(Forsaken, Poignant) Closure

by timetravellingrose22

Kaito and his friends are looking forward to graduating high school soon. But something from the distant past of Rin has been bothering her. This meant helping Kaito's estranged friend Len reunite with Rin to heal each other's wounds from their shared past. Will Kaito and the gang make it possible for Rin and Len's needed closure? [crossposted on ao3 with better format]

25. it was just the wrong time

Tuesday - A day before graduation

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True to their word, Kaito's cohort held a farewell party for their whole cohort.

His class in particular made a plan to dedicate a part of the day for Rin. She already shared to the rest of the class of her upcoming flight the midnight after graduation.

For the last time, Kaito went to school in the mid-morning. He wore simple, casual yet presentable attire for the farewell celebration together with their classmates.

There were party-sized platters with various meats, fruits, and some take-away from local fast food restaurants on the table. On another table were materials such as prizes for the short games later. A few of their teachers were nice enough to help out the younger members of the student council to serve the food for the upcoming graduates.

Somewhere hidden was a jumbo greeting card for Rin. Inside were signatures from the seniors who contributed (it was all of them, even Yuki!) their final message of love and support to their cohort leader.

The gang was in perfect attendance. For today, they spent less time with each other but with their classmates.

Before they got caught up with the mood of the graduation, they were aware this would be the last time for a proper interaction with their now former classmates.

When the games began, Rin and Miku's competitive streak reignited, to the amusement of their friends. The up-beat music from the portable speakers added to the energy within the hallway that once housed the senior students early in the year.

Now the classrooms were empty of the materials that they owned, and devoid of evidence that a cohort of students once made it their personal area.

It was now a figment of their nostalgia for Miku, Oliver, and Gakupo.

The games were all finished and the make-up awards, for comedic purposes, were awarded.

Dex received the 'most likely to attend a furry con' title; and resulted in the hallway being packed with laughter and hysterics, especially by his own friends Kyo, Wil, and Yuu.

Kaito thought that these silly moments were one of the things he would miss in high school, without the toll of real life issues that may prevent them from laughing to their heart's content.

When the crowd eased off their laughter, Mayu grabbed everyone's attention.

"Hello! Thank you all for attending today after adjusting your plans for graduation! On behalf of the organisers, and the kids of student council together with the faculty for helping out, we really appreciate your efforts! We want to say something quick before we all start heading back and prepare for tomorrow."

Kaito, Miku, Gakupo, Oliver and Luka focused on Mayu. They already knew what she was about to announce.

Their classmates also did the same. Ars and another classmate purposely hid from Rin, who stood next to her friends.

"So for those who are not aware yet, though I doubt anyone is under the grid, really, when I see no face in this room that didn't sign on it," Mayu quickly added; to the few chuckles of some seniors.

"We appreciate what this classmate of our's done for the past two years. She really kicked ass in the principal's office and to administration that we wouldn't have the balls to do.

"She also wasn't afraid to say you were a dick to your face, and I think that's some girlboss things." There were laughs among the girls.

Mayu then continued, "It was a no brainer to vote her as cohort leader at the start of the year. And I don't care if she only joined us last year. It really felt she was with us since seventh grade with how much she's placed herself within our cohort."

Rin munched on a candy bar while she listened.

And she finally took the hint.

Her eyes widened while her cheeks were stuffed with the dessert.

Miku and Luka nudged her side comically with an arm and elbow.

"And now that we were told she's leaving for overseas tomorrow night, we thought of something that can commemorate her. It's not grand or impressive. But I can't really say it's small. So here it is!" Mayu gestured her hand to the empty space at the front.

There seemed to be no activity until there was rustling behind Rin. She missed the sight for a second when she turned her head.

When she returned her gaze to the front, she finally saw it.

Ars and another of their classmates held a jumbo greeting card.

Mayu really was not kidding when she said it was technically not small , Rin thought to herself.

The card seemed to be handmade and personally curated. Rin recognised the calligraphy writing of Sonika that read 'We'll Miss You, Rin!' on the cover.

On the bottom was a large drawing of an orange with little lines as its legs, and two green leaves in the shape of a ribbon at the top. The orange had a cute smile and sparkling eyes drawn on it.

The figure seemed to be pasted as a separate element in the card. It was evident with the white edges surrounding the orange that overlaid from the paper of the cover

"Our brainstorming was worth it when your mates approved the idea and assured us you'll really love it." Miku snickered as she waved her hand, to confirm Mayu's statement.

"So here it is. With the help of Sonika and Cul in the art department, Ars and myself discreetly spread the word, and basically everyone here who wrote for you, Rin." Mayu gestured for Ars to open the card and show the whole cohort the contents of the card.

There were gasps and utters of amazement under their breath.

The once blank white of the card was now filled with messages of diverse ranges of inks and scribbles.

It was so full that even the corners were written and there were bits of paper pasted and folded with ink on the surface.

On the right side of the card was a calligraphy heading made by Sonika that stood out in the centre from all the other messages.

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'Safe travels, Rin! We hope the transition is easy! ? ﾟﾧﾡ

- From 12-C & CFH 12th Grade Cohort + Faculty

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"Oh my god, you guys didn't have to do that for me…" Rin whispered before she covered her mouth. She truly had no words to describe the sweet surprise her classmates had planned.

Kaito and Gakupo encouraged Rin, held her in the shoulder with their palms with gentle force and pushed her forward. "Go to the front! Go!"

Rin relented, stood up and held the mic Mayu offered to her.

"Thank you! I'm so speechless now! Mayu, Ars, Sonika, Cul, my mates, everyone here right now who made the effort to write for me." Rin noticed the smiling faces of her classmates, schoolmates within her cohort, and even the few faculty staff with them.

"I couldn't have asked for such a welcoming cohort. Thank you so much for everything. I can't tell you how much I really appreciate the hard work you all did in making the card.

"It's gonna be a scary night for me very soon if I have to be very honest. But what you all did just now helped me feel better!" Rin's eyes began to water as she rested her palm on her chest.

Miku teased. "Aww, Rinny. You can't cry yet! We still have graduation!"

Yet Miku herself was one word away from a sob.

Rin chuckled as she wiped a few tears on her face. "I-I just can't help it. This is all unexpected and too sweet. Now you guys make it harder for me to leave because I would miss seeing you all like this!"

Mayu put a palm on her shoulder for comfort. Then she gestured towards Ars with the card.

After Mayu gave her a hug, Rin received the jumbo card from Ars.

Everyone cheered with loud claps and big smiles for their cohort leader.

After she promised to read every message in private, Rin asked for everyone to post a group photo with her.

It took a while to squeeze the whole senior cohort into one photo, and Rin at the centre who held the jumbo card, yet they made it work.

Some of the seniors approached Rin for a hug. A short queue was eventually made to give her support for the final time before the energy of graduation would have swept over them.

The end of the farewell party came to a finish.

Even if they were not asked nor obliged, the seniors helped in the clean up and tidy of the hallway alongside the faculty and the younger student council members.

It was something they worked together for the last time, and so even the simple task of taking out the rubbish bin was done in laughter when groups of them made jokes along the way.

Everyone went home and prepared for the big day tomorrow.

It was the end of what they all knew for the past twelve years.

The sun was about to set and with the orange hue in the sky when Kaito and Rin headed back. The latter needed to get home earlier than what she would have wanted.

She had to finalise the preparation for her family's flight tomorrow. She could only oblige, and understood there was no further negotiation.

Rin regretfully had to bid a farewell to Miku, Luka, Oliver, and Gakupo and the rest of the cohort who still stayed back and bonded in the middle of their clean up drive.

Thankfully Kaito was with her, mainly because he was invited by her parents.

It would be Kaito's last time to visit the Shimoda house before the family left the country and its ownership was sold to a relative.

It was a quiet walk to Rin's home. The two old friends had light conversation until they reached the intersection that led to her house.

Words slowly died out, and there was only comfortable silence between the two of them.

Kaito was content to simply remain quiet until Rin spoke.

"Hey Kai, thanks for what you and the others did for me with Len." Rin spoke, her gaze lowered but the path still within her peripheral vision. "I didn't get the chance to thank you, the guys and Lily when you stayed back for him."

"You better thank Miks specifically. She began the whole idea and convinced us to hop on." Kaito replied. "I was so anxious with how you would have reacted if ever our plan got leaked. There were a few times it almost happened, I admit.

"Like when you took Miku's notebook and we forgot our whole plan was written there. Or that one time you made an unplanned visit to my house when Len was there. We were so desperate to keep everything a secret because we thought you might get offended by us meddling with your past."

"So that's what all the ruckus from that day was." Rin chuckled, her gaze still on the road. "Well, you did put it that way." She raised her head, gaze now on the horizon.

She spoke again, with a sad smile. "But look where we are. It turns out I very much appreciate the effort you guys did. You all technically did the work for me that I dreaded doing."

"What do you mean?" Kaito asked. He was curious where his friend came from.

"To get that closure before leaving," Rin replied. "Len is the only one I have unresolved issues with, and I didn't want to leave that kind of burden once I entered that plane. God knows when I'll be able to get back."

"That was the whole jist of why Miks wanted to make this happen for you!" Kaito exclaimed. "Looks like I'll have to tell her she hit the bullseye after all."

Rin's chuckle was muffled behind the palm of her hand. "You don't have to, Miks already knows about it. She told me her whole reason that night. I swear that woman might actually be an empath."

They had a hearty laugh until it eventually lied low and they returned to the silence.

Only their footsteps were heard in the late sunset. The sky had purple hues to welcome the night.

"Kaito," Rin called. Her voice was soft, vulnerable.

Kaito answered. "Yeah, Rin?"

"Please take care of Len on my behalf." Rin turned her head to face him as they walked. "If I weren't leaving very soon, I would have reached out to start rebuilding our friendship."

She paused. Rin looked up to the sky again while they continued their walk at a shared phase.

They were in no rush. Even when there were a few people on the footpaths with them, the two friends pretty much had privacy.

"I still think to this day we rushed into a relationship without establishing a friendship as a foundation. I remember what you said back then."

Rin looked back to Kaito, focused right into his eyes as she continued. "That I knew a different Len from the rest of us. All because I was in a relationship with him, not a friendship. Two things that were, according to you, distinctively different."

"Okay, that's honestly creepy you remember that. I don't even remember saying all of that. " Kaito felt odd.

He knew he had moments of stress as he tried to comfort a distraught and inconsolable Rin during those early days of the break-up.

Kaito's brain must have shut off those memories; the times he had to step up and be stubborn to prevent her from one step into a day's worth of a mental breakdown.

Rin snickered loudly. "You did."

Then she lowered her gaze to the ground. "I've always felt determined to rebuild my friendship with Len once we get closure. But now, I can't do it."

"Rin, you can still do it." Kaito gently argued. "You can still do long-distance friendships just like what you'll do to me, and to our friends here. Nothing's impossible. Len would appreciate it once you work on it!"

"It's different, Kai." Rin sighed dejectedly. "My friendship with Lu, Gakt, Oli, Miks, Lily, Neru, Gumi and you are well-established. Even if it hurts to leave you all here tomorrow, I know you are all able to handle the long-distance communication from now on.

"But with Len, our new start will be brittle, sensitive. " Rin emphasised the last word for effect.

"I know you guys would be able to squeeze in a bit of time to talk to me on calls or simple chats. You'll understand I won't always be available to socialise, and it won't hurt either of us.

"Whereas Len and I, we're still testing the waters. Doing everything as friends virtually, not physically, makes things ten times harder."

Kaito was supposed to argue back when Rin put her palm up quickly to stop him.

"Wait! Let me say this quickly!"

Then he relented with a nod.

"I'm not being pessimistic, Kai. I'm being realistic. Unless Len miraculously moved in the same country as me and we're not far away anymore, then I would reconsider.

"But with our current circumstances, I don't know how we can rebuild our friendship in the whole mix of getting the hang of being adults and our own lives."

Kaito walked in silence for a few seconds. He contemplated everything she just admitted.

In the end, he did not agree with the entirety of Rin's reasons. "I understand. But Rin, both of you want to make this friendship work again. Even if you're miles apart. I want you to remember it's possible, okay?"

Rin nodded with all the sincerity she had. "Yeah, I will."

"If he sends you a message, have mercy to the dude and reply to him, yeah?" Kaito reminded his friend. "We're all so used to you forgetting to reply and getting off the grid occasionally. You just said it, our friendship is so 'well-established' we understand if you don't get back a few hours or even days. But poor Len might take it the other way. Take it easy on him, yeah?"

"Of course." Rin assured her friend. Even without Kaito to mention it, Rin knew she had to make more efforts when it came to Len.

