Author's Note:
Hi everyone! Here's chapters 3 and 4. Releasing them together. Hope everyone enjoys!
It's been a few days since Rise told Yu that they shouldn't get back together. The others didn't know what had happened between them yet. It was just Rise doing an errand first for her grandmother. She was going through a different route back home when she hears a voice calling out to her.
"Rise-chan!"
It was a young girl who was most likely in her pre-teen years. She had long brown hair with a very nice disposition. She ran towards Rise and gave her the biggest smile.
"It's so good to see you again!"
Rise once again curses the predicament she's in. She unfortunately can't recognise this girl who seems to know her.
"Uhm. I'm sorry…I don't really recognise you…Are we friends?" It was dangerous for her to ask this actually but Rise took a chance by the fact that this young girl called her by her nickname and not just "Risette".
"Oh right. I got caught up with seeing you after so long that I forgot about what happened to you…I'm Nanako! Nanako Dojima!"
The name sounded kinda familiar to her. She tries to recall the names which people have told her to remember. It was there she remembered. She was Yu's little cousin who he was close to. They apparently lived in the same house here in Inaba.
"Oh. I remember your name. Nice to finally meet you…again, Nanako."
"Yeah!"
What occurs next surprises Rise. Nanako charges a little and hugs Rise in a warm embrace. She was unsure of what to do. Rise however decides to return the hug. After what felt like a good moment, they let go. Rise actually feels a bit nostalgic. It seemed quite…normal for her to do this.
"I'm sorry…I just… I missed you so much Rise-chan."
Rise was touched from the heartfelt words of Nanako.
"We're we close…Nanako-chan?… I'm not really sure…but it feels like we were once."
"I'd like…to think so. You were like the big sister I never had! You and big brother Yu used to hang out with me all the time. The three of us would go everywhere together!"
Rise learned a little about her past self again. "The three of us used to hang out all the time?" Rise thought.
"Every summer that both of you would visit here in Inaba, you'd make sure to allot some time, just the three of us!" Nanako seemed to be reminiscing happily some memories.
Rise started to feel sad that she herself did not recall any of those. It's strange that she remembers several things. Her immediate family and her grandmother. She recalls her manager a little and her career. What was missing was nearly the entirety of her time with her friends. It was like a curse of some sort. Another mention of Yu in her missing memories was added. She tries to remember all the details of people have mentioned about him.
"He…really was there through a lot of it, huh…." said Rise a bit silently.
"Did you say something, Rise-chan?"
"No! No…nothing sorry. But I'm glad to hear that. I'm sorry…I don't recall much. But… If you like…can we be friends again? I'd like it to be so." said Rise.
"Of course! You never stopped being my friend in the first place!" Nanako was ecstatic.
"So…when are you visiting, Rise-chan? Will you drop by soon? It's been ages since you've been over! And also maybe we can go… Ohh…Right…I forgot…"
Nanako looked down a little. Rise noticed the sudden drop in the mood.
"Actually…Rise-chan…did something happen with big brother Yu?"
Rise feels like she got hit right on target. She asked the question she was afraid of hearing.
"Why? What happened?"
"It's just…He's not the same. He's been really quiet lately. He'd help out around the house and whenever we need something, he always lends a hand. However…he seems to be so distant lately. Would you happen to know?"
Rise already had an idea of what was the reason. Unsure whether or not to mention what happened…she tries to speak to her and decides to see where it goes…
"Actually…Nanako…it's because…" Rise however is interrupted by Nanako.
"I actually…have an idea… I may still be young, but I'm no longer the child I was when we first met…. Did you and big brother have a fight?…did you….break up?"
"Nanako…I…"
"Is it because… you lost your memories right?… I don't know what's best. I'm still inexperienced…. But I want you to know Rise-chan. We all love you very much….But… I think Big Brother Yu…he loves you more than anyone else in the world."
Nanako's announcement keeps Rise silent. She feels very touched that they love her so much even though right now she doesn't know them so well. What's more…is how she described that Yu loved her even more deeply than the rest.
"Is…that so?"
"Yeah. I can see it in his eyes. Even now, I feel he loves you…so so much."
Nanako checks the time and sees it's getting late.
"I'm sorry…I gotta go. Goodbye Rise-chan. See you later."
Rise, now filled with thoughts with this impromptu reunion, starts to walk back to finish her errands. She's feeling all sorts of emotions within.
"I'm doing…the right thing."
Later that evening, after Rise finishes all her errands. She relaxes at her home. Currently, she's on another hiatus for her career. Everyone was so supportive and worried about her. Most of her fans were actually wanting that she rest for a bit before going back to work. She's grateful for all the support. As she stares at her ceiling, she hears people talking outside. She decides to head down and see what was going on. There she sees her grandmother speaking to a young girl. It was Nanako.
"Nanako-chan. What are you doing here this evening?"
"Hi Rise. I was just talking to your grandma here for a moment but I came here to give you this."
Nanako hands over a box. It was filled with some albums, and other assorted items.
"These are all the memories I have with you, and Big Brother. I remember that you guys were being a bit secretive at first. In hindsight, you guys were even cuter than I remember. But…my younger self happened to sneak in a few photos, and other things. Also included are other memories from everything beyond such as all the summers you came back." said Nanako.
Rise starts to sneak a peak inside. There were souvenirs, photo albums, and a few accessories. She was kind of excited to see all the content.
"Thank you…very much Nanako-chan. I'm definitely going to see through it…"
"Rise-chan…hear me out…. No matter what happens, I'd like us to always be close. But I hope that maybe…what's in that box might make you consider going back to Big Brother. He's really…
"But Nanako-chan…I…"
"I know!…I know. I'm sorry. I'm being selfish….This is your decision. But…I love both of you so much. I just hope that you guys will always be happy. Hopefully that box helps you remember a little all the times we were happy…together. Goodnight!"
Nanako heads off back to her place. Rise is left there standing. Her grandmother ushers her back into the house. She decides to bring the box straight to her room, and unloads all of it on top of her bed. She sees various photos of the three of them. They looked like they were enjoying their time together in photo booths. Other photos showed the three of them at the park and various other places. Other photos featured them eating food together. There was also a nice photo which stood out. It was only just Yu and Rise in the photo. They were at a hill overlooking Inaba. She puts its aside after she notices the souvenirs. She can actually spot some of the souvenirs in some of the other photos. Others had titles like "Watching scary movies with Rise-chan and Big Brother Yu." "They all looked…like fun moments." Rise thought as she slowly brought out a nice smile.
"I wish I remembered these too." Small tears started to drip from Rise's eyes as well.
Finally, she sees what appears to be a flash drive. Deciding to see what files were inside, she connects it to her laptop and rummages through the contents. Inside the flash drive was just one folder. It was titled "Yu and Rise" As she opens it. It contained nearly a hundred photos of Yu and herself in sweet moments. There were photos of them by the beach, other photos of them eating together. There were also other photos of them just within each other's arms.
"So…there were more photos of us." Rise thought. She already looked through most of the photos on her phone. Now, she can see that she missed out on a lot more.
"Yu…must have been…truly special…to me." Rise thought.
"This is…really for the best….It has to be." Rise said. Tears continued to flow down her eyes. That night, she endured a sleepless night, she was thinking about her actions, and the things she will have to do next.