile, Neru already understood it with a nod.
Luka waved and bid her farewell for the last time. "Thank you for everything, Neru! Hope you get home safely!"
"Your girlfriend is lucky to have you! I hope you two continue being happy together!" Miku may have said it a little louder than appropriate. For that, she received a light jab on the head from Luka's palm.
But Neru laughed and thanked the girl with the twintails for the warm regard.
"See you again at the reunion!" Neru waved to her new group of friends gathered by Kaito before she turned her back to them and went to the nearest bus stop.
Miku, Luka, Gakupo, Oliver, and Kaito felt exhausted after a day of revelations and the hearty meals they had consumed in the process.
They were all peacefully content to head home and walk back to the station to take the next train to their respective homes.
Just like the last time they visited the area, Kaito accompanied them until they all took the train before he made his own short walk towards home.
While they all had their separate small conversations and waited for the train, Kaito brought out his phone to take a look at his messages.
He checked his inbox with Len, to no luck. No reply was made to his message sent at midnight after their sleepover at Oliver's party.
But what Kaito had not expected was for that certain reply to arrive when he least expected it that evening; when he tucked himself in bed and finished the day with a good night's sleep.
.
.
.
[CHAT SCENE] Len (sender) and Kaito (receiver)
Len Kagamine
Len: Kai! I'm still alive, even when life is kicking me hard in the arse lol
Len: Hell yeah we can hang out, it's been a long time!