She smiled. "I should also be saying that to you. Out of the two of us, you will be spending a lot more time with Len."

"Sure I will." Kaito returned her smile. "I'm honestly glad my two friends are not fighting anymore. Like, officially made up after four years of turmoil and another year of uncertainty."

Rin stopped and turned her head to Kaito.

Her long-time friend also stopped after her.

He thought to take this chance to mention something he always wanted to say, from the bottom of his heart.

Kaito only whispered these words, fearful this moment might shatter. "I don't have to be in the middle anymore; torn apart that my two best friends might never be able to reconcile."

Rin had a look of realisation on her face. Then she covered her mouth with her palm as her eyes watered and a sob came out.

"Thank you, Kaito." Then she quickly grabbed him for a hug.

A tight hug was what Kaito deserved for all those years.

Rin's voice was muffled in the hug. "Thank you for helping the both of us. I'm so sorry for getting you involved in our mess. We both hurted you. We were selfish and forgot you."

Her tears made a wet mess on Kaito's shirt, which he did not mind the slightest if it meant he lived through this moment.

Kaito had a sombre smile in return. "I will miss you, mate. You've been with me for the longest time. I couldn't be more thankful to you."

Kaito tightened his arms around Rin for the last time, until they both let go.

"I forgave both of you, a long time ago actually. But it feels good to hear it now. I'll miss you too. I know you'll rock it out there in the new place, because you're strong, Rin."

He smiled. Kaito's eyes told everything Rin needed to know that he was also about to cry.

And so the two friends went to the last leg of their walk together.

Rin wanted to treasure this simple but poignant memory in her heart. It was the kind of memory she would go back to in her mind more than once in the future.

The setting sun, the serenity of the moment allowed for the private memory to crystallise in Rin to cherish for a long time.

The moment ended when they arrived at the doorstep of Rin's home, and were welcomed by her parents.

As Rin merely observed her mother eagerly talk with Kaito, she knew this would now be a rare occasion—that her parents approved of someone from Rin's life.

And so she made the most of Kaito's short visit.

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Wednesday - Twelfth Grade Graduation

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The day of the graduation dinner was something that internally shook Kaito when he woke up.

He just could not believe it—twelve years of schooling was officially finished.

Winter mornings were a pleasant affair for Kaito and his parents.

His sister was not able to make it today but will soon join them for the holidays. Kaito did not mind his sister's absence at graduation.

In fact he was already thankful the holidays would be complete with his whole family in one place.

His mother prepared her signature best hot chocolate to keep themselves warm.

His dad fixed the gas heater just in time for some of the coldest temperatures they would experience this year.

Kaito felt a bit nauseous from the nerves and excitement of the upcoming event. He slowed down his eating and promised himself to grab some bites throughout the day to compensate.

There were a few hours left before he had to prepare. For now, his parents told him to get rested. He distracted himself from the nerves.

And so he ate a tub of ice cream while he scrolled through social media.

Some of his classmates were active on the class group chat already who went on about tonight's event.

The conversation covered the venue that was only a few suburbs away from their school campus. Ars and a few of their classmates mentioned they had checked out the venue and already learnt the route a few hours ago.

Other people mentioned about the outfits they would wear, the hairstyles they would put on, and the itinerary from the booklet they were all given yesterday.

Kaito noticed the groupchat with his friends bursted with activity. He saw Miku, Luka and Gakupo active.

When Miku finished sending the daily rounds of memes, she raved about her excitement on graduation.

Luka joined in and shared her similar sentiment. Then the two diverted their topics by the time Gakupo joined in, and Oliver popped in here and there.

Like any group chat of friends, their conversations went to the wildest places as Gakupo cracked up more jokes that Kaito's gut ached from all the laughing he did.

It did not help that Luka, Oliver, and Miku added on some of it that there was no end to their collective chaos.

It must be insane for someone who was not present at that moment to read all their chat history from these past few hours.

Those people included Rin who was not online right now.

Kaito knew she would be preoccupied at that very moment with Lily, Neru and Gumi at her place.

The three insisted they helped Rin prepare for graduation as part of their bonding time for the last time before the flight.

Then Gakupo stirred the topic into the itinerary for tonight, specifically the speech from their school duke later. Even Kaito participated in the discussion about the speech until Oliver mentioned someone else with another speech.

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[CHAT SCENE] (Supposedly group chat for) The Band™ - Kaito POV

(Supposedly group chat for) The Band™

Oliver Cody
Rin's also doing a speech! She's cohort leader!

Rin Shimoda
ugh don't remind me Oli ?

Rin Shimoda
lowkey will make a clown of myself in front

Miku Hatsune
omg yes! gurlie making a cultural impact tonight ?

Luka Megurine
I'll be full on mum friend mode and record the speech ?

Rin Shimoda
no tf ? cut the cameras!

deadass!

Gakupo Kamui
aww Rin we need something to look back into if we're going to talk about graduation a year or even five years from now ?

Kaito: I swear it won't be used as blackmail ?

Rin Shimoda
fuck off Kai ?

You can take awkward photos of me eating, but no videos of the speech ? ﾟﾘﾭ

Luka Megurine
you know what to do, Kai

Gakupo Kamui
TAKE NOTES, KAI!

Kaito: [mr_burns_excellent_ ]
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Kaito glanced at the time and was a few minutes short before his alarm meant to remind himself.

He stood up, left his room and was about to grab the tuxedo hung with its protective case from his parents. At the right time, he encountered his mother in the living room.

"Ma! Pa! We need to start preparing now!" Kaito excitedly announced.

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"Welcome, ladies! You really love Rin that much, you're all willing to help her prepare for her graduation!" Rin's mother smiled as she opened the door to let Neru, Lily, and Gumi get inside the Shimoda home.

"Mrs Shimoda, of course we do! We wouldn't miss any chance we can get to spend time with Rin! Now that this will be the last day you're all here." Lily smiled as she and her friends removed their outdoor shoes and wore the indoor slippers given by Rin's mother.

"Rin! Neru, Lily and Gumi are here!" Rin's mother called out towards upstairs.

There was a distant voice who shouted, and stumps of footsteps echoed from the room.

"My, I'm quite surprised with you girls. You just met with Rin on Monday night, right? I assumed that was how you planned for your last time to spend time with her. I didn't expect there would be another part of it today!" While Rin's mother chuckled, Neru, Lily and Gumi went along.

They did their best to 'fake it 'til they made it'.

After all, they could never admit what had actually happened that night at the park.

Neru, Gumi and Lily did not have to stand awkwardly with Mrs Shimoda much longer.

Rin bursted out of her room. She made a dash down the stairs and took her guests.

"Neru, Lily, Gumi, you made it!" Rin smiled.

She had a black button sleeveless top with mid-thigh shorts. A towel was wrapped around her hair, it meant she had just finished her shower.

Rin quickly took her friends upstairs and closed the door behind her when they got settled in her bedroom. "Alright, here it is."

She sighed with a sad smile. "As you all know, we're desperately preparing for tonight. So my sister can't really help me prepare today. My parents do their own thing. And let's not talk about my brother."

Gumi observed the state of Rin's bedroom.

The once vibrant room lost its charm as it had been stripped of Rin's staple items.

What was once filled with posters, sketches, post-it notes and polaroid photos that expressed Rin's identity became non-existent with the bare walls.

The large bookshelf that was the home for all of Rin's books disappeared. It left a large gap of space that normally made her room once look cramped. The desk felt too foreign when all her stationary and personal items were not displayed any longer.

Only a medium-sized mirror was put in place at the bare table that was against. Even her bed was stripped of its usual warm comforter and quilt set.

When she opened the closet, Gumi saw it was empty.

The hangers were gone and nothing else that once suggested it was Rin's with the cramped and overfilled closet.

Three formal dresses were displayed on hangers. Gumi thought those must be the dresses that they needed to help Rin choose for tonight.

A message last night from Rin said she struggled to choose, and so that was among their agenda for today.

At the floor of the closet were two small boxes with the label 'CLOTHES' handwritten in bold, capital letters. Those boxes might be the one they would take soon.

While Gumi looked around and Neru set up the table, Lily assured Rin. "That's why we're here! Of course we're going to help you. We're making the most of today!"

Gumi put her hand on her waist and leaned her weight on that side after she brought the boxes out of the closet.

But what stood out at the empty room was the large luggage with a golden case, its handle already raised. On top of it was a duffel bag that was her carry-on bag with her essentials and gadgets.

Right next to the luggage was another large black case that contained Rin's beloved electric guitar.

Neru clapped her hands. "Alright, the clock's ticking! Chop, chop ladies we need to start now!"

She and Lily brought out the supplies they needed for the hair and make-up.

The upcoming graduate grabbed her phone, started a playlist and let her phone speaker blast out music to pass the time and add into their chilled out ambiance.

Gumi brought out the three dresses and insisted that they needed to choose one first to compliment Rin's hair and makeup.

They all agreed and began their debate on their preferences with the dresses after Rin fitted it first.

While one black dress was considered too 'flashy' and the kind for a night at a bar instead of a formal graduation dinner, the other dress lacked an 'elegant' factor, as quoted by Neru.

Though the latter dress did suit the dress code for tonight. Yet they all unanimously agreed that it did not showcase Rin's personality that much with its long sleeves and the floor-length style.

Then Gumi held the last dress and raised her arms for all the three ladies to gush over.

After Rin finally fitted the last dress, they already knew their decision.

The grey satin dress had a cowl neck and thin straps on the shoulders. It had an asymmetrical hem where the lowest point reached until Rin's mid-thighs on the right side. On the left side was the curled hem with its tip barely landing on the floor.

Since Rin would wear three-inch heels, the dress was at its perfect length.

Lily clapped enthusiastically. "That, right there, is a glamorous dress!"

Neru clasped her palms together and leaned her head to the side. "You're doing a speech right? That's the perfect dress for tonight. You're already making a statement without even climbing the stage nor saying a word!"

"Wait, how do you know!?" Rin was astonished as she wore her comfortable clothes with the shorts and button top and approached Neru.

"A little birdie told me." She winked.

Neru directed her friend to sit on the chair and face the mirror so they could start. Rin whined at the lack of a comprehensible answer.

"It's Miku who told us." Gumi relieved her best friend's desperation.

Rin widened her eyes at the answer. But a second later she had concluded that it made sense.

Miku was the most sociable out of their group, so it was no surprise she got along with her high school friends while they did their plan behind Rin.

Lily joined as she sat next to Rin and held her phone. "Huh? Kaito was the one who told me. So that makes it two birdies." She browsed for potential hairstyles for her friend.

"I swear I'll shave those two bald…" Rin grumbled under her breath, but was perfectly heard by Neru and Lily who laughed their asses off.

This was the Rin that they would miss—fearless, bold, and too damn blunt.

When they agreed on the hairstyle and the look they wanted for Rin, Lily and Neru began their work.

Gumi decided to start early on the other plans for their stay. She sorted through the items that they would bring or squeeze into the luggage.

Lily began to curl Rin's long locks with her straightener. Her hair was already segregated into sections with clips and pins.

"Sorry, Rin. Sit tight, this will hurt." Lily grabbed a few locks and then wrapped it around the other half of the straightener before she clasped it close. She waited for a few seconds for the heat to do its work and then slowly pulled out with force.

"It's alright Lily, I don't mi— AHHH!" Rin was taken by surprise. She never felt the sensation of her scalp ripped as almost as when Lily pulled the straightener.

"Oops, sorry. But I told you, you need to sit tight or else the curl might be fuzzed." Lily inspected the first curl she did.

It was perfect. She grabbed another clump of locks and twirled it around the straightener to repeat the process.

The two boxes were opened by Gumi and Neru, and the folded clothes were carefully put out to maintain their folded state.

They sorted through the clothes and showed Lily each garment whenever she waited for a few seconds before she pulled out the curls.

There were occasions where they got stuck in a single clothing all because they reminisced a memory where Rin had worn the outfit, or they got in tangents about topics that related to the shirt.

Most of the clothes eventually went to Neru.

In preparation, Neru held Rin's wrist and did a swatch on her wrist to find the best shades for her.

One of them sang along to a song that played on Rin's phone. Then there were the songs where they all knew by heart, so the four girls all sang it together.

It took almost forty minutes for the whole curling process to finish. After a few adjustments on her locks and some loose strands were brushed, Lily thought Rin's hair already looked stunning.

Then she brought out the hairspray she brought with her, and applied a few sprays enough for it to stay intact for the rest of the night.

Since Rin told her friends they would not have graduation caps but only robes (to their dislike), Lily thought it was only perfect Rin needed to have her iconic ribbon.

