He'd found the courtyard by himself much easier than he'd thought. It wasn't too often that Tooru would make his way into the city, and when he did he always found the large buildings and bustling streets a little foreboding, but he adapted to it quickly, finding his way around and blending in easily with the rest of his surroundings.

It wasn't too long after he'd found a place to stand that he spotted Mikoto in the middle of the court, looking somewhat anxiously unsure of himself, nervously glancing around in a slight panic. Tooru couldn't help but smile a little. This seemed a lot like typical Mikoto; perhaps he had nothing to worry about after all. Soon enough he was approached and apologised to, which only made him keep his smile.

"It's fine, I wasn't waiting long. What are you sorry for?" Tooru didn't want to be too much trouble for Mikoto, after all he'd called him out to meet up once more for little reason, and so he was acting as considerate as possible.

"I-it's just… the bus was a little late…and you said to meet at 11 exactly, s-so…" Mikoto was tugging nervously once again on his t-shirt.

"Honestly, it's alright. How was your journey? You live near here these days right?"

The introduction of casual conversation appeared to make Mikoto less panicky.

"It was okay, I live on the outskirts, so it isn't far." He mumbled.

"Good. So then I trust you know all the good places to go right?" Tooru tried to smile reassuringly, but it turned out to appear more like a friendly, teasing smile.

Mikoto's otherwise calmer, lower voice broke out in surprise. "W-what? S-sure I work here b-but you can't be expecting a whole tour of the city from me now?! I refuse! I just thought you wanted to chat!"

Tooru let a small laugh escape his lips. Mikoto was still quick to find offense in things. 'Just chatting' might not be as simple as he predicted if this was how his friend was going to act.

"Oh, then I guess we'll wander around aimlessly until I find somewhere suitable…" He began strolling off in a direction that seemed the busiest.

"D-don't…that's not fair! Kouno-san!" Regardless of whatever Mikoto was saying, he was already following Tooru down a busy path away from the court.

They soon found themselves sat at a dining table in the middle of a large, crowded, maze-like shopping centre. It was the first place they encountered that served cold drinks.

Tooru sat and watched with a vague fascination as Mikoto quietly sat sipping his beverage whilst looking away, his facial expression seemingly displeased.

"Hey, Mikoto?" He wasn't going to leave any chances to waste at this second meeting. There might not be another opportunity to see him again after this, Tooru knew that. If he wanted to get to the bottom of what was wrong, now was a good a time as any. He didn't want to have any regrets.

"W-what?" Mikoto's eyes glanced briefly in his direction, before looking away once more.

Tooru took a breath. "…Did you really just want to see me to deliver that letter? It's just a promotional thing after all. Is there something else you wanted to talk to me about?"

Mikoto awkwardly ran a hand through his pink hair in discomfort.

"I…I don't know. I just wanted to check something, b-but it doesn't matter." Although acting unsure of himself, his hesitation was exactly what gave him away. There was something Mikoto definitely wanted to talk about; even Tooru could just about sense that.

"Check what? We've not spoken in so long, so it's no problem if you have any questions. You know…" Tooru leaned back, sitting upright in his chair. "…even if it's been a while, I still like to think we're friends. So if you ask me, I'll give you an honest answer."

Honesty was a mixed skill of Mikoto's, even if he couldn't say what he wanted to, or tried to lie, his actions would always give him away eventually. He'd learnt that the hard way after he left school. Instead of learning to be honest, or learning how to lie properly, he'd simply learnt avoidance.

But another thing he'd picked up was that if he left responsibilities he'd eventually be punished for it, and responsibilities often led him into unavoidable circumstances such as this. What he'd learnt in life was just a contradiction. At first, meeting Tooru to give the letter was just a part of fulfilling a duty, but this time he was here more by choice than anything else – and dealing with his own decision was his own responsibility. He could hardly lie or avoid Tooru, as much as he wanted to.

"H-how can we still be friends after so long? Different things have happened…a-and my question would be too strange." Mikoto leant over his drink, feeling particularly awkward. He didn't even look up when Tooru spoke in reply.

"Well, if you didn't want to talk or spend time with me, you wouldn't have agreed to meet me. So there must be something still there. I know we parted ways, but do you still trust me?"

Did Tooru really think he didn't trust him? That wasn't what Mikoto was getting at, he didn't want any misunderstandings.

"N-no! I can't explain why, but I still trust you, it's…it's just…" He let out a sigh, not knowing where to start, secretly wishing this conversation wasn't happening.

"Then if we still trust each other and want to talk, why can't we still be friends? What's stopping you from asking things?" All these questions asked in kindness were almost too much for Mikoto. It had been a while since anyone was genuinely concerned for him. As uncomfortable as it made him, he didn't mind it too much.

"B-because…because these things might just be me." He smiled nervously, still not looking directly across the table. "I, I mean…I just want to know if I'm not the only one, b-but I might be. So what's the point in asking? I-it'll just make me seem weird."

"Mikoto…" Tooru's suspicions were right, there was something bothering him this whole time. He somehow felt glad that he'd known there was something not quite right with him, but the strain he felt in his chest could only be worry. He hesitantly reached across the small table, resting a hand gently on one of Mikoto's narrow shoulders. "…What is it? I'll keep bothering you until you say it. Otherwise, if you don't, you'll just cause me unnecessary trouble." Trouble wasn't quite the word he'd wanted to use, but it conveyed enough.

Mikoto flinched slightly as his shoulder was touched.

"I…I don't want to give you any trouble…" He reluctantly murmured. "…I'm just wondering...if there's anyone else w-who understands. I mean, we're supposed to just get on with our lives by ourselves now, b-but…I can't help but feel like I just want to rewind time." He forced a fake laugh, his head still hung low, looking towards the cheap metallic table, almost laughing to himself. "It's a stupid idea, isn't it?"

Tooru shook his head in disagreement. "I don't think it is. My life is very quiet and ordinary now. The times we had in High School were bright, I guess. But there's nothing wrong with wanting to remember." His hand loosened on Mikoto's shoulder.

Mikoto lifted his head up almost in disbelief. "Y-you mean you understand what that feels like? B-but going back in time is still impossible! E-even though I didn't like being teased and chased around back then…now i-it's lonely and boring in comparison, but there's no way to go back. It's hopeless!"

Tooru looked back at him, his gaze meeting his. So this was it. Mikoto was lonely. He knew that feeling far too well. After years had gone by in dealing with it, Tooru had a decent enough idea as to what helped. The only solution to loneliness was to spend time with someone else, until the person felt happy enough to be satisfied being by themselves every now and again. But that was already happening, so what else did he need to do? A few more questions circled across his mind, of course he still considered Mikoto to be a friend after so long, but why did he feel so strongly about wanting to help him? Why did he care so much? Much like Mikoto, Tooru's life had quietened a fair amount as well, but he was relatively happy. With his hand comfortably resting on the soft material covering Mikoto's shoulder, he went through another range of possibilities. Although he wouldn't show it, Tooru felt exceptionally pleased that he was the one helping Mikoto deal with loneliness, but couldn't quite explain to himself why. Was he like Mikoto, was he longing for a friend too? Was he longing for times that had passed? Or was he after something more than that?

There was only one way to check. He glanced towards an information stand in the middle of the shopping centre. "It's not entirely hopeless. We can still go back in time if we really think about it." Tooru leant against Mikoto's slender shoulder as he stood. "Follow me."