With her small white scrunchie bow, some of Rin's strands were tied at the back of her head to create a ponytail effect whilst most of her hair flowed freely on her back.

"Oh, she's gorgeous, Lily!" Neru gushed. "Alright, now I'm doing my work. Leave it to me to make Rin the star of the show!"

"Neru, I'm not even the school dux. I don't want to steal the spotlight." Rin chuckled before she turned her head to the mirror on the table.

"What are you talking about? You are the spotlight! You're the cohort leader! Miku and Kai said it's a big deal in your school. That's why you should look your very best there! Well, you're already the best. But we need to make it extra~ " Neru flicked the brush she held for emphasis.

Lily and Gumi then went to the other side of the room where boxes of remaining books were left unsold throughout the year.

Neru quickly hopped off and pointed out the books she wanted, then immediately went back to Rin's makeup.

While Lily appreciated the books and even sneaked in a few pages to read, Gumi went to the table. She picked up some of the make-up that was either used or unused and commented about it.

Neru talked with her as she multi-tasked with her work on Rin's face.

When they were finished with the books after Lily claimed most of it, she and Gumi went through the small box of personal belongings that Rin could not bring to her new home beyond the ocean.

Gumi picked up the heavy small box tucked within.

The sound of rattling light metal was made so she already had an idea what it was before she opened the lid.

Rin's medals from primary school, all the way to last year's end of year ceremony were included.

Tonight there were more additions. But Rin would have given it to one of her friends before she left, as she cannot bring it with her.

So Gumi had to look forward to another batch of medals soon.

She dreaded it. Once she held them, it meant Rin finally left the country for good.

"Are you sure you want to take all my medals, Gumi? I could ask for a relative to keep it for me if you changed your mind now." Rin spoke when Neru worked on her eyes.

"It's fine, Rin. I don't mind. I have a lot more space in my room. And I know it puts you more at ease to know where this box is until you have a place to put it somewhere in the new home."

Gumi picked up the first medal she touched. The familiar dark blue and white striped ribbon was a dead giveaway it was from their previous school.

She read the back of the medal and read the inscription written on it. Rin's full name was included, followed by the award the medal was for and the date of their tenth grade graduation.

Rin had five more medals from that year. She broke her personal record for the most medals she took home.

Her best friend did not want to say anything else. But Gumi speculated that the record could be broken tonight. She had to ask Kaito for the list of awards Rin would receive soon.

"I guess I have to upgrade my make-up skills more than just the basics if I'm going to start working soon." Rin mentioned while she waited for Neru. On her lipstick, the woman dabbed her little brush on it .

Neru laughed. "Yeah, you sure will do. You'll get there eventually. Lily didn't get into make up seriously until last year. We all find our own time soon."

She put down her lipstick brush on the table where a tissue and other used brushes were laid out to be sanitised later. "Also, before I forget, all your make-up is water-resistant."

Neru gave her a tissue for Rin to put on in between her lips and rub off the excess lipstick. "I know it's going to be an emotional night for you. So don't worry about ruining the make-up. It won't. Don't think twice to let those tears out."

"... Aren't they more expensive than the regular ones?" Rin's eyes widened before she appreciated the finished product in the mirror.

"Well yeah. But seriously, it's nothing you should be worried about Rin. This is all I can give to you before this day ends." Neru smiled.

"I can't believe you just used your expensive make-up on me! I don't feel worthy!" Rin exclaimed with an awkward chuckle.

"Shut up, Shimoda. You deserve it. This is your big day! Just let us treat you before you hop in on that damn plane tonight."

Neru teasingly scolded her before she grabbed the mirror. "Okay. Take a look at the hard work I just did!"

This time, Rin actually looked at herself.

She gasped. She almost did not recognise herself.

Her eyes looked bigger. The skin on her face was ten times smoother and refined.

She looked more—

"Beautiful!" Lily excitedly approached the table. "You're so gorgeous, Rin! Perfect way to get into the night!"

Rin was speechless. She nodded with a smile.

Gumi stood up. "Now let's get you into that dress to finish it all off"

She noticed the three inch heels Rin previously used when she tried the dress.

Rin's bestfriend quickly retrieved the shoes and then the dress on its hanger.

Gumi and Neru helped Rin in the dress, despite their friend's insistence that she did not need any help.

"Oh come on. Just let us spoil you. Like Neru said, it'll only be for tonight." Gumi teased Rin, who tried her best not to ruin any of the hardwork Lily and Neru had done for her tonight.

Lily volunteered to kneel down and help Rin wear her heels, so she would not need to sit down and strapped it on herself.

Rin clutched Gumi's hand in fear she would lose her balance as she looked down on Lily.

They all moved back to gaze on their friend in her full glory.

The dress brought out all the curves that she so desperately hid. It also gave her the silhouette of being taller and glamorous.

"It's like you're walking on the red carpet, I love it!" Lily gushed. She quickly brought out her phone and faced the camera at Rin. "Can I take a photo, pretty please?~"

"Oh alright," Rin happily relented. She posed casually that best gave her a 'classic' look on the photos.

Gumi and Neru did not let themselves miss out as they took their own photos.

The latter said with every photo she took of Rin. "Yes! She is an icon! She's a legend, and she is the moment!"

There was a knock on the door that interrupted their photoshoot, to the relief of Rin who sighed.

The door opened behind Gumi, and Rin's mother saw the middle of the photoshoot of the girls.

"Oh, you're finished with Rin! She looks splendid!" She cheered. "Good timing, because I just finished pressing her robe."

She showed a thick black robe held by its hanger. Gumi thanked Mrs Shimoda and made her way to the graduate with the garment.

When Gumi took a few steps back from Rin, all of them squealed.

The black graduation robe contrasted the shiny grey dress and Rin's curled blonde locks.

Neru's eyes sparkled in appreciation. "You look like a star! I mean, literally!"

"That's a large exaggeration there, Neru." Rin chuckled and smiled awkwardly, not used to the attention her friends gave her.

"You look beautiful, darling!" Her mother cheered. "All eyes will be on you tonight, that's for sure!"

Lily remarked. "That's right, Mrs Shimoda. And she deserves it!"

From downstairs they heard a voice that called out for Rin's mother. The woman excused herself.

"Feel free to come downstairs soon, ladies. There's still time before we have to leave."

Neru, Lily and Gumi appreciated Rin's mother and her hospitality. The door closed gently and they were all by themselves again.

"Alright, we're done prepping you! Now let's get on with your luggage and the stuff we'll be taking." Neru initiated their next step.

"Maybe you guys want to pack up this stuff first?" Rin suggested with a gesture to the scattered brushes and the opened cases of various makeup.

And so Lily and Rin gathered the brushes together and separated it from the cases.

Neru grabbed all the used brushes and snatched the hand towel she had inside the makeup bag. Then straight to the washroom she went.

Lily and Gumi wiped the table from the spilled powder and other residue of the make up.

It was the perfect time that Lily's straightener cooled down, so she was able to put it back on its bag.

After they tidied up and Neru returned with clean brushes in hand, they went through the stuff they could claim for themselves.

After three small boxes were designated with their names written, it was all decided. The final thing on their list of things to do was Rin's luggage.

Gumi did the honours to open the large luggage.

The remaining items that Rin once struggled to fit ended up with their own place after a few trials and errors by the ladies.

Before they finally closed the bag, they presented their small, airport security friendly memorabilia for Rin.

She gushed at the keychain, the journal and the smallest plush toy she had ever seen. Accompanied were three small envelopes with cards inside.

Neru strictly told Rin to open it once she landed, which her friend agreed with a relented sigh.

Gumi slammed the cover of the bag with her elbow to desperately zip it.

A more desperate attempt was made when she brought the weight of her whole torso to let the zipper go through and close up the bag.

Neru, Lily and Rin laughed her arses off while the former filmed every bit of Gumi's trysts.

Gumi returned the luggage to its spot, with the electric guitar and the duffel bag in its original place.

Everything was done.

Their purpose for the visit was finally achieved.

All of them did not want to arrive at this point in time.

If only they were trapped in this moment, they only lived on this day where one of them never had to leave.

Rin's phone rang. It was her sister who told her to go down and prepare to leave soon.

With their bags ready and boxes carried on their arms, Neru, Lily, and Gumi joined Rin downstairs and approached the conclusion of their visit.

Rin's mother insisted on taking photos. So the three friends stood beside Rin in the middle of the living room.

When Mrs Shimoda was satisfied, the friends took photos from their own cameras with various poses and angles.

Rin had never felt so at ease at home, all because her friends were around. It was a refreshing feeling.

She already knew she would struggle to not have them over at their new home after tonight.

Lily, Neru, and Gumi had photos with Rin by themselves one by one.

Then Neru posted their group photos on her social media.

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[image] [ , GumiMegpoid, lilyburningnight were tagged] : HMU for lovely 's graduation tonight by lilyburningnight and yours truly! ywnhaku: your friend is so beautiful! You're so beautiful too, miss make-up artist! miku39music: OMFG! ? ﾟﾒﾖ? ﾟﾒﾓ

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"Looks like we seriously need to leave. Your parents are there waiting for us." Lily pointed with her thumb where Rin's parents sat at the dinner table, in their own conversation as they waited for the girls.

Rin's mother informed them. "Girls, we'll drop you off at your homes!"

But all of them, especially Lily, stuttered and rejected the offer out of courtesy.

"We don't want to impose, Mrs Shimoda! And besides, I live on the other side of the city. It'd be too much out of the way on the venue of Rin's graduation." Lily gently counter-argued and avoided for the parents to take offence on it

"If you can drop us off at the bus station instead, we would really appreciate it! It won't be out of your way to the venue, and it'll get Neru and Gumi home while I can get to the train station." She finished with the best sweet smile she had.

Rin's mother went to the front door and opened it. "If you say so. You've also got a point Lily. Alright, let's get in the car now! You might miss the next bus!"

She and her husband went out to the car outside the garage. Rin's father went to the driver's side and started the engine.

Lily, Neru and Gumi carried each of their boxes and one-by-one went inside the vehicle.

Rin locked the door behind her. She sat at the back but only for a temporary time as all her friends were to leave soon.

In her heart, Rin never wanted to leave. Especially because she had to leave her friends behind.

The drive took ten minutes thanks to minimal traffic. It was inconvenient for Rin's parents.

But for the four friends, it was as if time was against them to make the most in the last minutes they had with each other.

Photos were taken, jokes were exchanged and laughter ensued inside the car.

When they arrived at the large bus station with its multiple bays for different routes, it was the end.

Rin opened the door from the back as Lily, Neru and Gumi climbed down from the car and all their personal belongings with them.

"Enjoy the night, Rin. And safe travels after that. We'll miss you." Lily gave Rin a tight hug.

Then she made some quick adjustments on the strands she worked hard to curl behind Rin.

For the last time, she squeezed herself against her dear friend. Rin felt comforted that she and Lily were together since their time as hyper and eccentric seventh graders.

"Congratulations again for tonight, Rin. We're always so proud of you!" Neru embraced her friend for what could be the last time until then. Rin felt her heart warmed with her friend's farewell.

She still felt blessed for her friendship with Neru. It was one of the most unexpected things she never asked for, but definitely needed.

"... This is it. I know you'll be a badass there. I'll miss you, so, so much. Enjoy every moment for us." Gumi had a sad smile. When she hugged Rin tightly, she suppressed an incoming sob.

She pleaded to herself while she was in Rin's embrace.

This is not the right time…

Don't cry.

You can't cry.

She needs to leave now. I have to be strong for her.

When Gumi let go of Rin from the last hug she would have from her best friend, they shared a smile.

This was the friendship that she wanted to protect. No matter what, Rin already had a special place in her heart after everything she had done for her.

Neru quickly brushed a small speck of dirt on Rin's face. Lily adjusted the curls on Rin's hair for the final time.

She softly spoke to convince her friend. "You should get going, Rin. You might get stuck in traffic and risk being late."

"Thank you, Lily, Neru, Gumi. Thank you for everything… I'm so thankful you were with me throughout high school." Rin smiled.

"I'll never forget each and every day I had with you guys… I'll cherish all of them forever…"

They all had a group hug, with sad smiles and desperate warmth that cling to all of them.

Then the three waved their unoccupied arms to Rin who went back to the car while they clutched their boxes.

Rin turned back for the last time when she held the door handle and waved.

When she got inside the car, they thought everything was now over.

Until the window was pulled down and Rin's head was in view, with her hand that still waved to her friends.

Neru, Lily and Gumi enthusiastically waved back as the car moved into motion.

The last five seconds before the vehicle went farther into the distance was all it took to reach their love for her for the final time.

She would be so far away from now on.

It was Lily, Gumi and Neru's collective thoughts as they put down their arms and stared at the distance.

They turned back and solemnly went to the designated bay where their bus would arrive soon.

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Rin leaned her head against her seat with a dejected sigh. She desperately tried to embed the sight of her three friends for the last time.

When they took a turn and the bus station was no longer in view, Rin had to give up.

There was no turning back even if it was so painful.

If this goodbye already hurted her without any tears, she could not imagine how it would go later tonight.

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The three friends boarded the bus after they waited for a few minutes at the bus stop. Lily sat next to the window. Gumi was in the middle. On the edge of the walkway was Neru who sighed.

It was about to be a long night for all of them. The bus left the station, and the actual journey to their own homes began.

Gumi could not bear the ache anymore, and so she cried with a broken heart. She covered her face with her hands, elbows on her knees.

Her weeping was evident when her shoulders shook from the muffled sobs heard by her friends.

Lily and Neru started to shed a few tears when they wrapped their arms around Gumi.

"I-I didn't want to cry. I knew she would start crying too. Our hard work on preparing her would have been ruined." She sobbed.

Lily had a pitiful laugh and agreed to her friend's reasoning as she herself sobbed.

Neru huffed but ended up as a sob. "Damn right. My perfect water-proof make-up would fuck up if that happened." She wiped her tears with the back of her hand.

"Fucking damn it, I hate this! It fucking hurts. I don't want Rin to go. She'll be so far away now. We won't be able to hug her when she needs it…" Gumi cried out. Her miserable cries attracted the attention of the few other people in the bus.

But they were still left by themselves in their grief.

Lily leaned her head on Gumi. Her eyes were bloodshot and her nose stuffed red.

"She's actually leaving. I've always thought it'll never happen because it always gets pushed back. I told myself it's another year with her. But it's really happening today. I'm still denying it." She shook her head while she cried softly.

"I'm so happy we got to spend time with Rin like that. I hope she comes back soon." Neru smiled sadly. "Because that way, it won't hurt any more the longer she's not here. This shit is already fucking painful for me."

She covered her mouth and her nose with the palm of her hand to ease herself from crying.

A concerned passenger approached their row and checked on them.

Gumi was distracted with her sobs as she remained in her position.

Lily looked at the older lady in curiosity, which helped her to ease the sobs.

Neru answered on behalf of her friends.

"We're fine. I mean technically not, to be honest." Neru chuckled even when she thought her face must look like a disaster. She attempted to be humorous in this awkward scenario; she tried her best.

"But we'll be alright soon. Thank you for your concern. Our friend is leaving the country tonight and we were with her for the last time. We all held back so she won't see us like this."

"I'm so sorry to hear that sweetie." The elderly woman kindly replied. "But I'm glad to hear you were with your friend for the last time. I actually had family leave overseas too when I was your age."

She smiled. "It does hurt at first, especially the first few months of missing them. Eventually you will learn to live with the yearning. And the moment you finally meet again? It's beyond describable how much it brightens you up."

Neru and Lily thanked the woman for her words of comfort.

Gumi managed to calm herself down and looked up to witness the kind gaze of the elder stranger.

She tried her best to smile in appreciation of the stranger's presence.

Eventually they began to arrive at their stops.

First was Gumi's stop. Her box, the smallest out of them, contained the medals that clanked as she carried it.

She left her friends with a heartbroken wave.

Ten minutes later, Neru hopped off. She had the biggest box with mostly clothes and a few books.

Lily received a kiss on the cheek before her friend left the bus and walked on the street towards her home.

The bus arrived at the last destination, the train station. Lily left the bus and gazed at the sunset with its orange hues and last bits of sunshine.

It was almost an hour ride via the train for it to cross the other side of the city where her area was.

With a heavy box of books and the bag of hair straightener, Lily went to the train station and started the long, lonesome, quiet journey home.

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This year's graduation dinner was held at a seaside events centre in a nearby suburb next to the beach. The school rented the top seventh floor with the immaculate view of the seaside and the sunset.

Miku, Kaito, and Oliver were already present. Their parents socialised as the three friends hung out. They lingered with a few of their classmates as the rooms were still empty with how early they came.

Miku wore a white tube dress that fell on her knees. A pink ribbon below her chest added to the cute charm of her outfit.

On top of it all was her black graduation robe—the same one Kaito, Oliver, and the rest of their cohort had.

She complimented the dress with white spoon heels with thin straps around her ankles. Her hair was let loose with her natural curls for an elegant and relaxed look on her appearance.

Kaito wore a dark navy tuxedo that complimented his hair and eyes. His undershirt was white and his bowtie was black for contrast.

Oliver wore a white long-sleeve shirt with a golden vest paired with a matching gold necktie. His hair was long enough for his fringe to cover his left eye that he always covered with a bandage.

No one has ever solved the mystery of his left eye.

Eventually more people arrived and filled up the tables.

Miku, Kaito, and Oliver interacted with them until they separated into their friend groups or got caught up with other things.

It was at this point Miku complimented all the women from her cohort, from their looks to their dresses and their accessories, to their overall facade.

Luka arrived. While she already wore her black graduation robe with her sparkling purse that hung as a shoulder bag, Miku focused on the dress.

Hidden underneath were the straps of her navy blue dress on both shoulders. The dress had a V-neck curve that ended almost on the middle of her chest.

"Luka!" Miku called out enthusiastically.

"You're gorgeous, darling!" She quickly wrapped her arms around Luka who stood in front of her mother.

"Aren't you looking like you're going straight to bed with that one, honey?" She teased.

Miku pouted and counter-argued, to Luka's amusement.

"I'm just joking. That's actually a cute dress though. It suits the robe." Luka sincerely complimented Miku.

A few minutes later, Gakupo arrived along with other of their classmates that were in the same lift as him and his parents.

"Gakt! You finally showed yourself, about bloody time!" Oliver called for his friend's attention.

The man in question quickly went to where his friends were gathered beside the glass walls.

Gakupo had his hair on a large braid on his side. Similar to Oliver, he wore a long sleeve shirt and vest together with matching trousers. But the only differences were the colours and design. Gakupo's shirt was black, and his vest was white with a vertical stripe pattern. The white vest stood out as he wore the graduation robe.

"We got stuck in traffic, it was bad!" Gakupo explained himself. "But thankfully it was only for ten minutes and then we got out of it."

"Rin!" Miku raised her voice as she went her way in zig-zags to avoid anyone as she approached her newly-arrived friend.

It was true to the photo Neru posted, Rin was fabulous.

Her curled locks and the make-up, as courtesy from her friends, really made her shine. And the grey ensemble she had with the dress suited her. It was perfect, she was—

"Rin! You look like a star! A superstar!" Miku gushed. "Your girls did a freaking awesome job on you!" Miku was aware her friend's parents were within hearing distance, so she was careful with her words.

"You flatter me too much, Miks. But thank you. I appreciate what they did for me tonight." Rin smiled.

Gakupo teased with a smile as he joined the conversation. "Miss cohort leader is finally here! And we look forward to her speech tonight!"

Kaito, Luka, and Oliver arrived at their own pace, compared to Miku's haste, and joined the fun banter.

When the parents and carers were settled on their assigned tables and the time for the event came, the students formed a queue.

Each student was introduced in the march of the graduates. All of them received applause from fellow classmates, parents and school staff present.

Some received more enthusiastic whistles and chants, mainly from the rowdy kids such as from Dex's squad, to the amusement of their other classmates.

When all of that was finished, the students returned to their seats.

Kaito, Oliver, and Rin were designated to the same table, as were their parents, for a total of nine people in a table.

On the neighbouring table was Luka, Miku and Gakupo with their own parents.

The school encouraged them to choose the people they preferred to be with. Naturally, their friend group planned to be next to each other as close as possible.

Various speeches were made throughout the night. Included was the principal of CFH, an alumnus the same age as Miku's parents, and someone from the local government.

She zoned out most of the time. Her appetiser was already finished, and it was rude to have hushed whispers with Gakupo or Luka for too long.

All that was left to do was suck it up and patiently wait for the speeches to finish.

The vice principal who hosted tonight's program announced the awards ceremony. Compared to other schools, their school did not announce the list of awardees beforehand.

So they all waited in anticipation and lived through the surprise. Multiple hands clapped throughout as a student stood up and went to the front.

More students received their awards from different teachers. After a long-winded description that gave hints on the potential recipient, a familiar name rang on the speakers.

"This award, to commemorate the special contribution they made for the performing arts, goes to Miss Miku Hatsune."

A round of applause was given, and Miku had not realised it was her name called until Luka and Gakupo pushed her to stand and go at the front.

Rin, Oliver, and Kaito were about to go up from their seats with how excited they were for their friend who definitely deserved the award.

Miku received the award from their music teacher and posed for the camera. It was a quick affair and when she went back to her seat, she admired the medal on her neck.

"You're going home with the gold, ma'am!" Luka was amused, and proud of her friend.

"Thanks Lu. But wow, can you believe this? I was not expecting anything like this tonight. It's a pleasant surprise." She smiled and shifted her focus on the ceremony.

The next recipient from their friend group was Kaito who received the award for the sciences, one of his favourite classes. It was a coincidence it related to his future course for next year, so that was a nice touch.

He had his thumb up right after the flash from the camera flickered, for the sake of laughs.

Most of the applause concentrated on their area with Rin who caused the excessive claps and cheers at their table. Kaito chuckled and gladly received the hug from her before he sat down.

His parents cooed at the medal on their son's neck.

Naoto shed a tear and clutched his chest while Kanako held his shoulder and Kaito's arm with a smile.

"I'm so proud of you, son!" Naoto cried, a palm on his chest as he wiped a tear of joy.

'Thanks, dad!" Kaito had a sentimental smile at the sight of his parents' pride for him.

A few more names were mentioned until another one from their friend group came up.

Luka excelled in the name of creative arts thanks to her active participation and boundless effort in her art projects. It was no surprise that she would pursue a career in fashion design and aspired to have her own line.

Rin, Miku, and Gakupo were the most excited for Luka as they never skipped a beat in clapping while she was at the front.

"Skinny legend behaviour, babe!" Miku called when Luka left the stage.

Followed next was Oliver who won the award for mathematics. It was a shocker for their friend group, and even the man himself. But he was giddy nonetheless.

He was given the award by none other than their maths teacher, whose class Oliver slept in during the course of this year.

Their friend group never had a break when the next name was the man himself, Gakupo Kamui, for cultural studies.

His passionate work with samurais and ancient history was well-received during their classes and his participation in volunteer groups for historical preservation went unnoticed by the school.

Similar to Kaito, Gakupo put the tip of his pointer finger and thumb together in an 'OK' pose.

This caused boisterous laughs from his parents on their table, by Luka and Miku's families.

Another set of names were mentioned. The whole segment reached the thirty minute mark.

She could not lie to herself, but Rin already felt hungry.

As if her wish was granted, the vice principal informed them of the last award for tonight.

They went on with a long-winded description. This student was considered the role model, the beacon of leadership in their cohort, and one of the most well-organised individuals in their school.

Rin was in a daze and waited for the cue to clap. She clapped when everyone began.

The odd thing was, the recipient had not come forward the stage yet—

"Rin! They're calling you!" Oliver nudged her arm, and Rin got startled.

She turned her head to see the smiling faces of her friends, their parents, and her own mother and father. She rushed towards the stage.

"Rin Shimoda, we are very proud to present your awards for tonight." The vice principal began the list of awards she was about to receive.

There were already reactions of surprise and awe when the third award was mentioned. Miku had an amused smile on her face and whispered something in Luka and Gakupo's directions.

Kaito and Oliver continued to clap as the vice principal spoke.

"Commemoration medal for successfully fulfilling the role of this year's cohort leader. Last but not the least is the Principal's Award personally awarded by the Principal of CFH himself." Beside the principal was a small table where all the awards were placed. It used to be full with all the other medals given through the course of the program.

The remaining medals were no doubt meant for Rin.

Miku stood up and clapped louder, which led to everyone else in the venue clapping.

There were cheers from the other side of the stage. Dex and his mates were very vocal in their support for Rin.

Wil had both palms on the sides of his mouth to amplify his cheer. "WOOOOOO let's go Rin!"

Their classmates laughed at the scene and Kaito and Gakupo joined in.

Luka amusely commented. "She's in a huge main character moment. I love it!"

When the applause died out and Rin went back to her seat, dinner was served.

Attendants ran about throughout the floor with plates of food on their arms. The background music filled in the empty moment at the stage as people enjoyed their plates and socialised at their tables.

Miku hummed in delight at the bite she took. "Damn this steak is bomb! Mum! Dad! Try this one! It's really good!"

Gakupo told his parents beside him as he also ate steak similar to Miku's. "I want more of the gnocchi we had. That was good."

Luka rebutted her best friend with a matter of fact tone. "Wrong, Miks. This sauteed tuna takes the crown tonight." She grabbed a bite of the delectable dish.

Her own mother sighed in a comical way. "I can't believe these kids are already going to uni soon… Time flies so fast…"

Gakupo's mother laughed. She herself felt the same as Luka's mother. "Bet 'ya right! They're here acting like kids arguing which is the best dish when they're finally going to the big real world soon!"

While Luka, Miku, and Gakupo's table seemed to have the rowdy bunches, (both student and parents alike), it was a complete opposite with Rin, Kaito, and Oliver's table.

Kaito and Oliver's parents had a pleasant conversation. They started with small talk until it went further to their careers and parenting hacks they had used to their children.

They tried to include Rin's parents. But the Shimoda couple preferred to listen to the conversation.

Rin felt awkward to move even a flinch, or else her multiple medals clinked against each other and made noises that caught unnecessary attention.

"These medals are a bit heavy." She whispered with a grumble.

Kaito snickered teasingly. "As if you never had more than two medals on you at every end of year ceremony. I'm surprised your neck hasn't adjusted to the weight with how often it happens."

"Shush you, Kai." Rin retorted. "Last year was just papers of certificates. And the last time I had medals was in tenth grade, which was two years ago."

"Exactly! You always hitch up the awards, you genius monster!" Kaito teased. Oliver nodded in agreement.

Rin rolled her eyes in sarcasm but her smile indicated she was amused with the joke.

Conversations continued to buzz throughout the tables. Empty plates were taken away and dessert was served. The seniors decided to use the free time to socialise and take photos.

Some of them climbed on the stage to take photos with their own phones or by the school photographer.

Rin, Miku and Luka were always ready to face the lens and literally dragged their guy friends to get into action.

As the tallest person, Gakupo extended his arm that held Miku's phone and did front-camera group photos. Miku and Luka cuddled Rin while Kaito and Oliver made funny poses with their hands.

Eventually they were all told to return to their tables for the resumption of the program.

The vice principal expressed the usual formalities and called their school duke to come forward for their speech.

Luka still thought Rin should have been the school dux to this day. There was nothing bad with the school duke, who just got settled on the podium and began to speak.

She was simply biassed and wanted her friend to get the title.

Gakupo tried his best to focus. He maintained a neutral expression on his face. Not too obvious that he was bored, but not too conspicuous that could draw attention.

The only speech he wanted to hear was from Rin, mainly because he was fond of her, and it would have given her a moment he thought she deserved before her departure.

There was a tear jerking moment during his speech, and Oliver simply bowed his head in respect and remained silent.

He was never close with their school duke. Sure, he led the boards and often beat Rin in the top spot. But he was in the other class and they rarely shared any classes since seventh grade.

So Oliver never really had the opportunity to know him better outside the information from the guy's friends that was passed to Oliver's own classmates.

A few more minutes later, the speech concluded and everyone gave him a round of applause. There was a brief break with the vice principal at the podium until he announced what Rin's friends all waited for.

"We will be hearing from a student for the last time as we draw close to our event. Please give a round of applause to the cohort leader and now recipient of the principal's award, Rin Shimoda."

Miku clapped at the speed of light in support of her friend. Kaito, Oliver, Luka and Gakupo, who were stoic and calm during the previous speech, were as if revived with their enthusiasm to cheer for Rin.

When Rin stood before the podium, Luka began the recording on her phone. The view of Rin on the stage was in the centre of the shot.

Then she began her speech.

Like the biassed friend she was, Miku was all ears to every word Rin spoke at the microphone. All was quiet except for the soothing voice of her formal speech before the school body and guests on this memorable night.

Luka thought of something as she held her phone with both hands and continued the recording.

Specifically, someone in Rin's life.

But she needed to consult Miku first.

Before that, she had to make sure this recording survived.

Compared to the school duke's emotional speech, Rin's was fairly solemn and diplomatic as she proceeded to thank each and everyone of the teachers in their year.

Even those she never had classes with, she referenced the thoughts of her fellow senior students who did.

Then Rin went on to mention each class and then narrowed to specific names.

"To my mates Miku, Luka, Gakupo, Oliver, I could have never asked for better friends than you lot. You welcomed Kaito and I with open arms since last year.

"Kai, you were with me on this journey for six years. I still can't believe you've put up with me for this long." Rin paused for a few seconds for dramatic effect. Sure enough, Kaito and his parents chuckled.

"Miks, Lu, Gakt, Oli, Kai, I'm very blessed to be your friend. I'm so happy we have lots of precious memories I can look back to from these brief but important two years of my life. You all really made it the best beyond my wildest dreams."

Miku covered half of her face with her palms. She fought herself from sobbing.

Rin's words hit home for her, especially with what was about to happen after this event ended.

The woman felt warm with the purest love a friend could give. Miku glanced at her other friends who had similar reactions.

Luka had a goofy smile while she held her phone. Gakupo pumped his fist in the air with a tearful smile.

On the other table, Oliver had his palm on his chest, touched at the special mention. Kaito had a sad smile on his face while he held his glass of water.

Miku was not the only one who thought of the end.

Rin finally finished her speech. The whole floor clapped at the sentimental speech befitted for tonight.

Luka finished the recording as Rin climbed down the stage and returned to her table.

Right after, Luka sent a quick text. When she noticed the recipient was preoccupied, she gently nudged Miku's back.

The woman turned back to check on Luka.

"I sent you a text. Reply to it now."

Miku followed and retrieved her phone from the purse under her chair. She opened it and was surprised at what she saw.

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[CHAT SCENE] Luka (sender) and Miku (receiver)

Luka Megurine

Luka: Do you think I should send Len the video of Rin's speech?

Miku: I don't see why not?

Miku: But you're better off asking him first. Probs he might cry over Rin and we don't wanna make it worse for him.

Luka: Cool
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Miku watched Luka use her phone with a serious face.

She stared at her screen, as if she waited for something.

Then Luka typed again on her phone until she finished with a click to lock the screen. "He said yeah. I just hope the reception here isn't slow and it will be sent soon."

At the reply, Miku could not hide her surprise.

If she were in Len's shoes, she might not have handled the look of the person she tried to move on from without the urge to cry.

But to each their own , she thought.

If seeing Rin is what comforted Len, Miku accepted that was what worked for him.

The principal had his short speech for the final time. Then he invited all the seniors to gather and take their last photo together.

Pictures were shot by each class first before the entire cohort gathered. The seniors moved to the vacant space on the other side of the floor so all of them could fit.

"By the power vested upon me, I am very pleased to tell you all, these are the graduates of class twenty-twenty five! Congratulations!"

The seniors cheered as they clutched their certificates stored in a folder with the school's trademarks. Parents and school staff gave applause for the graduates of the night.

The principal also declared the conclusion of tonight's events and encouraged everyone to socialise until the duration of the booking for the venue.

The robes were returned. Parents left their tables to take more photos from their own phones of the gathered seniors alongside the school photographer.

The graduates eventually separated and went into their own groups.

Parents and teachers mingled. Other parents talked with friends of their children. Fellow seniors from different classes interacted with one another.

Rin's parents were in the middle of a conversation with a few of her teachers.

Oliver and Kaito's parents went along so well with each other that they still talked. Eventually Gakupo's parents joined.

As their kids knew each other at a young age, it was natural for Miku's parents to be with Luka's mother and catched up with each other's affairs.

Miku, Luka, Rin, Kaito, Oliver, and Gakupo had the time of their lives as they danced to the songs on the speakers. All smiles and warm laughter were within their vicinity.

In a quick playlist shuffle, a sad song played. The singer sang a painful cry for their friend who was about to leave and how it hurted the both of them.

Miku could not control herself anymore and hugged Rin tightly. When her friend returned the hug, she began an onset of sobs with violent trembles of her shoulders.

"Don't go, Rin! You promised we would hang out in the city during our free periods at uni!" Miku cried on Rin's shoulder.

"... I'm sorry this is how things ended up, Miku. I can't imagine not being able to see you and your big twintails, nor hear that voice of yours. I'll miss you." Rin calmly replied with a sad smile on Miku's shoulder.

But she knew sooner or later she would also cry alongside her.

"Stop saying things like that. It only makes me want to cry harder, damn it!" Miku sobbed.

Her cries slowly caught the attention of other people nearby. "I'll miss you! It hurts to see you go now!"

But for the seniors, they already knew the reason and sympathised with her.

"I love you, Rin! No homo, but you get it! You can't leave! It breaks my heart to see you leave." Miku cried her heart out, every pinch of her body in Rin trapped the heat she took comfort in for the last time.

Her sobs on Rin's shoulder affected her own friends.

Gakupo already sobbed next to Rin and Miku. His mouth quivered with every cry he made.

"Oh Gakt. You can't cry too." Rin teased with a sad smile. "Miku is already an armful here."

She tried to add a bit of humour in the already depressing situation they were in.

Oliver was a lost cause too. His shoulders shook as he began to cry. "How could we not cry here, Rin!? We have to be far away from you now and it hurts to see you go!"

Rin felt something within her chest twist at the sight of Oliver's tear-streaked face.

She stretched out a vacant hand towards him. Oliver understood, grabbed her hand, and she pulled him into a group hug.

Miku had her face concealed on Rin's shoulder. Together with Gakupo and Oliver, they sniffed and wept for everyone to hear.

At that point they were careless, and too busy to acknowledge others within their vicinity.

This was their last moment to hold and be with their friend for good.

No one should be cruel enough to take away something this important to them.

Luka stood a few inches from the emotional trio. She smiled through the pain while her tears flowed endlessly, no matter what she did. "We're now here… Rin is really leaving… I still can't believe it…"

Next to her, Kaito openly sobbed and clutched his chest with the palm of his hand.

The pang on his chest intensified as he observed his friends with the mutual emotions as him on the upcoming departure of his best mate.

Kaito was already aware they were not the only ones who cried for Rin's departure. Lily sent a quick message to him on how she, Gumi, and Neru all cried on the bus after they separated from her.

Of course they would, Kaito thought to himself.

They were Rin's earliest friends since the start of seventh grade. Kaito and Len only followed in the middle of that year to be her friends.

And of course there was one more person.

Kaito had a feeling Len struggled today, alongside the rest of them here tonight or like the girls in the afternoon.

Kaito reminded himself to check on Len soon.

Rin was still trapped in between three of her friends in a very intense emotional moment; to the point one of them lost their breath.

Kaito and Luka laughed over Miku's coughs as what friends did in times of simple troubles—laughing over it first before helping them.

Yet the sound of their laughter came out miserable as they also cried.

Oliver then told the two to join them with their hug on Rin. And so Luka and Kaito joined the sobbing group hug.

Rin's shoulders were already wet from the tears of her friends that leaned on her. Some of their make-up was ruined but they never took it all into mind at that moment.

They continued on with their weeping and said things along the way, mostly about missing Rin and wishing she never had to leave.

The sobbing group hug had to be disbanded. But the cries still resonated.

Rin was approached by their other classmates to give all their best wishes for her.

Sonika warmly said her regards. "Bon Voyage, Rin! I hope the flight won't be a nausea mess!"

Ars expressed his wishes of well-thoughts for Rin. "Safe travels, Rin. We hope your life in your new home will be a pleasant one, better than here even!"

Mayu greeted her schoolmate with a sad smile. "We'll really miss you, Rin! I hope you won't be able to forget us!" She embraced Rin who accepted it and simply held one another for a few moments.

Even Dex and the dudes came by to shake Rin's hand and wished her all the best for tonight. It was the most unexpected thing for Rin, as she was only casual with these guys.

But truly some things simply happened.

Another surprise was Yuki who approached Rin to say the same well wishes. She also apologised for her behaviour earlier in the year.

She noticed Miku's state of disarray, not once left Rin's shoulder and still sobbed.

"I hope she'll be better soon." There was no malice in her voice, only sincere worry.

"She will, thank you Yuki. I also hope for the best for you in the future." Rin smiled.

She acknowledged how Yuki set aside their differences throughout the year and did that for her. "I also had shortcomings with you. I'm sorry too."

A classmate of theirs from 12-C insisted they need to do group photos.

So with the sobbing friends with tear tracks on their cheeks and washed up make-up, red puffy eyes and the inability to smile properly as they wept, the seniors were able to take their photos.

At that point, Rin finally cried. As she saw all these people cry over her, it only amplified the incoming longing of what she had to leave behind once she boarded that plane.

It only worsened the ache in her heart.

After one more hour of socialising and living through every moment, it was time.

Rin's parents informed her they had to head back and finalise their preparations for the flight.

Miku cried harder when Rin, with an aching heart, had to tell her friends that it was time.

"Fuck! I can't take it. I'll miss you so fucking much Rin! Don't leave us!" Miku cried and clutched Rin tighter.

If Miku already felt this way to a friend, she could not imagine how Len could endure as someone who loved Rin more than a friend.

They were all hurting. But she knew Len's was far more deep that was not easily fixed.

The cries of Kaito, Luka, Miku, Oliver, and Gakupo got louder with the impending end. For the last time, they gathered in a group hug and said their goodbyes and love for their friend.

Their group would never be the same without Rin, and it was an upcoming reality they had to face soon.

With reluctant, broken hearts, each one of them had to let go of Rin.

She had a sad smile on her face. A glance on each and every face of her mates, Rin once again assured herself she chose the best people she could have asked for as friends.

Her parents, who waited for her to finish her affairs with her friends, were near the elevator.

Rin turned her back to her friends. They stood, watched her with crying smiles and tear-streaked faces.

"Thank you guys! I hope we can see each other soon!" Rin waved as she sobbed.

Miku quickly covered her face with the approach of a big sob. She tried her very best to smile and waved to Rin.

Kaito wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and waved.

Gakupo, Luka, and Oliver gathered all the effort they had to give Rin a proper farewell with a big smile, and a wave without breaking down like Kaito and Miku.

The rest of the seniors, and even some of the faculty shouted their goodbyes for Rin. She smiled and appreciated the attention once and for all.

For the last time, Rin waved to all of them. Until she got in the elevator with her parents, and then the doors closed shut.

Her parents did not say another word as they went to the car park and walked to their car.

When they entered the main road, they only had one agenda in their mind for tonight.

And so Rin left the venue with a wet face from all the tears she shed tonight.

With a heavy heart she struggled to carry, Rin was about to face the new reality.

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The hollow space and the quiet atmosphere welcomed Rin at her first step in the airport.

Their flight was at five in the morning. Yet they had to be here in the dead of the night if they wanted to be organised for everything. It was natural that some services at the airport were closed and out of operation. Even security would open soon.

By soon, it meant an hour before the family had to be at their gate.

There were already people within the airport. Security, staff, flight crew, fellow passengers, and employees that made it possible for airports to operate at this ungodly hour of the day.

The Shimoda family settled on a table in a fast food restaurant to have their early breakfast.

Rin tried to kill time with a book she aimed to finish.

She would be proud of herself if she finished it before they arrived at their destination. But she was only in the first one hundred pages.

A look at how thick the right side of the book was with its unread pages, she knew it was impossible.

Time slowed down yet also haste for Rin.

Each minute went by agonisingly as they waited to check-in their bags, get their boarding pass, and for the opening of security and immigration.

With every minute it took, Rin finished a page and let herself be trapped into the world of the book; escape this melancholic reality.

Rin zoned out through the process of check-in, security, and immigration.

Even when she walked through the walkway with her guitar and carry-on bag, things were a muffled blur to the dejected girl.

Most of the seats in front of the gate were almost occupied. This meant that the plane might be fully packed throughout the whole flight.

Everyone simply waited for the gate to open and get set to board the plane, once and for all.

Rin sighed and closed her book. She turned her head to the glass walls that showed the very aircraft that would bring her to a new life she needed to establish from scratch, all over again.

Even when she wore a winter jacket to avoid the harsh cold, Rin shivered.

She knew the real reason for it, the anticipating wave of sadness.

One thing led to another, and once again she merely went through the moment without the presence of her mind.

Rin now sat on the constricted seat at the plane. She was given the window seat next to her sister. Her parents, with her brother, were separated by the walkway.

The aeroplane was actually big with the free space at the top thanks to the high ceilings.

Yet it only enabled the feeling of suffocation that Rin felt within herself.

It was not on the borderlines of a panic attack, so she knew it was nothing to worry about. But Rin could not deny the discomfort of the situation she was in.

Rin noticed her reflection on the window. It was pitch dark outside, and with the bright lights inside the plane turned on as the plane was being loaded with luggage and passengers.

To this hour, her curls that Lily did were still intact. It lost its perfect vibrance and volume. But it was still charming and added character to Rin's hair.

Even if she was told to wash it prior to leaving, Rin did not have the heart to do it. She already felt ashamed to rub off the make-up Neru did for her.

Only photos of her and Lily's work were the physical evidence she could hold on. The dress that Gumi chose was squeezed onto her luggage right after she went home from graduation.

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The plane's door was finally closed. Flight attendants began their orientation for in-flight safety and emergency procedures with demonstrations. The pilot spoke through her microphone. Passengers were asked to secure their seatbelts when take-off was declared.

The plane's motions felt weirdly smooth and bumpy for Rin at the same time.

She assumed it was her anxiety that influenced her imperfect sense of balance today.

Her book in her lap, Rin gazed at the window. She watched the scene unfold of the aircraft about to take momentum, its wheels slowly lifted off from the surface of the runway.

People were excited to look from the windows as the plane soared above the sky.

Below were the city lights that resembled the night sky with the twinkling stars, and it was a romantic sight to witness.

For Rin, it was a heartbreaking vision.

It was the last time she was close to her country, her home, right in front of her.

Her sister was fascinated with the city lights, and leaned her head forward to get a better view from her buckled seat.

Rin held back the tears that threatened to come at her.

When the aeroplane finally stabilised and seatbelts were allowed to be taken off, everyone's attention to the window faded out.

Only a few who sat nearby the windows continued to look at the outside world. Some already decided nothing interesting was from outside anymore and covered the window.

It was at that moment Rin could not resist and warm tears fell from her eyes.

Her heart yearned for what she had to leave behind below, her home.

A chance to live out her life more freely after high school. The new experiences she would have that followed in the footsteps of her siblings. The relief to know you were settled in life thanks to the connections you have made at an early age.

She missed out with all of them.

Rin longed for her friends. She felt weak with misery that she was now oceans apart from them.

She already felt lonely in this new place from now on.

It was ten minutes past five in the morning. Her sister Lola dozed off in her seat.

Rin had to wipe her tears to hide the fact she silently cried.

Her mind flashed the faces of every friend she cherished for the past few years.

Jolly Gakupo, wise Oliver, confident Neru, reliable Luka, gentle Lily, cheerful Miku, comforting Kaito, and sweet Gumi.

In another life, Len would have been included in that list. The guilt from that night still lingered in Rin's heart.

The sound of Len's broken cry after she turned back and ran away from the scene still pierced her heart.

If things had gone differently, what would have happened to them?

If only she did not have to leave, they could have started over again.

If only she still held on, they could have loved each other again.

But what happened that night needed to happen. There was no point for Rin to ask more questions.

She had to stay firm on her choice, for the sake of both of them.

Oh, how Rin wanted to cry her heart out and ask for another chance in life to stay at home.

She knew about homesickness from the books she read and the videos she watched of people who discussed and experienced it.

Rin already anticipated that homesickness would hit her hard and potentially torture her emotionally. A continual drowning in a wave of sadness

With her eyes closed, Rin begged for one, desperate wish.

If I can have something from home to help me, please let me have this one hope.

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The room was almost pitch black. The only light source that gave a faint luminescence in the bedroom was the blue light from the phone screen, and a digital clock that displayed the time: five-ten in the morning.

The young man laid down on their side in bed, held his phone as he typed. He knew his state of disarray after he cried for over three hours.

Before that, he already accepted the fact he could never sleep tonight.

There were several attempts to convey his feelings; be strong enough to send off Rin for the las time. Yet he hesitated at every chance and felt defeated at this hopeless cause.

He would type out a message to send. But he always hesitated and then quickly erased it all off from the text box; realised he could never do it.

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[I hope you have a safe flight Rin!]

This was not enough to admit the whole truth. He swore not to pretend in front of Rin for the last time.

[Thank you for meeting up with me back then, Rin. Bon Voyage!]

Len shook his head. It was too formal and defeated the purpose of their meeting to be comfortable with each other as they began to heal.

[I'll miss you, Rin.]

No, this was too personal. Rin would have pulled away out of fear, and Len had already done enough to hurt himself on this regard.

[I still love you, Rin.]

It was all hopeless. He should give up with this futile attempt.

[I miss you. Please come back soon.]

After he locked the phone and darkness enveloped him, Len let out a soft, broken sob in defeat.

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Once Len actually managed to sleep later, his head would be supported by wet pillow cases after his tears never stopped.

By now Rin's plane would have taken off and was currently on the air towards a land far away and unreachable to him.

It was finally real. He was too late. There was no more chance for him.

Len dropped the phone from his hand. He grabbed a certain keychain and kissed it.

He sobbed again and clutched the keychain in the process. It was the matching piece he bought together with Rin's. She had the treble clef, and he had the bass clef.

They were a pair.

But they were so far away now.

Len had to accept they would never be together.

Len cried once more, even when he was so tired.

Rin left for good. There was nothing he could do now, and that was the painful part for him.

He cried over the missed chances, the opportunities that he carelessly slipped through his fingertips.

Even when Kaito checked on him, it did little to relieve the ache in his heart.

Maybe it got worse when he impulsively agreed with Luka to send the video of Rin's speech from their graduation almost eight hours ago.

He watched Rin at her best state as she calmly stood and regarded a whole audience with multiple medals on her.

It reminded Len of the same sight he had of her on the last day they were together years ago.

Her smile at the start and the end of the speech was his highlight, it felt sunshine casted below him.

Even if he was far away from her, Len would always support Rin.

The consequence of him watching the whole video was what he endured now. His head flashed memories of Rin on loop.

And now he had to get through the hurt he had from that night; when she was unable to return his long-held feelings.

Len already felt an impending headache from all the weeping he did for the past three hours. He clutched his head and moaned in agony.

He put away his phone, clutched the keychain on his palm and placed his hands in front of him on the pillow.

If Len could wish for something else, he hoped to spend more time with Rin, even as just friends.

He would finally be happy after that.

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One month into moving on

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Kaito rang the doorbell in front of him. The door was opened by none other than Ann Kagamine with her signature radiant smile.

"Kai! Good to see you back. How's it going? Congratulations on your graduation last month, by the way! When are you starting your uni classes?" Ann stepped aside to let Kaito in, and closed the door behind him.

"I'm good, Ann. How about you?" Kaito politely greeted his best mate's mother.

He slipped on a pair of home slippers. "Thank you for that, graduation was fun! I'm not sure when I'm starting since I'm waiting for my results. I've finished every submission I had to do. Now it's just the waiting game."

"Ah, interesting! I wish you all the best for it. Before you know it, suddenly you're in your first day of uni! Make the best out of your break today."

Ann led Kaito to the living room, where Alan read the newspaper. The older man greeted his son's best friend and appreciated his presence.

"Len's also finishing his stuff for unis next month. His dad and I are quite excited! Our baby boy, all grown up and exploring the real world on his own!"

Kaito smiled. "Yeah, he told me that. I have another friend who might end up going to the same uni as him!"

The vision of the memory from his mind was recalled. Miku once shared her first and second preferences on the universities she applied to.

Miku was relieved when Kaito told her one of them rang a bell on him, because it was the same one Len and Gumi might go to.

It would make things easier on the social side for Miku to have someone she knew. It was a bonus that it included her crush.

Ann insisted for Kaito to sit down on the couch before she went to the kitchen and grabbed a plate of snacks. "Oh! Is that Megumi? He mentioned that when we were talking about his plans for next year."

"I was talking about a different friend. She's actually in the same field as Len's, but on a different program. So it would be basically her, Gumi, and Len together in the same uni. If all things work out!"

"That's wonderful, Kai! I'm glad! God knows Len needs the support in settling in a new environment." Ann had her palm on her chest with a relieved sigh.

"These past two years have been difficult for Len. He's finally realised what he wants to do for himself, and we're very proud of him. But he still struggled making friends. It also doesn't help that he feels hopeless after he was rejected by Rin."

"Yeah…" Kaito awkwardly replied.

But he assured Ann. "That's why I visited. I needed to check on him. It's been a month since Rin left. And I don't think he's taking it well." He lowered his voice once he mentioned the certain woman—their mutual friend.

"He surely hasn't." Ann shook her head sideways slowly, a sad smile on her face.

"He's always been on the emotional side. It was normal that he took a longer time to recover from things like this. We all handle things differently, that's fine. But he hasn't been doing well ever since. As you said, it's been a month.

"We want to let him heal at his own pace. We're only here at the sidelines for him if he needs us. I don't know if he's just too damn stubborn to ask for help, Kai? Or he's actually still holding on and hurting? His father and I are worried." Ann had a soft frown on her face.

Kaito had a mutual feeling.

He mentally composed what he wanted to say first, and found it difficult. "It could either be both, honestly speaking Ann. I honestly can't figure it out until I reach out to him. Which, I'll be doing now."

He had a small chuckle under his breath. "It was what he and Rin both did. Until you talk to them, they'd still hold onto things you least expect they would."

Ann had a fond smile at the mention of the girl at the centre of her son's heart. "Among the things why she and Len got along so well... Tell me Kai, how is Rin?"

"I think Rin's as fine as she can be there, that's what she mentioned to me so far."

Kaito shrugged his shoulders as he held his glass of water with both palms. "She said it's been hard settling there. Everyday there was something new that was either exciting or intimidating. I couldn't really understand it. I've been here in this town since I was born. Everything has been the same but it's comforting."

"Oh it is hard being in a new place, Kaito." Ann assured him with a strained smile. "It reminded me of my life decades ago. I actually lived overseas like Rin, when I was your age."

"Really?" Kaito was surprised at this new information.

Ann confirmed it and mentioned the basics, such as which country she went to (not the same as Rin's).

She initially tried her luck to study overseas, and that was how she got her opportunity.

After she finished degree, young Ann found a job that helped pay more than the bills, which allowed the establishment of her career and let her experience life overseas.

When she answered his question of how long she was there, Kaito could not believe she was there for almost ten years.

And so he naturally had to ask—

"Why did you return here then?" Kaito realised his mistake. "I'm sorry if that came out wrong! I'm really curious and didn't realise how it would have sounded before I said it!"

Ann chuckled, "That's nothing Kai! It's okay, I get what you mean."

After her chuckles died down, she sighed. "Well, I left because I wanted to go home."

"Home…?" Kaito was not sure of her answer.

"This is my home, Kaito." Ann smiled. "I already had my career established there. It was reckless of me to let it all go once I decided to leave. Even now, there are better opportunities overseas than here."

She paused. "I just couldn't deny it to myself any longer. I missed home. After almost a decade, I still couldn't see myself being happy there.

"They say you'll eventually overcome the adjustment after migrating once you've accepted everything. I think that's why I didn't last there. I couldn't accept things and still missed what I had back here."

Kaito was speechless at what Len's mother admitted.

He knew almost a majority of people in their country aspired to migrate overseas. It was a huge shock to hear someone who lived that dream and actually abandoned it.

"Did you ever regret your decision to go back here?" Kaito asked.

"Well, I did at some point in the first few months. But it was only short bursts of frustration. At the end of the day, I was even thankful to myself for deciding to go back home.

"I was smart enough to save money when I was working overseas. It relieved me of so much stress of getting through everyday while looking for a new job. I stayed with my parents for six months. It wasn't that bad, and never to be ashamed of contrary to what everyone says. But starting from scratch was no way easy."

Kaito took the last sip of his water and put it down on the coffee table as he listened.

Ann continued. "It was around that time I met Len's father during what seemed to be a fever dream after I resettled. Long story short, here I am with my husband and our kid all grown up going to university." She smiled.

And Kaito actually knew the context for this.

Len mentioned how his parents met back in primary school, when they got to know each other and talked about their families.

"Rin will experience a whole range of emotions, even those she thought she never had before. That's how much migration will shock a person. She needs to be braver, stronger even if it kills her inside.

"Most of all, she needs to hold on to everything that makes her who she is. Because you can get lost there, and that's one of the most depressing things. That's all I can say."

Kaito nodded. He memorised every word she said in the likely scenario Rin needed to hear it.

Ann finished with advice for Rin. "Whatever her plan is, I only hope that it will take her to what's best for her. If you've got the chance, tell Rin I'm proud of her for being strong and persistent everyday in her new life. Even if we've never talked for the past few years."

"I will. Thank you very much for sharing all of that, Mrs Kagamine." Kaito smiled. "Rin would appreciate it. She felt lonely since she was the only one among our friends to migrate overseas."

"You're most certainly welcome, Kai. Fingers crossed she won't be lonely anymore there. And I think you better head off upstairs."

Ann sighed with a worried look that she cannot hide. "I'm still not used to how quiet his room is. He was always in a ruckus up there. But we're happy there's progress. He just started to eat with us and tell us what he's doing for next year."

Kaito shared a few more words with Len's mother and other pleasantries to assure her before he made his way.

He climbed the stairs and approached the familiar door he knew all these years. Kaito hesitated for a quick second.

Before the courage left him, he swallowed the doubt and used his top knuckles to knock the door.

Kaito swore he heard a faint thud from the other side. Fabric being dragged on a surface was the only noise he heard as he focused on potential activity inside the room. It was even a wonder he could not hear footsteps.

Naturally he felt surprised when the door opened.

There Kaito saw Len in his full form.

He was wrapped around a large blanket he held from the inside, both a hood and coat that covered his body and the top of his head. A few strands of his hair came out as Kaito observed Len's face.

His eyes were sunken and made more obvious without his glasses. He assumed the frown on his friend's face might be an indicator of his fatigue before he visited.

"Greetings, friend." Kaito thought this was the best moment to cheer things up, specifically Len's demure. "I've arrived from the outside world, seeking to communicate with you and convey the events of the outside world for the sustenance of your psyche."

Len merely stared at Kaito for a few seconds.

He could not believe this was how the man greeted him first thing after he opened the door. And so he rolled his eyes.

"Come in, you buffoon." He sarcastically replied; opened the door wider for Kaito to get inside.

Kaito chuckled as he entered and let Len close the door behind him. He observed the state of his friend's bedroom.

Len went straight to the side of the bed for his eyeglasses underneath.

It was not a mess. But he knew it was not in the best condition as it could be based on his previous visits in the past.

The desk, the closet, and the screen at the wall with the game consoles attached below seemed untouched. The window was opened and allowed the gentle breeze to flow through the room for ventilation.

But when Kaito focused on the bed, he knew where Len spent most of his time.

The bed was half-empty thanks to Len who took the blanket as his multi-purpose cape and hood. His phone was on the edge of the bed where the pillows were supposed to be.

The pillows in question were in disarray; one was already on the floor while the other was on the other end of the bed. There was a tissue box on the bedside table and below was a rubbish bin filled to the brim.

There were a few crumpled balls of tissues that barely missed and were on the floor. Beside it were multiple empty plastic bottles of water.

"Mum almost kicked my arse after she realised I wasn't drinking water for the day." Len stood beside Kaito. His throat seemed to be scratched with the hoarseness in his voice.

"Are you fucking crazy? No wonder she was scaredly worried of you. Of course you should be drinking water!" Kaito lightly scolded his friend.

But he sighed in the end. This was among the reasons why he had to check on Len personally.

"She and dad gave me that large pack of bottled water that I have to finish at least half of it at the end of the day."

Len pointed to the ripped plastic with the half-pack at the corner. "That's why there's scattered empty ones. Sorry for the mess. I'm still a mess and I'm working on it."

It was as if every step Len took was a heavy toll on him when he slowly approached his bed and let gravity drop his body on the mattress.

Kaito segregated the empty plastic bottles away from its mix with the crumpled balls of tissue. "Man, you stink. When was the last time you hit the shower?"

"I'm trying, mate. I'm supposed to do it today. I just need to gather the energy for it first." Len grumbled.

His body stayed still on the bed even when Kaito sat on the other side of the bed. Their backs faced each other.

The two old friends stayed in silence.

The only sounds were the gentle breeze from outside through the open window and to the fabric of the curtain that swayed along. Additionally, there were the voices of Len's parents in the middle of a conversation.

Len knew Kaito was coming over.

He was aware he and Mum had a conversation about the time she lived overseas before going back, then meeting Dad.

Before today, Kaito already reached out to him especially during the first few weeks, when everything was unbearable especially at midnight.

Len felt a little better, but he knew he wasn't still in his best yet.

"So why are you dropping by today?"

"To check on you, duh." Kaito turned his head back to look at Len and replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Seeing you and your room right now, I think I already got my answer." Kaito looked around the room to further confirm his assumptions. "But for formality's sake, I still have to ask you this: How are you today, Len?"

"I feel like shit." Len grumbled. He was still on his side and stared ahead at the moving curtains on the window thanks to the gentle wind.

"Yeah, it's hard isn't it? You said you're working on it. And I'm already happy for you. Your mum is also delighted." Kaito had a smile on his face while he stared ahead at the walls in Len's bedroom.

"It's been a month, and I still feel like it's the morning after she left." Len muttered.

With the dead silence in the room, he was perfectly understood by Kaito behind him. "I saw the posts from your graduation, and it was already daunting me. It was finally happening. Then I couldn't sleep even if I wanted to, because I was just crying. By the time Rin's plane took off, I was still sobbing my guts out…"

Kaito laid a comforting hand on Len's shoulder.

Hopefully without any words, it managed to convey his sympathy for his friend.

"Now I'm assuming you knew what happened at the end of the night there. After all, Miku posted too much there." He had a small chuckle as he remembered Miku's social media almost turned into a PowerPoint presentation with how many status updates she did.

"Yeah. You guys were all crying and hovering over Rin." Len simply replied.

"We weren't the only ones." Kaito replied.

"What? Like you mean even your other classmates?"

"Yeah. Everyone who knew Rin approached her and were about to cry, if not then already in tears. Though not as bad as us."

At that point, Len raised his body and turned towards Kaito. "Really?"

Kaito nodded. "Even Gumi, Neru, and Lily cried. You know how they helped Rin prepare for that night, yeah?"

When Len nodded, he continued. "They were crying on the bus after they parted ways with Rin. That's what Lily told me. In my case, I've never felt so light-headed even just sitting in the car from all the crying I did there when we were going home."

Len had an inquisitive gaze towards his friend.

He did not understand what his friend wanted to say nor prove to him. It was all the more confusing for him.

"What I want to say is you're not the only one…" Kaito had a sad smile. "Rin was just too damn nice and got everyone to remember her. She left a hole in every one of us."

"You're right…" Len had a soft chuckle. "I don't think my hole would be filled up at this point, though."

"Well. Unless you try again." Kaito said jokingly. "Like, maybe moving overseas too just like your mum back in her day."

"Hell no, mate." Len frowned. "Knowing Rin, that would spook her out and make me look like a stalker. I don't want to make her uncomfortable."

Kaito internally grimaced at his failed attempt. Of course Len would be more sensible when it came to Rin.

"Yeah, you've got a point there." He said with a hint of shame after he brought up that suggestion.

They once again sat in silence.

It was comfortable; neither Len nor Kaito felt compelled to speak a word for the sake of necessity.

Len sighed, clutched his blanket in frustration. "It's been a month already. I should be moving on. But I'm going nowhere with where I am now."

"You do realise you can't just rush yourself recovering from something that affected you." Kaito corrected him.

"But I feel like I don't deserve to feel this, being sad and moping over Rin not wanting to be with me again. Especially when I was the asshole that broke her heart years ago." Len had his gaze downwards on the floor of his bedroom and began his sulking.

"You can't say that, Len. And don't compare yourself to Rin. Her circumstances back then and your circumstances today are different." Kaito gently retorted.

"Yeah, it's different. Because the tables finally turned. I'm the one who's crying over someone I want to be with. But I never will after what I did to her… I'm so pathetic…"

Kaito sighed. "Len. You've got to be more kind to yourself. You're going through a tough time. Give yourself some slack."

Len also sighed but in frustration. "Rin is a strong person. She dealt with what happened next after I broke up with her. I've always been mentally and emotionally weaker than her. I can never be as strong and steady as her."

He paused to stare at the distance, in the table where his untouched game consoles were placed.

"I don't know if I could get over this, honestly."

"You don't need to be sturdy all the time, Len." Kaito assured him. "Because funny enough, Rin used to say the exact same thing you just said, a week after you broke up."

Then Kaito did his best impersonation of Rin with a higher pitched voice. "'Oh Kaito, I don't think I can move on properly from this.' That's what she said. But now look at her, she rejected you when you were the only one she once dreamed of."

Len was quiet as he contemplated everything Kaito said, along with everything that happened for the past year.

He let the silence speak for himself of his self-doubt.

Without another word from his friend, Kaito continued.

"You shouldn't berate yourself for taking a longer time to move on than what Rin had to take to get over you. At the same time, you shouldn't punish yourself by thinking you don't deserve to move on because of what you did years ago that you repented on."

He took a quick breath before he continued.

"We were just teenagers back then, Len. We all made mistakes. We didn't know what exactly we were doing, consequences and all that. Even Rin made mistakes when she didn't do anything to check on you on the last days of your relationship. When she let everyone in our class, including me, trashed on you. Those were among her shortcomings too."

Len stared at Kaito's eyes in disbelief. He frowned, forehead slightly creased at his focused gaze.

"Didn't you remember what Rin said? She forgave herself and most of all, you. 'That's all that there is to it', she said."

Len's eyes were melancholic. "Well, she can't trust me now like she used to back then. How am I supposed to work on that? It's easy to forgive, but it's hard to forget it."

"That's a fact." Kaito answered. "But Len, that's part of healing—accepting some things can't return to what it used to be."

Kaito was very serious about the next words he was about to say next.

"It's like having a scar. It left a mark on your skin for everyone, for you to remember how, when, and why you had it in the first place. Sure, you look back on the time before you got the scar and how you took that for granted. So now you regret every decision you made that led you to the scar. But it's pointless to get stuck on the 'what-ifs' and be fixated on how life could have been without the scar. You need to move forward with the scar and accept it as a part of you."

Len was speechless.

He had never thought Kaito was to give him a full-on pep talk just for him.

And he could not help the warmth that rose on his chest.

Of course he had a friend who would help him in this situation.

"That's what Rin is doing now. She had a scar after what happened. But she's living with it and that doesn't stop her from living her life today. Yes, she will have issues trusting you from now on. She might reach a point of trusting you, yet not on the same level as what she used to before the break-up.

"And that's alright. It's life, it ought to be unfair once in a while. She cannot change that part of herself even if she desperately tried to, which she actually did before. But that's her journey and her own issue to think of; just as she's accepted it and is moving forward today."

Len could not help the smile on his face.

It was touching of Kaito to talk to him today, beside him when he surely reeked from days-worth of grimness from his self-imposed isolation in his deranged bedroom.

"And you, sir, need to mind your own healing. Because at the end of the day, the only one who could help you is yourself. Your parents and your friends are only on the sidelines to help you get there. But you're the only one who can bring yourself to where you need to be."

Kaito had an assuring smile to Len. He wanted to repay all those years he left him alone.

From now on, he swore to be the most supportive friend he could be.

After all, it was now just the two of them. They both felt the absence of Rin.

Their trio would never be the same.

"Thank you, Kai…" Len had a single teardrop fall from his eyes, and he wiped it with his hand out of the blanket hoodie-coat.

Kaito smiled and brought him to a tight and secured hug.

Once again, Kaito agonisingly asked himself why life had to be cruel.

Just as when he and Rin finally mended their friendship with Len, she had to be so far away from them now.

Will they ever actually reunite someday?

Kaito closed his eyes and only wished for that dream to come true, one way or another.

When they separated, Kaito insisted he help Len clean up. His friend left the room and went downstairs, still in his emotional support blanket hoodie-cape.

There were faint voices from downstairs. Kaito assumed it was Len and his parents mid-conversation.

Later on, the door opened to Len with small rubbish bags and picked up what Kaito had segregated during the time he was gone.

The tissues he cried into, the empty plastic bottles to be recycled, the wrappers and leftovers of biscuits and snacks he occasionally ate from, the scattered documents he needed to dispose of, and other shit he should have addressed in the past few weeks.

It was time for Len to let go of his emotional support blanket and dump it in the laundry basket. His whole bed was stripped of its quilt and sheets. The pillowcases were not spared as all of them went into the same fate in the laundry basket.

With the help of Kaito, the fresh and newly washed quilt, sheets and pillows were put together in merely two minutes instead of Len's good eight minutes.

Once again Len went downstairs, in his hands was the laundry basket filled to the brim, and to the laundry room he marched.

He dumped the thick quilt, blanket and all the other fabrics from his bed. The washing machine roared to life after Len dropped a few scoops of detergent more than the necessary amount.

What his mother did not know would not hurt her.

Len still remained in the laundry room and watched the fabric being washed inside.

He felt a certain weight lifted off his shoulders as the adrenaline of his productivity slowly boosted him. With an empty basket, he returned to his bedroom that was now orderly.

It felt so odd for Len after weeks of being surrounded by his mess.

Kaito made a suggestion. "Do you wanna play a game after you get a shower?"

"You're desperate for me to take a shower now, huh?" Len had a teasing look on his face.

"Of course. I'll get distracted by your stench while playing and then I lose. That won't be fair." Kaito went along, purposely messing with Len like the old times.

Len rolled his eyes sarcastically. "Yeah, yeah. I'll be quick. You can start playing on your own while you wait."

He went to his closet and grabbed fresh clothes. Then he closed the door to the toilet and shower room.

A few minutes later, Kaito heard water run from the showerhead and music from Len's phone. Of course he was the type to listen to music in the shower.

Kaito opened a random console he chose among the choices in Len's table. A system update was required just as he was brought to the home page.

With a groan, he put down the controller on the bed and stood up.

Kaito needed to find something to kill the time while Len was in the shower and the console updated.

He observed the contents of the room after their joint clean up. Kaito stood in front of Len's desk.

There was a lot going on at the desk.

There were stacks of documents with stick-it notes pasted. His laptop was at the farther side, placed behind all the papers with various notes on the edge of the screen.

In the notes were reminders written by Len, as he recognised the ever-the-same handwriting. They were applications for a few universities next year.

He remembered his friend mentioned that he already applied to his first preference. Perhaps these next following applications were back-up plans.

You're already making progress to function, you silly goose. Kaito had a smile on his face as he realised what the documents and the busy workspace meant for Len.

Len was already doing well to move on and heal himself. He was still in denial of it.

Kaito noticed the staple ornaments on Len's desk.

There were the figurines of his favourite video game characters that were familiar. A small cylinder case held all his pens and pencils. There was a remote control for the air conditioner in his bedroom.

When Kaito opened the drawer below the desk, there was the designated space for his laptop. Separated by a divider was a section for a wireless keyboard, a drawing tab, and computer mouse.

In another makeshift compartment were candies and other small snacks gathered in a lidless box. Kaito grabbed one and had some for himself.

The last thing the man noticed on the desk were three small photo frames on display.

One of the photos was Len and his parents behind a busy crowd. Len wore his school uniform and held a certificate in his hands. His parents had the biggest smiles on their faces and were on both sides of their son.

This must be from Len's end of year ceremony in the latter half of this year.

The next frame had a photo Kaito knew by heart. After all, he was in it and in the centre.

It was from their tenth grade graduation in their best looks with their school uniforms below the heavy, prussian blue togas. Rin was on the right, and Len on the left side next to Kaito in the middle. Like the day that photo was taken, he felt bittersweet at the sight of them.

He and Rin left Len with so many unresolved issues to each other.

Now that they fixed it, it was Rin who left them.

Kaito had a pained smile at the thought.

The last photo was obviously from a long time ago; based on the people on the old uniform Kaito and his former classmates wore in YMH.

He vividly remembered the time this photo was taken, rehearsals for the open day in eighth grade. The focus of the photo was on two figures with electric and bass guitars strapped on their bodies.

Yet their gazes showed that they did not play their instruments at all.

It was a blast from the past as Kaito realised how much Rin changed her appearance.

In the photo, she had short, shoulder-length locks, and four hair pains on her fringe and the side of her hair. She laughed at something outside of the photo's frames with a huge smile on her face.

Next to her was Len's younger self with the bass guitar. Kaito had a comical smile on his face with the sight of younger Len—unkempt hair he thought was 'his unique style', higher ponytail than what he did today, and excessive amounts of hair gel to achieve those spikes.

The most important detail in the photo was Len's gaze, seemingly directed at the girl beside him. He had a small smile that completed the soft, fond look he had for Rin.

Kaito heard Gakupo's words in his mind. That's a man in love right there.

Kaito wondered if Len would also pull the same move Rin did when she was moving on.

Did he plan to remove every evidence that reminded him of his broken heart? Rin did it six months after the break-up.

Would Len do the same around the same time, or earlier? Perhaps later? Maybe not at all?

If Kaito had to answer, he had a gut feeling his friend would never do it.

The console rebooted, and so Kaito left the desk and sat on the end of the bed. As he browsed the games and tried to decide from the options, the door to the shower room opened.

Len came out, fresh, newly washed with new clothes and less grim on body and face. Immediately he sat beside Kaito and they played an intense multiplayer game.

They got so much into the moment they had not noticed three hours passed. Alan interrupted them to bring them downstairs for lunch.

Kaito spent more time with Len's family at the dining table. It was always a fun experience that never got old since they were young toddlers in primary school.

Compared to some families, Len's parents very much had the 'modern parent' approach, if it did not give away the countless teases and jokes they gave that dissed their very own son.

It was always a fresh breath of air and the best source of entertainment for Kaito that made his experience in the Kagamine household worthwhile.

Contrary to what Len claimed of himself, Kaito knew his expertise to connect with people through his humour. It was natural as he developed it through comebacks for his parents' relentless teases. After consistent exchanges of witty comments, Kaito knew who won the daily Kagamine household banter competition.

The two went back to Len's bedroom and played more video games. Once again they were caught up with the adrenaline in their sessions.

Len had his usual moments of being a living instruction manual on the games they played. He discussed game strategies, detailed rules and policies that they could take advantage of, and other technical aspects that no one bothered to realise except for Len.

It reminded Kaito how similar Len was to Rin, who suddenly became a speaking book analysis website as she passionately analysed every aspect of the book she finished.

Similar to how Rin helped a friend on the latest homework, Len was invested to guide him through the difficult level of a game.

A look at the clock was all it took for Kaito to declare he had to head back home.

So Kaito informed Ann and Alan of the end of his stay. He received three things before he was in the doorsteps: warm goodbye hugs, takeaway food, and a copy of one of Ann's recipes to be given to his own mother.

Len opened the front door for Kaito. The man turned around and spoke to his friend for the last time before he went his way.

"Just drop a message if you need anything. Or call me, I won't be busy these days until I start uni." He smiled. "You're always doing your best, Len. Don't forget that. Be kind to yourself, yeah?"

"Yeah," Len agreed with a soft smile. "I actually want to approach Rin these days. But I don't know what to say…" He lowered his gaze, a hopeful yet anxious smile he had on him.

Kaito beamed at the news. "Go for it! Say hi to her. It'll make her really happy!"

"But wouldn't that be awkward? I don't want to make her feel uncomfortable…" Len worriedly asked.

"Nah! Don't think of it that way. Rin really needs someone from home to talk to. I'm serious. It would make her day." Kaito assured him.

"If you say so… I'll try tonight—"

"Don't doubt it, just do it! " Kaito excitedly smiled.

Len had a quick chuckle at his response.

"I will. Have a good night, Kai. Tell me when you got home." Len smiled as he held the door knob again.

"Thanks for today, mate. I appreciated it."

"I should be saying that to you. If you hadn't come, I would have just started cleaning up my room by now."

With a final hug, Kaito turned his back and walked away from the front yard of the Kagamine household.

He heard a door gently closed and its locks clicked when he was on the footpath.

Kaito realised around this time in the afternoon was the time he and his friends were on the way to their own homes after a long day at school.

He had a smile on his face as he recalled those moments of Miku, Gakupo, and Luka's antics, and the quiet but assuring presence of Rin and Oliver.

He checked his surroundings first to see whether it was safe. Kaito brought out his phone and slowed down his stride.

He typed a quick message and hit send once he skimmed his message for any typo errors.

.

.

[CHAT SCENE] Rin (sender) and Kaito (receiver)

Rin Shimoda

Kaito: Hey, Len wants to talk to you but he's worried you might not want him to. Send him a text and tell him you'd love to talk to him? :)

.

.

When Kaito was about to take a turn on the street, he gave himself a few seconds to appreciate the horizon on the street.

Things did happen this year.

He and his closest friends finished a chapter of their lives together. They were about to start their own chapters separately.

But they swore to still be together as much as they could from then on.

He finally reached out to his old friend, helped him and their friend heal the shared scars from the past, and made it through.

The only shame was that one of them had to leave and the other was still hurting.

Kaito sighed. He already felt nostalgic about what had occurred this whole year.

He decided his daydreaming was enough. And so, he began his way to the bus stop that would take him directly to his doorstep.

Anything can happen with this one life they all have, Kaito thought to himself.

Heartache ensued, reunions were celebrated, and second chances were gambled for.

When his two best friends thought the closure they needed from each other was forever abandoned, it finally happened.

He was thankful despite the tragic ending.

Yet those tears were still an essential part to learn their lessons, as much as the smiles they shared in these precious memories.

He had to always be prepared and stay hopeful for whatever may come soon.

Head tilted to the sky, he closed his eyes and basked in his inner peace.

With more faith for the future, Kaito went home with a satisfied and contented feeling for everything that was about to happen.